New 'Star Wars' toys attract flocks of fans

Unlike the typical costumed characters in Times Square, these Stormtroopers didn’t ask for money. Instead, they came at the behest of Toys “R” Us to greet the hundreds of “Star Wars” fans who had lined up outside the store Thursday night.

The doors would open at midnight, when a glut of new toys tied to the upcoming Disney film “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” would finally go on sale. Some fans came dressed as their favourite Jedi. Many had been waiting for hours. As far as Toys “R” Us was concerned, they all needed to be alert.

“Whose foul stench did Leia say she recognised on the Death Star?” an employee asked a group that included a Jedi and a Boba Fett.

“Grand Moff Tarkin!” someone correctly responded. The woman handed him a small Yoda doll.

“Where did Darth Vader reveal himself to be Luke’s father?” she asked. “Cloud City!” Another doll. When that Jedi guessed correctly, he gave his dolls away. “I’m a Jedi,” said the Jedi. “I’m selfless.” There was a round of applause.

The Jedi had been there for hours. So had Boba Fett, whose real name was Alexander Stine. Stine could not say exactly when he had gotten in line, because his R2-D2 watch was difficult to read. His cellphone case was also “Star Wars”-themed, as were his wallet and shoes.

Disney, which owns the licensing rights to “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” has forced retailers and toymakers to keep a tight lid on many of the products tied to the film, which comes out in December.

The secrecy could help build anticipation in fans like Stine so that they would flock to midnight openings around the United States at retailers including Toys “R” Us, Wal-Mart and Target.

Other retailers, like Petco, opted to keep their doors closed and sell their Star Wars merchandise online at midnight instead.

“We’ve had to keep things locked up,” said Richard Barry, the executive vice president and global chief merchandising officer of Toys “R” Us. The store closed early Thursday so staff could overhaul the shelves. “That in itself is a logistical challenge,” he said.

A challenge, Barry was quick to note, that was well worth it. “Star Wars” toys are a multibillion-dollar industry, and many companies have spent the past 12 months, or more, preparing for the film.

“Force Friday,” as the early-morning openings have been called, were part of a big marketing push around the globe. A YouTube channel dedicated to watching people unwrap “Star Wars” products live had reached about half a million hits by the early morning and features streams from as far away as Australia.

And the promotion was scheduled to run throughout the day. Hot Wheels teamed with Uber to give a few lucky fans in Manhattan a free ride in one of eight Dodge Chargers wrapped to look like a Hot Wheels car based on the First Order Stormtrooper character. “There are more collectors of this property than any other property,” said Jim Silver, the editor of TTPM, a toy review website.

Silver’s office in Manhattan is overflowing with the hundreds of “Star Wars” products that TTPM has tested, including an interactive Yoda doll from Spin Master that responds to voice commands.

But fans will also be analysing toys for clues about new characters, like the BB-8 droid from the Colorado startup Sphero. Users can control the droid with an app on their smartphone, and videos of the small spherical robot zipping around the floor went viral Thursday.

Fans also lined up about a block away from Toys “R” Us for another midnight opening, this time at the Disney Store.

Sebastian Bowen-Tombari, 14, and his mother, Elizabeth, had been enduring the muggy summer night on a crowded sidewalk in front of the Disney Store since 6 pm. They had gone to Toys “R” Us first, but the line was already too long.

“I definitely wanted to be in the beginning of the line,” said Sebastian, who had to settle for third place at the Disney Store.

“He hasn’t slept in the last few days,” said Elizabeth Bowen-Tombari, who came from the Bronx with her son. “But it’s important to be at these events. This is something that he will remember for the rest of his life.”

As Sebastian rattled off his laundry list of must-have toys, his mother smiled and said, “My credit card is going to suffer tonight.”

Midnight mania
Farther back in line, Brian Howell, 38, was showing off his trusty lightsaber, a prop he uses to get people to pose for his Facebook page, New Yorkers Love Lightsabers. “I carry it wherever I go,” Howell said.

Inside the Toys “R” Us, Stormtroopers, Jedis and imperial guards took their positions as the clock approached midnight. Many of them were performers who often dressed as “Star Wars” characters for charitable donations and events and had been invited by Toys “R” Us to greet guests.

The Stormtroopers stood guard in front of a mountain of plush toys. A gigantic plastic Furbacca – a cross between the interactive Furby toy and Chewbacca – stared at the entrance, waiting.

A row of Jedis raised their lightsabers as the “Star Wars” theme song boomed out of the loudspeakers. “Two sides, one force!” they chanted loudly, a reference to the competing dark side and light side in the films.

The doors opened to cheers as a stream of tired but excited fans made their way in. Just minutes later, Shane Nelson, 19, and two friends were already leaving, purchases in hand. Nelson showed off black boxer shorts with “Join the Dark Side” written at the top. The boxers had brought Nelson “a bunch of good luck,” he said. A friend had answered a trivia question correctly, and they had been let in early.