Toy Fair New York will showcase thousands of toys from more than 1,000 toy makers—but toys inspired two of Disney’s most anticipated films of the year won’t be among them.
2019 marks a banner year for Disney, with multiple live-action remakes of Disney classic films, conclusions to the Avengers (as we now know them) and the Skywalker Saga, and the long awaited sequel to Frozen. And with great movies, comes great toys and merchandise.
Products inspired by Star Wars: Episode IX and Disney’s Frozen 2 will hit retail shelves around the world on Oct. 4, marking Disney’s first-ever, global simultaneous rollout for two entertainment juggernauts. Retailers around the world will create unique celebrations for each of the franchises to honor their individual legacies. Product information will remain largely under wraps until the retail event.
“This is truly an epic moment for fans, families and retailers as products for two of the biggest-ever entertainment franchises hit shelves simultaneously,” says Ken Potrock, president of consumer products commercialization, in a press release. “We’ll be working with our partners to create suitably spectacular celebrations for each, in line with the excitement and anticipation of the legions of Star Wars and Frozen fans around the globe.”
Triple Force Friday
Star Wars fans are already familiar with this type of product rollout, thanks to Force Fridays of yesteryear. This year, Disney dubs the retail event Triple Force Friday, celebrating the launch of a range of products from a trio of original Star Wars entertainment events, including Star Wars: Episode IX, the first-ever Star Wars live-action series The Mandalorian (set to debut exclusively on the upcoming streaming service, Disney+), and the latest video game from EA and Respawn, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Products spanning categories including toys, collectibles, housewares, books, apparel, and more will go on sale beginning at 12:01 a.m. on October 4, and fans can celebrate with in-store events and midnight openings.
Frozen Fan Fest
Disney’s Frozen 2 will make its big screen debut on Nov. 22, and Oct. 4 will bring Frozen Fan Fest, which will include product reveals, musical moments, in-store events, and more, introducing a huge assortment of Frozen 2 products, including toys, apparel, fashion accessories, housewares, books, and more.
Follow #ForceFriday and #FrozenFanFest for more information on these retail events.
