The biggest day of the year is nearly here forStar Warsfans, as the galaxy prepares for the arrival of May 4, better known as Star Wars Day. With the day just over a month away, Disney and Lucasfilm have unveiled a series of new product launches tied in with the day, which they are calling their “March to May the 4th.” Many of these products are related to thevillains of the Star Wars world, as Lucasfilm is currently in a month-long celebration of the bad guys of the galaxy far, far away.
The new products were launched in New York City during a ceremony at the Empire State Building led by Darth Vader himself,Hayden Christensen.This was followed by aStar Wars-themed light show which was displayed on the skyscraper. “We’re excited to unveil a broad range of new products for fans of all ages with our extensive roster of licensees and retailers as we all march to May the 4th,” saidPaul Southern, Senior Vice President, Global Brand Commercialization, Lucasfilm, Disney Experiences.
A pair of these flagship products, unsurprisingly,had to do with Vader. The first is the Force n' Telling Vader from Hasbro, a poseable toy that features 40 different responses from the Dark Lord of the Sith. The other Vader highlight was the Imaginext Vader Bot from Fisher-Price, a two-foot-tall robot with lights, sounds and an extendable lightsaber. Sticking with the dark side, also unveiled were a trio of Citizen Watch timepieces depicting an Imperial stormtrooper, Vader, and the second Death Star, as well as a slew ofBlack Series figures(including a holographic Vader with a light-up holopuck).
Not All the Products Were Dark Side-Related
Disney and Lucasfilm also unveiled some other products that were less Sith-like. This includes a grocery jug of blue milk from TruMoo in a nod to the iconic substance drank by Luke Skywalker inStar Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.However, while the blue milk drank on set was infamous for its bad taste (asstated by Luke Skywalker himself,Mark Hamill) TruMoo’s version is simply vanilla milk with blue food coloring.
In addition to this, a series of products were also created for the Disney Store in celebration of the 25th anniversary ofStar Wars: Epsiode I: The Phantom Menace.This includes a collection of Darth Maul and Anakin Skywalker-related memorabilia, including a Darth Maul limited edition legacy lightsaber set. Also created for the Disney Store were a series of artistic offerings fromWill Gay. And starting in April, guests at Disneyland will also be able to purchase park-exclusive merchandise at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge as well as Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
And for those who can’t get enoughStar Wars,all nine films of the Skywalker Saga will bereturning to theatersahead of Star Wars Day. Pre-order information for the new products can befound here.
