'Force Friday' Star Wars merchandise event no longer a ticketed event

Sep 03, 2015 in "Once Upon a Toy"

Posted: Thursday September 3, 2015 9:06am EDT by WDWMAGIC Staff

Tomorrow's 'Force Friday' merchandise event at Downtown Disney's Once Upon A Toy is now open to all and no longer carries a $50 entry fee.

Disney announced the change to the original plan, and attributed it to "overwhelming guest demand."

Guests who had previously purchased tickets will get a full refund of the $50, but will be the first guests to enter the store and will receive the messenger bag gift. A separate queue will be setup for those who did not register.

The event begins at 12:01am on September 4 2015. The event check-in opens at 9pm for registered guests, as does the standby line for non-registered guests. Once Upon a Toy has already closed for the day today to begin preparations.

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SirenSep 06, 2015

Oh wow, just rub it in, lol. But, seriously that's awesome. I received an email from Bed, Bath, and Beyond that morning but I didn't check it until after I purchased the BB-8 online! And, BB&B had in store pick up, too. Grrr. OMG, just buy one from somewhere -- call around to all the smaller retailers. I heard Disney lowered the price on the BB-8 to $149.99 to match the other retailers. From what I've read there is more on the way at the end of the month, too. I bought mine from Brookstone online, but they had them in stock right at the store. It will come it next week sometime and I can't wait. I'm just goiing to let him want around in patrol mode and BB will make for an excellent conversation piece. It's not something that I would normally buy, so people will be shocked and delightfully surprised to see BB on display. Oh, and my sister has a very pampered and spoiled Shih Tzu and I cannot wait for him to meet BB, lol. This vlogger purchased her BB-8 from a Brookstone at the airport, she made an awesome video. Good luck, I hope you find one soon. Also, I read online that a lot people walked away disappointed and empty handed from the other retailers, too. People are saying that there was not enough Star War merchandise on hand, especially the "black series" or something like that. Awww, that's too bad. But, you are not alone, I read this from several reviews, too.

Figments FriendSep 06, 2015

Well the mania of 'Force Friday' left a visible mark in retail stores here. . . . Just visited the local Target with a friend earlier this evening to pick up a couple of non - Star Wars related items and I could not help but notice the large empty slat wall space in the toy department. And it's Saturday night! Yep...beneath the red and white 'new logo' signage was bare nakedness....wiped clean....with loads of empty pegs. I was watching people fondle the large life size BB8 Droid in-store display that moved and made sounds. I swear a saw a guy taking measurements with his arm, probably trying to figure out if it would fit in his car trunk if he grabbed it off the display rack and made a run for it ( it was 10 minutes to closing time ). It was quite a sight. Not quite expecting that scene on a Saturday night post-launch but hey, it was Saturday night! I guess stock boys don't restock after a certain time.....

hopemaxSep 06, 2015

You can still buy it direct from the manufacturer. Although, shipping isn't until October. http://www.sphero.com

Tigger1988Sep 06, 2015

I'm either returning mine or selling for profit. Cute little toy but the novelty wore off almost immediately. Also wasn't expecting to have to clean it like an old school roller ball computer mouse.

George Lucas on a BenchSep 06, 2015

You can easily construct your own BB-8 by attaching an Artoo head to a soccer ball.

Animaniac93-98Sep 06, 2015

Went to the Lego Store today and they still had all the Episode VII sets...except the one I wanted. :facepalm: They said it would be two weeks before the get another shipment. I suspect these Lego sets will be the toughest find (besids BB-8) come Xmas.

CrazydisneyfanlukeSep 06, 2015

So, I have checked online store that sells the BB8, all out of stock. Kinda wish i picked one up when i had the chance. :(

TomHendricksSep 05, 2015

The Dark Side side is actually a hologram. It's fantastic in person, you can't see it in the picture.

Tigger1988Sep 04, 2015

Picked up BB8 at Bed Bath and Beyond of all places. No waiting a week (or longer) for shipping.

Mouse TrapSep 04, 2015

They did, but the fact that people did at one point fork over some cash just to walk into a store early is mind boggling. But I guess that's how the extra BB-8 I purchased sold for a nice little markup on Ebay.

VoxelSep 04, 2015

I thought Disney reversed that decision..

CrazydisneyfanlukeSep 04, 2015

Most of the stuff is out of stock online

ULPO46Sep 04, 2015

My bad read this the wrong way. http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/09/04/will-force-friday-kick-off-5-billion-in-product-sa.aspx http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2015/09/03/force-friday-brings-star-wars-fans-together-not-in-theatres-but-in-toy-stores/ But this is a World Wide thing so it is possible that this has hit over 1 billion US Dollars by now because Merch isn't as cheap as a cinema ticket. I still laugh at how people paid in order to reserve spots to buy products.

LieutLawwSep 04, 2015

From what I have seen from social media etc about all the new SW stuff and people wanting it, if this doesn't tell Disney something about Star Wars then nothing will