Star Wars is known for its cute, toyetic designs. The franchise has a knack for making cute designs easy to transform into must-have toys. It's no surprise that Obi-Wan was ready to go with the next potential toy hit, but how quickly it turned around is a bit of a surprise.
The ongoing shipping crises brought about by the covid-19 Pandemic have made it difficult for Hasbro to escape. The fact that there isn't merchandise for L0-LA59 or for her fans on shelves timed with her arrival in the first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi isn't much of a surprise. It will be out in the summer of 2022, and into the fall of that year. It's not surprising to Star Wars fans that we got to see the toymaker quickly, especially since they used to see toys months in advance.
The same day Obi-Wan Kenobi hit Disney+, Hasbro revealed prototypes of two animatronic versions of the character and a companion series of collectible figures, with details in hand for fans attending Star Wars Celebration last week in Anaheim, California to get a closer look. That's something the company could do thanks to its close relationship with Lucasfilm, even at the height of the company's secrecy surrounding upcoming projects.
Chris Reiff, a product designer on the Hasbro, said that they had done it before, but that it was working back-and-forth with the studio. We keep saying partnership, but it really is: it's what we do and how we do it that makes it possible. We have to get those assets in the way we want them so we can develop all the stuff after the series has finalized design. We had files from the production, so she's a really nice piece.
Even before the designs were finalized, Lucasfilm and Hasbro were eager to see the droid come to life on a toy shelf.
Her connection to Obi-Wan's secret character as the companion of Vivien Lyra Blair makes her a great asset to the team. Even though Reiff and Schneider wouldn't tell us, they knew that even without her connection to Leia, the droid would be one to watch in the series.
Schneider said that the key was looking at the product, regardless of who it was. I won't say anything about episode two or who you see in it, but there are some interactions there. But Lola is by itself. It was going to be a winner regardless of who it belonged to.
A basic electronic interactive figure, a more detailed, animatronic replica of the droid, and a two-pack of plastic figurines are part of the Grogu-focused products. Pre-orders will open this week on June 1 and will cost $39, $90, and $17.
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