For myself and many other fans, the sign that there’s a new Star Wars film around the corner is the release of the toys. Beginning with Episode One, the toy release has always been a midnight event, and the Episode Seven toys are no different. I decided to check out the three big stores doing midnight releases in my area: Toys R Us, Target, and Wal-Mart. I arrived at my local Toys R Us around 11 O’Clock to find that a line had formed outside of the building. Keeping the crowd entertained, and of course posing for photos was my Star Wars club JediOKC…
It seems Toys R Us has done this a few times, and was prepared to stop re-sellers, which as a collector, is always welcome and appreciated.
Management was kind enough to let me take some photos prior to the store opening its doors to the public. Just inside was a large archway. Passing through it triggered a Lightsaber sound.
Beyond the arch was a huge section of the store filled floor to ceiling with new merchandise…
Large cardboard standees decorated the area…
And just in case there was any confusion about who owns Star Wars now…
Shelves were filled with a wide variety of items…
including some awesome new Lego sets.
Check out this cool interactive Yoda!
Then of course there were the action figures, the first wave of the Episode 7 Black Series…
These massive four plus foot tall Vader and Stormtroopers…
and the two footers…
Then there are the 3.75 inch figures, a main stay in the Star Wars toy universe…
Admittedly, I was a little shocked at the small assortment of these figures. Not only were there just a few to choose from, but they seem to be holding back a ton of characters. Notably missing, were Episode 7 figures of Han, Luke, and Leia. In previous film releases, there were dozens of different characters to choose from, and the merchandise was almost solely from the upcoming film. While there was a large assortment of Episode 7 items to choose from, the vast majority of what was laid out was not Episode 7 specific. Perhaps more will be released in the coming months.
At 12:01 am the doors were opened, and the crowd made it’s way toward the toys.
Toys R Us was well stocked, had more merchandise on hand to refill empty pegs, and from what I could see everyone got what they wanted. A very well put together event!
Over at Target, they certainly win the award for best Star Wars decor around the store…
check out the belts at the registers…
The Star Wars area was hard to miss…
The life size BB-8 is wonderful!
Decor aside, Target was very poorly stocked. Just 20 minutes after midnight the majority of the toys were wiped out, and they had nothing to refill the shelves with. I personally witnessed about 40 people leave empty handed.
They did have some neat stuff left on the shelves, just not what the collectors were after.
Wal-Mart always manages to provide a fun party atmosphere for big releases. There were balloons, snacks, drinks, and a cake.
Unfortunately, not the super huge setup that I’d hoped for, but there were still plenty of items, and the area was being reloaded with fresh cases of merchandise…
and of course free stuff is never a bad thing!
Speaking of free stuff, I walked away with a cool poster and lego piece from Toys R Us, and a button from Wal-Mart
And what did I buy? Just two items so far…
Expect a closer look at these two next week. I saw lots of items that I want, and I’ll gradually pick them up in the coming months, and I’ll be reviewing Episode 7 merchandise as I get my hands on it. So what’s next? The two biggies will of course be the final trailer, and the soundtrack generally gets an advanced release…hopefully this time will be no different. We’re just a little over three months away…are you excited yet?
Until next time, may the Force be with you!