Toy unboxing phenomenon goes live globally for
the first time ahead of ‘Force Friday’
Online event featuring talent from the Maker
Studios network gives fans first look at film-inspired toys ahead
of midnight madness at retail
Star Wars: The Force Awakens products are set to be unveiled in
the world’s first-ever global live toy unboxing event. Unfolding
over 18 hours in 15 cities and 12 countries, the event will see
highlights from the range of epic merchandise revealed in a rolling
New Year’s Eve style celebration featuring top digital stars from
the Maker Studios network.
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Star Wars fans and Internet personalities
Andi Gutierrez (right) and Anthony Carboni (left) prepare to give
the world a sneak peek at the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens
products in the first-ever global live toy unboxing, which they
will host from YouTube Space Los Angeles Sept. 2-3, 2015. The epic
live steam event will kick off at 7:45 a.m. NSW in Sydney,
Australia on Sept. 3 and will roll around the world leading to
'Force Friday’ on Sept. 4, 2015, when merchandise from the new film
will be available at retailers. Maker Studios talent will unbox new
products live from 15 cities during the 18-hour YouTube event. Tune
in at YouTube.com/StarWars beginning at 5:30 p.m. EDT, Sept. 2.
(Photo credit: Kevin Lynch for Disney Consumer Products)
“Star Wars toys have always played an important role in how our
fans interact with the Saga,” said Lucasfilm President Kathleen
Kennedy. “They’ve inspired multiple generations to relive the
experience of the movies and to create new adventures all their
own. These spectacular Star Wars: The Force Awakens products will
continue that tradition.”
Kicking off in Sydney, Australia on the morning of September 3,
and continuing through Asia, Europe, Canada, and North & South
America, selections from the new toy line will debut to global
fanfare leading up to retailers around the globe opening their
doors at midnight.
“Over the course of 18 hours, some of Maker Studios’ biggest
stars will each be unboxing a new toy from the Star Wars: The Force
Awakens product line in a different city around the world and
sharing the experience live on YouTube,” said Leslie Ferraro,
President, Disney Consumer Products. “We’ve seen tremendous
excitement for these new products and can’t wait to see the global
reaction from the Star Wars fan community.”
The Star Wars YouTube channel will host the live stream, which
kicks off with the first unboxing in Sydney, Australia at 7:45 a.m.
local time on Thursday, Sept. 3 (5:45 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept.
2), with the grand finale at Lucasfilm in San Francisco at 8 a.m.
PDT (11 a.m. EDT) on Thursday, Sept. 3. Each of the 15 locations
will reveal a new product inspired by Star Wars: The Force
Awakens.
These “unboxing” videos will feature online personalities
sharing the excitement of opening the new Star Wars: The Force
Awakens toys. Unboxing videos overall have captivated millions of
Internet viewers and continue to grow in popularity. Eighteen of
the top 100 most viewed YouTube Channels worldwide are dedicated to
toys and toy unboxings. These 18 channels accounted for 8.1 billion
views in Q1 2015.1
“We’re excited to be part of this first-of-its-kind initiative,”
said Chris M. Williams, Chief Audience Officer, Maker Studios. “The
unboxing world continues to expand rapidly as audiences around the
world connect with digital creators who share their passions. This
shared fandom helps attract billions of monthly views and
consistently puts the genre at the top of the YouTube charts.”
The global unboxing event will incorporate traditional toy
unboxers such as the popular EvanTubeHD, channels featuring
families such as Bratayley, lifehack specialists such as
ExpCaseros, gamers such as AlexBy11 and Star Wars
fans from around the world, including Chris Pirillo,
bringing with them a broad audience and appeal. The global line-up
includes:
COUNTRY CITY
MAKER TALENT
LOCAL TIME 9/3
EDT Australia Sydney Bratayley 07:45
17:45 9/2 Japan Tokyo Einshine 11:00 22:00 9/2 Korea Seoul
Dollastic 12:00 23:00 9/2 Hong Kong Hong Kong Dante Basco 12:00
00:00 9/3 France Paris AyPierre 09:00 03:00 9/3 Spain Madrid
AlexBy11 11:00 05:00 9/3 Germany Berlin Reyst 12:00 06:00 9/3
England London GamingBeaver 11:30 06:30 9/3 Brazil Rio de Janeiro
Malena010102 08:30 07:30 9/3 USA New York EvanTubeHD 08:30 08:30
9/3 Canada Toronto Quill18 09:00 09:00 9/3 USA Chicago HobbyKidsTV
08:30 09:30 9/3 Mexico Mexico City ExpCaseros 09:30 10:30 9/3 USA
San Francisco Chris Pirillo 08:00 11:00 9/3
The full schedule also is available at www.StarWars.com.
Several countries will join the live stream from YouTube Spaces
(Berlin, Tokyo, London), with Star Wars commentators Anthony
Carboni and Andi Gutierrez hosting the event from the YouTube
Space, Los Angeles.
Fans can tune in to watch live unboxings at home or on mobile
devices, and also enjoy the latest trailers on the upcoming movie,
commentary from special guests, fun product videos and demos, and
footage from recent Star Wars events.
The global celebration culminates at midnight local time, when
many retailers around the world will open their doors to fans to
purchase Star Wars: The Force Awakens toys, collectibles, books,
apparel and more. Visit starwars.com for more details on
participating locations. Additionally, select Disney Store
locations around the world will take part. More details are
available at www.DisneyStore.com/ForceFriday.
Fans are encouraged to document their experiences around the
event on social media using the hashtag #ForceFriday.
About Disney Consumer Products and
Interactive Media
Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (DCPI) is the
business segment of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) that brings
our company's stories and characters to life through innovative and
engaging physical products and digital experiences across more than
100 categories, from toys and t-shirts, to apps, books and console
games. DCPI comprises two main lines of business: Disney Consumer
Products (DCP), and Disney Interactive (DI). The combined segment
is home to world class teams of app and game developers, licensing
and retail experts, a leading retail business (Disney Store),
artists and storytellers, and technologists who inspire
imaginations around the world.
About Lucasfilm Ltd.
Lucasfilm Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney
Company, is a global leader in film, television and digital
entertainment production. In addition to its motion-picture and
television production, the company's activities include visual
effects and audio post-production, cutting-edge digital animation,
interactive entertainment software, and the management of the
global merchandising activities for its entertainment properties
including the legendary STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES franchises.
Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in northern California.
About Maker Studios
Maker Studios is the global leader in online short-form video
and the largest content network on YouTube. Maker specializes in
reaching millennial audiences across multiple programming genres.
Maker’s network includes 55,000 independent creators from more than
100 countries, attracting over 10 billion views per month, with a
growing scale driven by its robust technology platform,
direct-to-consumer distribution and data analytics. Maker is home
to many of the world’s leading online talent and award-winning
original programs such as “Epic Rap Battles of History.” Maker
Studios is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company and
is headquartered in Los Angeles, with operations in New York,
London and Singapore. For more information visit
www.makerstudios.com.
STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or
copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm
Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © & TM Lucasfilm Ltd.
1 Source: Tubefilter; Top 100 Most Viewed YouTube Channels
Worldwide, January 2015 - March 2015; Data provided by Tubefilter,
OpenSlate & YouTube
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150825006391/en/
Disney Consumer ProductsJoss
HastingsJoss.hastings@disney.comorLauren B.
Purnelllauren.b.purnell@disney.com818-544-0393orLucasfilm Ltd.Chris
Argyropouloschris.argyropoulos@lucasfilm.com
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