After 123 counting down, we are finally at #ForceFriday. Force Friday is the day when the new STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS toys hit the shelves. I could have gone to any of the local celebrations at Target, Walmart or Toys R US but I was way too tired to go. I really was planning on doing it, too. I’m kind of glad that I didn’t because when I hit the stores today I learned that Toys R Us didn’t get over 50% of their intended shipments, Walmart was limiting shoppers to 2 total items and when I went to Target they didn’t have much either. I really wasn’t in it for anything other than the new Hot Wheels cars that are inspired by the characters from the new movie. I saw a couple online and had to add them to my collection. Unfortunately I didn’t find them anywhere.

The big deal toy is the BB8 Droid and it is going for around $150. That is, if you can find it. Here are some additional toys and especially exclusives. Despite not going last night I decided to take the kids to Toys R Us today. Sure they get lots of toys from my reviews but I let them take some of their own money and pick out something. I learned that Andrew is easy to guide to something that we’d like for him to choose whereas Eva felt a panic time crunch and wanted to choose any old thing including things that weren’t so great like fake makeup and such. I had hoped that they would have gone for the Star Wars figures from Playskool because they would go with the other figures of the same size that they currently play with, but I had no takers. I may just have to get them myself.

I did like the LEGO sets that came out for the movie and though about possibly picking one up. However, I have two large boxes in the basement of LEGO Star Wars toys from when they first were released by LEGO back in the 90s. I’m waiting till Andrew is a little older to start breaking those out. Below I have information about the exclusives as well as a recap of some fun Force Friday things that went on including the global unboxing that I told you about the other day. I have to go watch that one on the Hot Wheels cars and some of the Black Series 6 inch figures from Hasbro.

We also wanted to share some notes about the exclusives that some of our great retail partners have on this Force Friday and beyond! In alphabetical order…

• AMAZON: Pre-order the STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES TROOPER EVOLUTION 4-PACK, featuring four 6-inch figures not available anywhere else, including the long-awaited PHASE II CLONE TROOPER and a FIRST ORDER STORMTROOPER with exclusive red pauldron!

• COSTCO: The STAR WARS HERO MASHERS ULTIMATE BOUNTY MULTI-PACK features five 6-inch customizable action figures (including DARTH VADER, HAN SOLO and BOBA FETT), plus extra gear and accessories.

• ENTERTAINMENT EARTH: Pre-order STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES 6-INCH FIGURE 4-PACK from entertainmentearth.com, featuring four exclusive 6-inch STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES figures, including a MAGMA STORMTROOPER and R2-Q5 DEATH STAR ASTROMECH DROID.

• KMART: STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS villain KYLO REN comes with an exclusive “snow” deco and a snow base in the STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES 6-inch exclusive, available for pre-order. The base will connect with a future exclusive in this series…

• KOHL’S: The STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS KYLO REN MASK WITH CONNECT AND CUSTOMIZE LIGHTSABER SET at Kohl’s comes with a KYLO REN MASK and KYLO REN EXTEND LIGHTSABER, featuring a BLADEBUILDERS connector and a LIGHT DAGGER.

• SAM’S CLUB: The CHEWBACCA ROLE-PLAY MULTI-PACK contains both the NERF CHEWBACCA BOWCASTER, which features exclusive deco and exclusive FIRST ORDER targets, and the CHEWBACCA ELECTRONIC MASK.

• TARGET: Everyone’s favorite new Droid from STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS is coming to Target! A limited number of REMOTE CONTROL BB-8 toys will be available exclusively in Target stores on Force Friday, with more stock to come throughout the fall season!

• TOYS “R” US: Toys “R” Us is your exclusive destination to pre-order the STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES 6-inch FIRST ORDER SNOWTROOPER OFFICER action figure – this character won’t be available anywhere else! Build up your troops with this officer, which comes with a blaster and an exclusive red pauldron. Available for pre-order by 9/6.

• WALGREENS: Fans can capture the climactic battle from STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI with this exclusive STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES 6-INCH DARTH VADER (EMPEROR’S WRATH) figure, featuring an exclusive translucent mask with a visible skull underneath it, as well as an exclusive removable hand.

• WALMART: This fall, Walmart is the home for STAR WARS collectors and the exclusive home of the fan-favorite STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES 3.75-inch action figure line. A limited number of the first wave of the new line will be available in Walmart stores, and the second wave, featuring brand-new figures from STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS and a brand-new PRINCESS LEIA figure, will be available for online pre-order!

