Reason why Disney’s Star Wars merchandise got banned from fights
People are going wild for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge merchandise at Disneyland, but they’re facing an unexpected problem.
There is no doubt that Disneyland’s $1 billion Star Wars attraction has been an astronomic success.
Despite what Disney boss Bob Iger admitting that attendance was “slightly lower than usual”, those diehard fans who have turned up have been paying though the nose.
With entry to the park starting at $120 and — for the first two months — only available to visitors who are staying at the Galaxy’s Edge’s $1132-a-night hotels, visiting the Star Wars land is almost as expensive a proposition as space tourism.
Then there is the matter of souvenirs, the New Zealand Herald reports.
The first wave of guests were all amazed by the sci-fi merchandise, particularly the price. Build your own lightsaber kits are being sold for $287 and robotic droids for $99.
If the eBay auction websites are to be believed, some park visitors are taking matters into their own hands, and lifting anything that isn’t bolted down in an effort to offset exorbitant entry prices.
However, one more modest souvenir has gained appeal: the $5 Star Wars-themed drinks bottles, shaped to resemble “thermal detonators”.
The palm-sized grenades modelled after props from the film have become a popular keepsake. Filled with soft drinks Coca-Cola and Sprite, the labels and words have been redesigned in the sci-fi language of Aurebesh.
But recognisably weapon-like.
One Star Wars fan tweeted his airline pictures of the bottles to say “I know these look dodgy, but can they be packed in a suitcase?” To which Air Alaska’s answer was a resounding “No.”
“Replica and intern explosives aren’t allowed in either carry-on or checked bags,” they replied.
When asked for a statement, a TSA spokesperson told the Daily Mail that the bottles would not be allowed to travel.
The objection was that “packing inert, replicas or toy explosives in luggage has the potential to impact travellers”.
Fortunately, as of today Disneyland has opened their second Star Wars attraction in the Florida Disney World Resort, a replica of the Anaheim attraction. So, there is at least one other place fans can buy their bomb-shaped bottles, without having to resort to intergalactic smugglers.
This article originally appeared on the New Zealand Herald and was reproduced with permission
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