Uncovering the Weirdest Star Wars Merchandise: From Jar Jar Tongue Candy to Wookiee Crocs

A significant factor contributing to Star Wars’ immense influence on popular culture is its branding and merchandising, which enables fans to express their fandom through a variety of captivating goods. The franchise’s reign over the merchandising industry is even more intriguing when you consider that the studio had minimal insight into licensed products at first, producing very few items, and then the initial film’s massive success led to an unprecedented gap between supply and demand.

During the 1977 holiday season, action figures were incredibly popular and in high demand among fans, yet none were available for purchase. Instead, consumers were given the chance to buy empty boxes that represented pre-orders of the figures, which would later be shipped. This resulted in many disheartened Christmas mornings.

Over the past few decades, as fans journeyed through the galaxy far, far away, various peculiar items have been produced to capitalize on the series’ fame, leading to some exceptionally odd and occasionally extremely scarce pieces of merchandise. Here are some of the most unusual ways manufacturers have profited from the success of the Skywalker Saga.

Jar Jar Tongue Candy

At one point, a team responsible for Star Wars merchandise decided to create a product based on one of the franchise’s least popular characters, thinking, “Let’s take a chance! Fans will not only embrace this character, but they’ll also enjoy pretending that the character’s tongue is so delicious that they’d want to imagine putting it in their own mouth.

1999-1999: Star Wars: Episode I Promotional Lollipop – Jar-Jar Binks Version: This candy item was created to promote “Star Wars: Episode I”. The character Jar-Jar Binks, known for his distinctive appearance, was replicated in plastic form. Notably, the figure’s mouth could open to reveal a strawberry-flavored sucker, shaped and textured like his tongue. Quite charming!

— Discontinued Foods! (@Snack_Memories) November 17, 2022

Sure thing!

The flavor of this peculiar candy can be traced back to the moment when Jar Jar Binks, using his tongue to consume food inside the Skywalker homestead, was stopped by Qui-Gon Jinn who pulled on his tongue. Even though this candy is quite unusual, it seems more plausible for it to resemble Jar Jar’s tongue rather than candies made by Boss Nass or Darth Maul.

Experiencing the integration of unique sweets alongside a movie’s promotional campaign isn’t exactly unusual, yet in this instance, it felt quite an unconventional pairing to me.

C-3PO Tape Dispenser

It seems like the marketing team aimed to rectify the scarcity of merchandise when the initial Star Wars film was released, as they overwhelmingly filled the market with a vast array of products bearing the Star Wars label upon the release of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, by Lucasfilm.

In a conventional sense, “Star Wars Tape Dispenser” might not immediately strike one as an unusual item, given its straightforward description. However, what sets this product apart from the ordinary is an intriguing twist: you draw tape out from between C-3PO’s legs, while he appears to gaze on with a mix of perplexity and delight.

You’re likely to come across a rare, coveted ceramic dispenser on eBay, currently estimated to be worth close to $400.

R2-D2 Aquarium

Before the prequels, the Star Wars universe primarily featured arid landscapes rather than extensive bodies of water, such as Tatooine’s lack of water sources, Hoth’s frozen terrain, and Dagobah being more a swamp than an area with oceans or lakes. Moreover, there wasn’t a strong correlation between droids and water, given the potential harm water could cause to advanced technology. Yet, creators found a way to make R2-D2 resemble an aquarium, resulting in the popular household item we know today.

As a die-hard Star Wars fan who’s also got a soft spot for aquariums, if you’re considering getting one, we completely understand your decision. However, as much as we wish there was a more direct tie between the Star Wars universe and underwater life (like the Gungans or Kamino), the connection seems to be somewhat tenuous at best, with the idea of housing fish in an aquarium being loosely related to R2-D2 by way of them both containing water. But hey, it’s all about creativity and finding your own Star Wars underwater paradise!

Monster Star Wars Bobble-Heads

A common trend observed in fan merchandise over the years involves blending elements from different fandoms, resulting in unique products known as mash-ups. These often unofficial t-shirts frequently depict characters from one series dressed up as characters from another, a sight you’ll frequently encounter at various fan gatherings or conventions.

As a consequence of blending different elements together, an outcome has emerged: the peculiar Star Wars Monster Bobble-Heads. The reasoning behind these figures remains obscure, as they depict well-known Star Wars characters in a monster-like fashion, such as combining a werewolf with Chewbacca and merging Frankenstein’s Monster with Darth Vader.

It’s quite puzzling why they decided to blend these stylized Bobble-Head characters, which are already distinct representations of their respective Star Wars characters, with something that seems unrelated to the Star Wars universe.

Food

Speaking of the unusual tie-ins associated with Star Wars, I must admit, it’s not uncommon to find fast food collaborations or novelty foods in connection with a mega-budget blockbuster. However, some of the partnerships for Star Wars were undeniably peculiar.

One classic method of honoring large-scale productions is through tie-in cereals, even contemporary properties like Netflix’s Wednesday have ventured into this food-related collaboration. Given how straightforward it is to manufacture a generic cereal with marshmallows and uniquely shaped oats, Star Wars took this concept further. