Force Fridayis coming next week.Star Wars: The Force Awakensproducts are set to be unveiled in the world’s first-ever global live toy unboxing event. Unfolding over 18 hours in 15 cities and 12 countries, the event will see highlights from the range of epic merchandise revealed in a rolling New Year’s Eve style celebration featuring top digital stars from the Maker Studios network. Here’s what LucasFilm presidentKathleen Kennedyhad to say in a statement regarding theseStar Wars toys.
“Star Warstoys have always played an important role in how our fans interact with the Saga. They’ve inspired multiple generations to relive the experience of the movies and to create new adventures all their own. These spectacularStar Wars: The Force Awakensproducts will continue that tradition.”
Kicking off in Sydney, Australia on the morning of September 3, and continuing through Asia, Europe, Canada, and North & 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. The unboxing ceremonies will be streamed live onYouTubethroughout the day. Here’s whatLeslie Ferraro, President, Disney Consumer Products, had to say in her statement.
“Over the course of 18 hours, some of Maker Studios' biggest stars will each be unboxing a new toy from theStar Wars: The Force Awakensproduct line in a different city around the world and sharing the experience live on YouTube. We’ve seen tremendous excitement for these new products and can’t wait to see the global reaction from theStar Warsfan community.”
TheStar Wars YouTube channelwill host the live stream, which kicks off with the first unboxing in Sydney, Australia at 7:45 a.m. local time on Thursday, Sept. 3 (5:45 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 2), with the grand finale atLucasfilmin San Francisco at 8 a.m. PDT (11 a.m. EDT) on Thursday, Sept. 3. Each of the 15 locations will reveal a new product inspired byStar Wars: The Force Awakens. These “unboxing” videos will feature online personalities sharing the excitement of opening the newStar Wars: The Force Awakenstoys.
Unboxing videos overall have captivated millions of Internet viewers and continue to grow in popularity. Eighteen of the top 100 most viewed YouTube Channels worldwide are dedicated to toys and toy unboxings. These 18 channels accounted for 8.1 billion views in Q1 2015. Here’s whatChris M. Williams, Chief Audience Officer, Maker Studios, had to say about this live streaming event in a statement.
“We’re excited to be part of this first-of-its-kind initiative. The unboxing world continues to expand rapidly as audiences around the world connect with digital creators who share their passions. This shared fandom helps attract billions of monthly views and consistently puts the genre at the top of the YouTube charts.”
The global unboxing event will incorporate traditional toy unboxers such as the popular EvanTubeHD, channels featuring families such as Bratayley, lifehack specialists such as ExpCaseros, gamers such as AlexBy11 andStar Warsfans from around the world, including Chris Pirillo, bringing with them a broad audience and appeal. The full schedule also is available atStarWars.com. Several countries will join the live stream from YouTube Spaces (Berlin, Tokyo, London), withStar WarscommentatorsAnthony CarboniandAndi Gutierrezhosting the event from the YouTube Space, Los Angeles.
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 recentStar Warsevents. The global celebration culminates at midnight local time, when many retailers around the world will open their doors to fans to purchaseStar Wars: The Force Awakenstoys, collectibles, books, apparel and more. VisitStarWars.comfor more details on participating locations. Additionally, select Disney Store locations around the world will take part. More details are available at www.DisneyStore.com/ForceFriday. Fans are encouraged to document their experiences around the event on social media using the hashtag #ForceFriday.
