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Rejected Star Wars merchandise

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XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Rejected merchandise ideas for Episode I from 10 years ago
In 1998 I was just about the biggest Star Wars nerd around. Not only was I writing about the toys for RTM and hitting Toy Fair and SDCC, but my new co-worker, Steve Ross, was just as big of a nerd as me. Every day at lunch we’d hit Target or TRU trying to find the latest and greatest that Kenner and Galoob had to offer. Our offices were decorated solid with Star Wars. It was always at the forefront of our minds. And then one day our CEO told us that Pepsi wanted us to pitch some ideas of what promotional merchandise they could do for Episode One.

To say we were excited is an understatement. However, there were a few problems. One, since we were not yet an approved vendor to Lucasfilm, we had to use the Original Trilogy to concept with as we couldn’t be shown anything from Episode One. Lucasfilm would review our concepts and let us know if anything could apply to the new movie (this was a painful process that involved discarding far more ideas than the ones that were kept). Two, it was only a year away from the release of Episode One, and most manufacturing lead times were anywhere from 18-12 months to get the product made and to stores. But beggars can’t be choosers, and we hit the ground running.

All told, we cranked out well over 100 concepts that were taken to final art, and easily 300 that didn’t make it that far. No part of Star Wars was too small to think about, no character too minor. I’ve never had a situation before or since where someone said to take your favorite subject and do whatever you want with it. Nothing was too crazy or expensive to try. We even tried to make a big Jabba the Hutt beanbag chair; one prototype was made and it sat in our conference room for many years. Now Gus Lopez owns it. Anyway, I’m not sure I’ve ever had more fun bouncing ideas back and forth where the conversations usually involved talking about how Darth Vader’s mouth had that cow-catcher looking mesh piece that really looked like it could be the door on a gumball machine. Or wondering it it was possible to build a real kid sized Land Speeder? Or thinking, wouldn’t it be cool to have a giant plush Wampa standing in your living room?
Click to expand...
Some of the ideas:

atatcaddy.jpg

vadergumballs.jpg

jabbachair.jpg

leiaphones.jpg

dsgrill.jpg

hanfridge.jpg

cclamp.jpg

sunshield.jpg

r2d2slide.jpg
 
X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
oatmeal said:
Those are actually a lot more tasteful than a lot of the shit out there.
Click to expand...
If they didn't have to be related to Ep I, I wonder if these would have been greenlit.
 
N

newsguy

Member
I imagine they did away with the Jabba beanbag chair because it looks like he's giving you buttsecks when you sit in it :lol
 
F

fallengorn

Bitches love smiley faces
Sun shield is great and these:

288th5u.jpg


are a pretty awesome idea for a collectible.

But those should be Lobot headphones. And their Taun-Taun costume should be a sleeping bag.
080405d.jpg
 
H

Hootie

Member
Holy shit @ the Jabba the Hut Beanbag; that would look so awesome in my room.

The sunshield is also pretty sweet.
 
S

super funk

Member
Those are so awesome and Im not even that big of a Star Wars fan. Too bad those products should have been release 20 years prior to when they were thought up.
 
M

muckhole

Member
oatmeal said:
Those are actually a lot more tasteful than a lot of the shit out there.
Click to expand...

Yeah. I was expecting some pretty outlandish stuff, but most of this is pretty, uh, "cool".


And I need that Deathstar grill.

"These steaks are over-cooked!"

"Fetch me my bike. I shall inform Lord Muckhole myself!"
 
C

Count Dookkake

Member
RumpledForeskin said:
Those things are awesome, how did they not get approved?
Click to expand...

Pretty odd, as many seem easily transferrable to Ep1 equivalents and anything R2 related wouldn't need to be changed at all.

Sun shield would work with different characters, replace little dino-thingy for a Taun Taun, etc.
 
A

aku:jiki

Member
Propagandhim said:
The Princess Leia headphones are the only things that suck.
Click to expand...
Yes, but every female Star Wars nerd (and a bunch of males ones) on earth would've bought a set guaranteed. Not approving that one seems like madness.

Personally, I would've loved to have the grill. That's awesome right there. :D
 
bengraven

bengraven

Member
fallengorn said:
Sun shield is great and these:

288th5u.jpg


are a pretty awesome idea for a collectible.

But those should be Lobot headphones. And their Taun-Taun costume should be a sleeping bag.
080405d.jpg
Click to expand...

Brilliant.

Some may find this tasteless, though, so they would have to make them expensive and available only to the hardcore fans via Sideshow Collectibles or SW.com.
 
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