Star Wars has been named the #1 toy license for 2008, thanks to sales that exceed $450 million: It was the year’s most popular licensed toy property. The success of The Force Unleashed and the appearance of 14 Star Wars titles on New York Times bestseller list contributed as well. And StarWars.com has seen a 30% jump in site traffic.
The “Force Trainer” toy explained, sort of
StarWars.com got hold of Uncle Milton Industries’ Executive Vice President Frank Adler to get him to explain the toy that had us all boggling last month.
Eye Candy: Pop-up secrets
Babble magazine goes inside the world of pop-up books with Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart. Reinhart is responsible for 2007’s A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy, above.
Wacky (but good) merchandise: Star Wars kites
It’s a rare instance when ‘I can’t believe they’re making that’ and ‘but it’s pretty cool’ come together, but I fear this is the case for these Star Wars kites. Of course, ThinkGeek always finds the best stuff. (via)
Wacky merchandise: Artoo water bottle
Yeah, that’s not totally unwieldy or anything. I think I’ll stick with my cheapie Sigg knock-off, thanks. (via)
Wacky merchandise: Tiny Mos Eisleys for you and me
Hawthorne Village, which produces those little Christmas villages beloved by grandmas, aunties, and other connoisseurs of twee*, is now a Star Wars licensee. First up is the Mos Eisley Cantina, which Rebelscum has thoughtfully provided a picture of. (Click the picture above to go directly to the full ad.) I’m getting a total kick out of the image of fanboys drooling all over these things, and/or little kids begging Mom to include the Hoth Rebel base next December.
* They have the Thomas Kinkade license: ‘Nuff said. And, less alarmingly, Disney, which leads to Pirates of the Caribbean.
Everyone’s black and blue in tonight’s Clone Wars
What can you expect from tonight’s ‘Jedi Crash?’ Well, it co-stars famed comic export Aayla Secura. (She’s… French?) And some injury bonding for Anakin and Ahsoka. Check out the latest webcomic, ‘Headgames,’ for a quick preview.
- Last week: Watch ‘The Gungan General,’ or catch up with the usual round of reviews from the review blog, IGN and Den of Geek.
- People: Sci Fi Wire has a two-part interview with Katie Lucas, who wrote tonight’s episode.
- Merchandise: New packaging is designed to correspond with the show.
- In case you forgot… DVDs coming in March!
The ‘Force trainer’ is not an Onion story
No, USA Today is reporting this one straight, complete with comments from Howard Roffman. The Force Trainer “uses brain waves to allow players to manipulate a sphere.” Naturally.
No, you’re not tapping into some “all-powerful force controlling everything,” as Han Solo said in the movies. But you are reaching out with mind power via one of the first mass-market brain-to-computer products. “It’s been a fantasy everyone has had, using The Force,” says Howard Roffman, president of Lucas Licensing.
…In the Force Trainer, a wireless headset reads your brain activity, in a simplified version of EEG medical tests, and the circuitry translates it to physical action. If you focus well enough, the training sphere, which looks like a ping-pong ball, will rise in the tower.
Call me when they start making the toy lightsabers with real light, okay? (via)
Wacky merchandise du jour: Character fan misters
Here we have our first weird merchandise sighting of the new year. I’m not sure if I should be more shocked that handheld Star Wars character fan misters exist, or that they’re actually sold out.
I’m still waiting on that Mustafar immersion fryer, guys. Make it so.
Wacky merchandise: An X-Wing weenie roaster?
The (unauthorized?) Weenie Wing Commander (!!) will hold your hot dogs up off the grill. And for bigger cookouts, there’s a Cthulhu version.