Jedi Joy: Quirky Collabs Bring Star Wars to Life

The Star Wars Franchise has received a tremendous response from its fans, with brands leveraging the popularity. From limited-edition apparel collections featuring characters like Darth Vader and Princess Leia to collectible toys that recreate epic battles, the space franchise celebrated Star Wars Day on May 4th with a new trailer for the upcoming Disney+ series, The Acolyte.

First released in theaters in the United States on May 25, 1977, the Star Wars franchise celebrated its 25th anniversary in style. May 4th annually marks 'May the Fourth' in the Star Wars community. It is based on a pun that actually dates back to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1979 when her Conservative Party celebrated an election win by posting an ad: "May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie."

The 25th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace has brought all the brands together to create a mega universe for the Star Wars community.

India’s First Q-Commerce Collaboration

Swiggy Instamart is the first quick commerce platform to start delivering movie merchandise, marking a new category in the quick commerce industry. Fans of the galaxy far, far away can now get their hands on a variety of Star Wars products including lightsabers, posters, mugs, fridge magnets, stickers, bobbleheads, and T-shirts, all delivered in 10 minutes. Swiggy Instamart’s latest collection is available in 10 cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, and more.

Lego’s Yearlong Celebration

The LEGO Group and Lucasfilm will mark the 25th anniversary of the first LEGO "Star Wars" toy set with a yearlong celebration. This includes a new Starship Collection line featuring new builds inspired by the Millennium Falcon and the Invisible Hand starships, two building sets inspired by the Tantive IV ship, and a 25th-anniversary edition building set honoring R2-D2. Some sets will include collectible minifigures never-before-seen in LEGO form or anniversary tiles, marking the special occasion.

Mike Ilacqua, Head of Product at The LEGO Group, said, “The LEGO ‘Star Wars’ collaboration has enjoyed a most impressive 25 years with products, video games, animated content, big builds, merchandise, and more.”

Ilacqua further said, “We want to celebrate all those years and milestones with everyone who helped us get here, but especially with the fan community as we would never be where we are today without their creativity and passion.”

Paul Southern, Senior Vice President of Lucasfilm franchise and licensing at Disney Experiences, said, “It has been 25 years of true fun combining Lucasfilm’s expansive ‘Star Wars’ galaxy with the ingenuity of the LEGO Group, offering fans exciting ways to recreate their favorite scenes, vehicles, and characters from our stories.”

Southern said, “With the enthusiasm of our fans to engage with the ‘Star Wars’ galaxy and express creativity through building, we look forward to continuing the legacy of fun for decades to come.”

Star Wars Sneaker Mania

Adidas released its special limited edition collection of Star Wars sneakers. The sportswear brand and the iconic movie franchise are releasing a three-shoe collection featuring the Superstar XLG, the NMD, and Stan Smith. In addition, the brand is also collaborating with Nanzuka, a contemporary art gallery in Tokyo, to create the artwork featured on the sneakers, including graphics of the droids C3PO and R2D2 printed on the Superstar. Adidas has been releasing Star Wars-themed sneakers since the late 2000s, with styles typically tied to the release of new Star Wars films. Back in 2019, the brand launched a 10-shoe collection coinciding with the release of the Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker movie.

UNIQLO Takes the Vintage Route

Uniqlo launched its new line of Star Wars T-shirts, dubbed the Star Wars: Remastered line and designed by the creative director of Uniqlo T-shirts, Kosuke Kawamura. These T-shirts feature vintage designs lifted from the original Star Wars trilogy and remixed with Kawamura's cut and rebuild collage style.

Empire Strikes Back fans can get three T-shirts for their collection, one featuring some early viral marketing for the sequel and another one displaying exiled Jedi Master Yoda as he ponders the Force from his secret home on Dagobah. There's also a white T-shirt with the very cool poster designed by Noriyoshi Ohrai—the famed illustrator behind some of the greatest movie posters of all time—and Return of the Jedi fans get a simple but elegant black T-shirt for their wardrobe.

Star Wars Gaming Universe

This extensive Fortnite Star Wars Day crossover offers something for every Star Wars enthusiast. LEGO Fortnite fans can build their Star Wars universe with exclusive Star Wars Builds and Decor, while Battle Royale players can gear up with the iconic Wookiee Bowcaster to defend against foes.

Fossil x Star Wars Watch

Fossil’s exclusive Star Wars collection includes timepieces and jewelry inspired by Return of the Jedi, including stainless steel watches that nod to Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca, and Darth Vader; silver and gold dog chain necklaces that evoke C-3PO and R2-D2; and more.

Moreover, brands like Abrams Books, American Tourister, BoxLunch, Chronicle Books, Corkcicle, Dark Horse, Denuo Novo, Enso Rings, Funko, Ful, Gentle Giant Ltd, Hallmark, Hanna Andersson, Insight Editions, LILLEBaby, Loungefly, Macy's, Milk Snob, Pair Eyeware, RockLove, RoomMates Décor, Ruggable, Sideshow, Target, and Walmart are offering their products and services at discounted rates.