‘Star Wars’ Fans Ask ‘Where’s Rey?’ As New Wave Of Products Hit Shelves

Star Wars may be poised to take over the top spot as the world’s most bankable movie, having just topped the $1.5 billion mark in the global box office rankings, but there are some fans who are dismayed by the dearth of Rey in the new version of Monopoly that’s hit shelves.

Star Wars Monopoly boasts tokens of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Finn, and Kylo Ren, according to the Toronto Star, and while Hasbro, the company that produces the game, says that a Rey token was not included so as not to reveal any key storylines, there are those that would say Hasbro’s argument is one without merit.

8 yr old asks, How could you leave out Rey in SW Monopoly? @LetToysBeToys @HasbroNews @PigtailPals #WheresRey pic.twitter.com/EnOs56PQE5

— Carrie Goldman (@CarrieMGoldman) January 4, 2016

Hasbro was quick to respond to the youngster’s letter, asking why Rey, who is inarguably one of the stars of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, just as the letter began to go viral.

@CarrieMGoldman @JillPantozzi @Epbot pic.twitter.com/IxTwBK1tBM

— Hasbro (@Hasbro) January 5, 2016

However, others have argued that nothing would have been given away as far as the plot is concerned, particularly since Finn, who is also prominently featured in the film, is included as one of the tokens in the game. While Star Wars: The Force Awakens has surpassed the box office takes of Jurassic World and Titanic, it has not been able to surpass Avatar, the current global king. However, it took Avatar 72 days to hit the $700 million total, whereas Star Wars hit that in 16 days, according to NBC News.

While the success of this new Star Wars film seemed almost assured from the moment it was announced, there has been some question as to how supportive those that produce the toy sets, such as Hasbro, has been. There are also fans of other franchises that have noticed a lack of some of the heavily-featured female figures in the toys and other products produced.

The Guardian reports that a Star Wars toy set produced by Target also neglected to include the new film’s lead hero. Kylo Ren, Chewbacca, Finn, Poe Dameron, a Stormtrooper, and a TIE Fighter pilot were all included in a toy set, but there was no Rey figure. Twitter user @JamieFord noted that the Avengers set didn’t have Black Widow, and a Guardians of the Galaxy set didn’t include Gamora, but highlighted that the omission of Rey was serious as she was the lead.

Neither of these significant omissions have garnered the attention that a missing Rey figure has. While Hasbro has done its best to reassure the concerned 8-year-old that Rey would be included in other sets, there are fans who question why Rey was not included in the first place, particularly due to her lead character status for much of the film.

In an interview with the Daily Beast, Disney reassured fans that the apparent dearth of Rey merchandise would be filled with the launch of several new product launches this month. The lack of female hero toys on the market was called out by Mark Ruffalo, who co-stars with Scarlett Johansson in the Avengers movies, but fans are particularly stunned by the omission of such a key character as Rey, who is the hero of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The character is not included with the Millennium Falcon play set, even though she flies it in several of Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ key scenes. Unnamed stormtroopers and TIE fighter pilots are included in a playset, not someone who plays such a critical role in the story that unfolds. Fans have also complained that Captain Phasma, portrayed by Gwendoline Christie, has not been around in many of the toy sets that have come out.

“Rey and Phasma feature prominently across hundreds of products, and are selling exceptionally well,” Disney’s Senior Vice President and Head of Licensing for Lucasfilm Paul Southern said. “In many stores and e-commerce destinations, products featuring Rey are selling as quickly as retailers can restock shelves. Fans will also be seeing a lot more of Rey with a new wave of product coming in January.”

Star Wars: The Force Awakens fans may have to wait until the promised new line of product comes out, but for now, fans can continue to scour shelves in their favorite stores for their new favorite Star Wars hero — and first-ever female Jedi to be featured prominently in Star Wars.

[Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images]