This is just getting ridiculous.
We’ve seen this a few places around the ‘net in the last 24 hours, and it’s a big enough deal to raise awareness with our readers as well. At GeekDad, we want our daughters and little girls everywhere to feel as well-represented in the available toys and games as their male counterparts. Amazingly, what will quite probably be THE MOST POPULAR MOVIE EVER has a fantastic young female primary protagonist, and yet the character is noticeably, frustratingly absent from most of the branded toys and games coming out.
Case in point: Hasbro’s new Star Wars-branded Monopoly game, which comes with four playable characters as play pieces: Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, Luke Skywalker, and Finn. Wait, what?
Yeah, the game has us playing Sith vs. Jedi, with one TFA character and one “legacy” character for each side. The Sith side gets Darth Vader and Kylo Ren, which makes total sense. But the Jedi side gets Luke Skywalker and Finn, and (SPOILERS) we know Finn is just an ex-Stormtrooper with a conscience, not THE MAIN PROTO-JEDI CHARACTER AND POSSIBLE RELATIVE OF LUKE (/SPOILERS). It’s just absurd. I mean, nothing against Finn, who is a great character, but making an explicit decision to not include a female character in your game is just plain wrong.
So, just don’t buy it; at least not until they revamp the game and include Rey. That’s how we push the marketplace to change.
UPDATE:
And Hasbro has responded:
@CarrieMGoldman @JillPantozzi @Epbot pic.twitter.com/IxTwBK1tBM
— Hasbro (@Hasbro) January 5, 2016
There’s some measure of reason here, but it seems shaky. The Monopoly game is a tentpole offering, where what they mention in their tweet seem like also-ran toys and games; indeed they’d be hard pressed not to include Rey in a chess set. Personally, it still feels off. And remember, the point isn’t just about the Monopoly game, but how emblematic it is of the entire offering of toys and the lack of female representation, not just for Star Wars, but the Marvel movies, and more. But what do you think?
UPDATE x2:
A new message from Hasbro that’s much more positive!
.@CarrieMGoldman @JillPantozzi @Epbot pic.twitter.com/IQ5TNbOygW
— Hasbro (@Hasbro) January 6, 2016
I have been on the hunt for a Rey action figure for my daughter(it should be noted that the Disney store’s die cast ones do not appear to include Rey). It has turned out to be extremely difficult to locate without paying outragous prices on amazon or ebay. So I have to wonder if they are making just not making as many of them or are people scooping them up by the dozen?
Sadly, I think it’s the former. There are a few Rey-related items out there, but they are woefully out-weighed by the Finn and Kylo stuff.
You can get the Disney die-cast Rey directly from their web site no problem. Here is the link.
http://www.disneystore.com/rey-and-bb-8-elite-series-die-cast-figures-6-star-wars-the-force-awakens/mp/1390994/1000255/
I’m guessing it will show up in the Disney stores soon as the web site tends to have product before the actual stores. For instance, I was in a Disney store the other day and could not find the die-cast Flametrooper but have been available on the web site for weeks.
The previous Saga version of Star Wars Monopoly had 8 pieces:
Light Side: Jedi Luke, leaping Yoda, young Obi-Wan, Huttslayer Leia
Dark Side: Sidious, Maul, Grievous, Vader
I can’t believe there’s only 4 pieces, and leaving Rey out is ridiculous.
Agreed. They cheap out on the playing pieces, and on the gender representation.
I don’t think it helps to dismiss Finn as “just” anything; don’t forget he’s effectively a co-protagonist and not a secondary character, and viewers of color are craving good representation just as much as women are. It’s the addition of Luke — young Luke, Luke from Return of the Jedi — that makes no sense. But yes to this. Hasbro in particular seems to keep pulling this shit. Maybe it’s time for a full-on brand boycott.
I just sent this email to Disney, via the Disney Store.
Dear Sirs,
I’m flabbergasted. In conjunction with Disney-rights films in the Star Wars and Marvel lines, your marketing department has shown a continued insistence on walking away from millions of dollars in merchandising. Forget gender-equality for the moment; from a marketing and sales perspective, you people have continually and consistently neglected including female characters in your toys and other merchandise based on these films, or at best have presented a token response.
You don’t like making money?
Consider: those same little girls (and parents) who eagerly gobble up Elsa merchandise and other “Disney Princesses” merchandise, are looking for toys etc. of Black Widow, of Scarlet Witch, of Rey, of General Leia Organa, and of other female characters in both these properties… and finding little to nothing to purchase. In addition, given that there’s a huge market for *adult* collectors in both those franchises, you’re missing the boat with a lot of grown women AND grown men who want to buy and display action figures, wear t-shirts, get board games that include them as characters, buy their daughters (and sometimes their sons) costumes of these characters for dress-up and Halloween, etc.
You’re walking away from a gold mine. Repeatedly.
It shouldn’t take the numerous public protests, articles expressing outrage and frustration, etc. to make you reluctantly include female characters and heroes in your merchandise. If you’re getting those things, you ought to be paying attention to them as proof that there *is* a huge, untapped market you’re IGNORING.
I understand merchandising is a big money-maker for Disney. Why you would skimp or skip on such a lucrative market is beyond me.
Perhaps you should re-think the matter.
Sincerely,
Chris Allen
It’s not a spoiler to reveal that Finn (a Stormtrooper in the trailers) joins the rebellion? I guess the idea that a female would fight Kylo Ren is just SO MUCH more surprising. #notbuyingit
I think this a dangerous post as you are calling for fire and brimstone, while not aware of the contractual agreement between Hasbro and Disney in regards to Star War merchandise. While some may not consider Rey’s development a spoiler (I didn’t really know before seeing it), should the filmmakers (or those involved like Hasbro) not have the ability to err on the side of caution in regards to spoilers, at least while their film is still in theatres? Especially given that Rey is one of the most surprisingly progressive female characters in Star Wars history (maybe even cinematic history).
Sounds like excuses after the fact. God forbid their action figure mold had to be changed to cast a female figure.
I’ll be buying one pre-Rey Monopoly game, maybe two. It’ll surely be a collector’s item in the future, after the Gender inclusive version replaces this one, and most of the existing ones are burned and destroyed by the SJWs.
Can you imagine the racial backlash they would’ve had if they left off Finn for Rey? The piece count and TFA vs. legacy theme decisions forced them into a no-win position.
Makes more sense to leave off Vader, who is NOT in the movie.
Im looking to BUY the ORIGINAL release of this game from Hasbro.
I have a budget, please contact me if you own this original game.