Rejected Star Wars: Episode One Merchandise
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The release of a new film (or re-release) in any major blockbuster franchise is always accompanied by a glut of merchandising, usually tied to one product or another. Sometimes it gets to seem like every possible (and several ill-advised) merchandising opportunity for that franchise is being exploited. Just like with any creative process, though, a lot of ideas get left on the cutting-room floor and never reach the eyes of the public. Jason Geyer gives us all a little taste of what kinds of ideas make it and which don’t with some of the product tie-ins he and his team created for Pepsi’s Episode I promotion, but which never made it to stores.
The ideas range from large items for retailers, such as 3-D characters and the “Marshlands of Naboo Fountain Display,” to little tie-in items you could easily imagine connected to a Pepsi product or promotion. Here are some of the ideas that (if they had come to fruition) my nerdy teenage self would definitely have collected:
No nerd meal is complete without a Star Wars reference. If this idea had been picked up, you could have had Luke and Darth at your table breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Chip clips are one of those awkward kitchen implements that are actually pretty useful, but which always end up in the bottom of the “stuff” drawer. A clip that talks to you in Vader’s dulcet tones every time you open it would never suffer such indignity, though.
Novelty ice cubes: always great.
Turn every work site and tailgate into a nerd party!
This probably didn’t get made because it doesn’t really have anything to do with Episode I. I think we can all see that it is completely awesome, though.
Vader isn’t necessarily the most welcoming of faces for your house guests, but it definitely sets a tone.
Part of the proposals that played with darkness/light by way of the Vader/Anakin juxtaposition, these cards might have been pretty neat for kids to collect.
To see more unproduced ideas (and a few that did come to fruition), head on over to Action Figure Insider.
