Star Wars Toy Mania 74
Colin@sinisterfluid.com writes "The most-hyped line of movie-themed merchandise in history -- for the still unreleased ``Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace'' -- finally
went on sale just after midnight Sunday on a studio-imposed schedule,and fans and retailers weren't wasting a minute.
Toys R Us stores around the country decided to open their doors at 12:01 a.m. Monday for an all-night selling marathon
of toys based on the movie.
Wal-Mart and K-mart called in extra staff for their 24-hour stores to handle the post-midnight crowds. Many stores planned to limit the number
of items a customer could buy to prevent immediate sell-outs.
Fans had been waiting for months to get a glimpse of the vast array of goods -- from action figures to wigs to body lotion to snack food -- tied to the movie, which opens May 19.
But LucasFilm Ltd. had signed strict licensing deals that prevented manufacturers from releasing virtually any information about their products ahead of time.
As a result, people had been speculating for months, especially on the
Internet, about what the toys and other merchandise would be.
To see the famed toys for yourself, surf to Toys 'R' Us or E-Toys "