Since the announcement of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, fans around the world have been looking forward to all things Star Wars, including film-inspired toys that have always played a role in how fans experience the Star Wars universe. As a lead up to the highly-anticipated release of the feature film, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media today announced that Star Wars: The Force Awakens products will be unveiled in the world’s first-ever global live toy unboxing event. Featuring highlights from the range of epic new merchandise, the event will roll out in a New Year’s Eve style celebration unfolding over 18 hours in 15 cities and 12 countries.
The online live stream event will feature talent from the Maker Studios network, giving fans a first look at film-inspired toys ahead of the midnight madness at retail on September 4 known as “Force Friday.” Kicking off in Sydney, Australia on the morning of September 3, and continuing through Asia, Europe, Canada, and North and South America, selections from the new toy line will debut to global fanfare leading up to retailers around the globe opening their doors at midnight.
“Over the course of 18 hours, some of Maker Studios’ biggest stars will each be unboxing a new toy from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens product line in a different city around the world and sharing the experience live on YouTube,” said Leslie Ferraro, President, Disney Consumer Products. “We’ve seen tremendous excitement for these new products and can’t wait to see the global reaction from the Star Wars fan community.”
The Star Wars YouTube channel will host the live stream, which kicks off with the first unboxing in Sydney, Australia at 7:45 a.m. local time on Thursday, September 3 (5:45 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, September 2), with the grand finale at Lucasfilm in San Francisco at 8 a.m. PDT (11 a.m. EDT) on Thursday, September 3. Each of the 15 locations will reveal a never-before-seen product inspired by Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Fans can tune in to watch live unboxings at home or on mobile devices, and also enjoy the latest trailers on the upcoming movie, commentary from special guests, fun product videos and demos, and footage from recent Star Wars events. Check out www.StarWars.com for the full live stream schedule as well as more details on retailers participating in “Force Friday.”
Fans are encouraged to document their experiences around the event on social media using the hashtag #ForceFriday.