Fans Awaken for ‘Force Friday’

More than 3,000 retail locations in the U.S. open at midnight to celebrate new ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ products

Glendale, Calif. (September 4, 2015) – Today, merchandise inspired by the highly anticipated new movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens launched at retailers around the globe as ‘Force Friday’ officially got underway. Hot off the heels of the 18+ hour global live unboxing event on YouTube where highlights of the new product range were officially unveiled, the celebration continued as more than 3,000 retail locations in the U.S. opened their doors at midnight for fans to be among the first to discover new Star Wars products.

“We’ve been working closely with the filmmakers to bring the characters and storylines from Star Wars: The Force Awakens to life through an exciting array of products, and we’re thrilled to share them with fans around the world,” said Leslie Ferraro, Co-Chair, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media and President, Disney Consumer Products.

Starting in Sydney and ending at Lucasfilm headquarters in San Francisco, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media hosted an epic global live event to unveil key Star Wars: The Force Awakens products. Fans who tuned in to theStar Wars YouTube page were able to see the following toys unboxed by top digital stars from the Maker Studios network:
· Sydney: Star Wars BladeBuilders Jedi Master Lightsaber toy from Hasbro
· Tokyo: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Big Figs(31” and 48”) from JAKKS Pacific
· Hong Kong: Hot Wheels® Star Wars character car assortment and Escape from Jakku™ Starship playset from Mattel
· Seoul: LEGO Star Wars Poe’s X-Wing Fighter™
· Paris: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Kylo Ren Lightsaber, a Disney Store exclusive
· Madrid: Star Wars Micro Machines First Order Star Destroyer from Hasbro
· Berlin: LEGO Star Wars Kylo Ren’s Command Shuttle™
· London: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Elite Series die-cast figure assortment, a Disney Store exclusive
· Rio de Janeiro: Star Wars Black Series 6” figure assortment from Hasbro
· ‘Good Morning America’ (New York): LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon™ and Star Wars BB-8 from Sphero
· Toronto: Star Wars Remote Controlled Millennium Falcon Quad and X-Wing Starfighter from Air Hogs, Spin Master
· Chicago: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Role Play for kids exclusive to Disney Store
· Mexico City: Star Wars First Order Stormtrooper Deluxe NERF Blaster from Hasbro
· San Francisco: Star Wars Battle Action Millennium Falcon from Hasbro
· Los Angeles: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Poe Dameron’s X-Wing Vehicle from Hasbro

Additionally, fans tuning in to watch ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ on ABC were treated to a fun product reveal with Jimmy and his security guard sidekick Guillermo, showcasing Star Wars: The Force Awakens Voice Changing Masks exclusive to Disney Store.

Beyond lightsabers, construction sets, figures and collectibles, fans can find products across a wide variety of categories, including apparel for all members of the family, home décor, lifestyle accessories, books and more. New Star Wars products can be found around the world at mass and specialty retailers, such as Amazon.com, Kohl’s, Target, Toys “R” Us and Walmart, as well as Disney Store and disneystore.com.

Highlights from the merchandise line found in the U.S. include:
– A large collection of exclusive merchandise from Disney Store including role play items, talking action figures and figure play sets, along with themed apparel, tech accessories, mugs, journals and more
– J. Crew apparel for men, women and kids featuring the fan-favorite “Chewie, we’re home” scene of Chewbacca and Han Solo from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer
– A Star Wars collection of Rock & Republic® misses apparel and Mighty Fine juniors apparel offers female fans graphic tees, leggings, sweatshirts, hoodies and dresses available at Kohl’s
– The ultimate Millennium Falcon children’s bed from Pottery Barn Kids, looking like something seen from a galaxy far, far away
– A villainous take on home merchandise featuring new characters from the Dark Side, such as First Order Stormtroopers and Kylo Ren available at JCPenney

To preserve the integrity of key movie moments, an additional wave of products will be released closer to the film’s debut, when fans will be able to find additional items featuring the newest characters, including Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma, BB-8 and more. On December 18, a Play Set based on Star Wars: The Force Awakens will become available for Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition, the latest installment of the best-selling “toys-to-life” video game from Disney Interactive.

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STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS arrives in theaters everywhere on December 18th!

STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © & TM Lucasfilm Ltd.

About Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media
Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (DCPI) is the business segment of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) that brings our company’s stories and characters to life through innovative and engaging physical products and digital experiences across more than 100 categories, from toys and t-shirts, to apps and console games. DCPI comprises two main lines of business: Disney Consumer Products (DCP), and Disney Interactive (DI). The combined segment is home to world class teams of app and game developers, licensing and retail experts, a leading retail business (Disney Store), artists and storytellers, and technologists who inspire imaginations around the world.

About Lucasfilm Ltd.
Lucasfilm Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is a global leader in film, television and digital entertainment production. In addition to its motion-picture and television production, the company’s activities include visual effects and audio post-production, cutting-edge digital animation, interactive entertainment software, and the management of the global merchandising activities for its entertainment properties including the legendary STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES franchises. Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in northern California.