Ladies and gentlemen, it’s officially the holiday season in the retail world, and with a new Star Wars movie just around the corner, Disney is churning out holiday gifts like it’s nobody’s business. To us consumers, that pretty much means awesome things to buy inspired by one of the most endearing franchises on the planet, and that’s never bad. So here’s a rundown on some of the things to keep an eye out for.
First on deck to appease everyone young and old is the new slew of LEGO. This September, LEGO launched their newest line of Star Wars inspired building sets and buildable characters from the Millennium Falcon, to General Grievous. One of the coolest pieces actually comes from the prequel saga in the form of the Naboo Starfighter. The set itself if relatively inexpensive by LEGO standards and comes with 442 pieces for you to replicate the scene from The Phantom Menace where Anakin takes control of a starfighter, and despite being a child, manages to handle the situation pretty well. But for a younger friend of the Force, there are tons of toys to play with. Every parent’s worst nightmare, Furby, is now available with a Chewbacca skin. He sings and speaks Wookiee, which is adorable to anyone under the age of six. And if you’re an unfortunate soul whose child has one, you can now purchase an authentic Kylo Ren lightsaber. With a metal hilt and cinematic sounds, you can slice any Furby down with ease. I’m not encouraging Wookiee violence, but the option is there.
On a brighter note, you can purchase the BB-8 droid. Unfortunately, Disney did not send this bad boy to us, but this remote vehicle based off something we’ve only seen for half a second in a trailer looks really cool, and anyone who is interested in the movie will want to play with it. But that droid isn’t the only remote control toy this year. Oh yea, there’s a freaking Millennium Falcon. We got some time to play with it here in the office with varying results depending on who actually controlled it (Phil’s a natural, as it turns out). The device is made of foam, so it’s lightweight and fairly durable. Four fans are placed in a square around the ship, so it’s rather loud, but it’s fun to mess around with. Plus, the remote makes danger noises when you crash—I heard those a lot. It’s a must-have for anyone trying to make the Kessel run in under 12 parsecs.
This holiday season will be filled with Disney, and that’s okay. With all the hype around the revival of Star Wars, it was just a matter of time before we got this new flood of merchandise. This isn’t everything, but it’s a good place to start if you’re looking for some interesting gift ideas.
