With The Rise of Skywalker heading our way in just 67 days time, a somewhat familiar hashtag has appeared on social media – #WheresRose – harkening back to 2015 and the ubiquitous #WheresRey hashtag that was prevalent in the run up to The Force Awakens. Many argued that Rey was far more essential to the plot of TFA than Rose is to TROS (that’s a big assumption, how do people know that?) and Vanity Fair take a deeper look at the story.
The character is especially meaningful to those who have seldom seen themselves represented in sci-fi/fantasy storytelling, let alone in merchandising. “To have a character as an action figure, or a Funko Pop!, or to have her on a shirt is Disney saying, People who look like you are important,” Shitara said.
Hasbro hasn’t revealed a new action figure for Rose, but there is a Funko Pop! collectible, and she does appear on some T-shirts for girls, boys, and women. She’s absent from some apparel for men, although other female characters are present. A full rundown of the Rose-themed products on the ShopDisney site shows cell phone cases, bags, the Rose T-shirt, and a water bottle featuring her new imagery.
I remember #WheresRey around the first Force Friday, but what makes #WheresRose more insidious is all the evidence of where she was designed into merch and then willfully removed. The fan conduct toward Rose/KMT was shameful and catering to those fans sends the worst message pic.twitter.com/D85iLBghos
— Jenny Nicholson @ Halloween (@JennyENicholson) 4 October 2019
There was no official comment from Disney consumer products, but a source close to the matter inside the company told Vanity Fair on background that the division takes the #WheresRose inclusivity concern seriously. Star Wars products draw from thousands of pieces of individual art that are meant to be mixed and matched, the source added, which is why the Rose Tico illustrations sometimes appear with the “Rebel” logo, and sometimes the logo is used on its own.