After a few months on holiday in my homeland of New Zealand, I've returned to Maryland, USA. One of my first priorities after getting back was to scope out the range and distribution of The Last Jedi products stateside. First up on my toy store tour was Target, and I was shocked at how picked-over everything was.
Earlier last week, I checked my local Farmers store in New Zealand and there was still a plentiful supply of the entire range of 3 3/4" figures - even Old Man Luke. Here, however, there was only Rose, Finn and Hux. No Luke's, Kylos, Poes, Chewies, 3POs, Stormtroopers, Paiges, or Reys (either in single-carded or two-pack form). One thing that was in stock - and which had been completely absent from New Zealand stores - were porgs. So, so many porgs...
Finally, I paid a visit to Walmart. Their stock selection fell somewhere between Target and Toys'R'Us, with the same favourite characters still failing to make an appearance. There was also a complete lack of new additions to their exclusive Black Series 3 3/4" line (the pegs still being full of two-year-old Finns and Hans).
The really concerning thing is that every store I visited had an absolute glut of Forces of Destiny dolls - which doesn't bode well for Hasbro continuing the line. It's a shame, because they look absolutely fantastic; both as a straight-out-of-the-pack toy, and as a base for more detailed customisation (which my fiancée soon plans to do with the Leia and Wicket pair).
All said and done, it's clear that Force Friday II arrived with much greater fanfare in the US than in New Zealand. Every store I visited had at least one dedicated display, along with some great standees and promotional material. How're things looking in your area? Be sure to let us know via Facebook or Twitter, or by sending an email to relicsoftheforce@gmail.com!
