Posted in: Collectibles, Games | Tagged: finn, force friday, Kylo Ren, Luke Skywalker, Poe Dameron, rey, star wars, star wars: episode 8, star wars: the last jedi

Force Friday 2 Announced, First Look At The Packaging For Toys And Products Reveal New Rey Haircut

Force Friday was a cool event for Star Wars fans two years ago before The Force Awakens came out in theaters. I myself spent way, way, way too much money on new toys, books, everything with a Star Wars logo on it that day, and now this morning thanks to StarWars.com we know when the next one will be, in support of The Last Jedi. So mark your calendars for Friday, September 1:

"The first Star Wars Force Friday event was truly unique, uniting fans across five continents in an unprecedented global live unboxing event ahead of thousands of midnight openings at retail," said Jimmy Pitaro, chairman, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media. "We're excited to confirm that Star Wars Force Friday is back for The Last Jedi. Plans for this year's worldwide event are top secret, but expect something befitting the excitement around the next episode of the Star Wars saga."

Star Wars fans around the globe embraced Force Friday in 2015, with hundreds of thousands turning up to stores at midnight to be the first to get their hands on merchandise from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Toys from the new line were revealed via a global livestream unboxing event with top Maker Studios creators that unfolded over 18 hours, 15 different cities and 12 countries, attracting millions of views on YouTube. Fans took to social media to share their experiences with nearly 3 billion Twitter impressions about the events, using #ForceFriday.

Details of how fans can participate will be revealed closer to the event, but the worldwide launch will tap new technology and Star Wars mythology to create a unique experience for fans. Just like 2015, products for The Last Jedi will be kept under wraps until Force Friday II to preserve surprises for fans. As well as introducing new characters from the movie in toy form, the line will build on the success of products like Sphero's BB-8, introducing more innovative technology to bring the characters and stories from the film to life in unique ways.

"Toys play a unique role in the Star Wars universe, and we're proud to have been part of that incredible legacy for the past 40 years. The new line for The Last Jedi is our most innovative yet, and we're excited to unveil it on Force Friday II," said Samantha Lomow, senior vice president at Hasbro.

They also revealed the new line look for this film:

A couple things here. First, the packaging. While it is exciting to get a look at the new Big Three, this packaging is kinda boring. The last two films had dynamic, eye catching artwork that really caught your eye and on pegs. It is nice that the heroes are on here as well instead of the villains, but why this boring white? I can't help but feel a bit bored by it.

Now, there is a particular part of the above info for Force Friday I would like to talk about:

Just like 2015, products for The Last Jedi will be kept under wraps until Force Friday II to preserve surprises for fans.

Ugh, just plain ugh. One of the chief complaints among collectors the first time around was that we were walking into stores completely blind, having no idea what was going to be on shelves. While some surprises should be left for the film, of course they should, will they really not show off ANY of the figures until that day again? Surely we don't need to be kept in the dark about Rey, Finn, Poe, Luke, and other we know will be in the film and (more or less) we know what they will look like in said film? I for one like to walk into a store with a plan and knowing what I am getting. I was hoping we wouldn't have to do this again this way, but I guess I was hoping for too much.

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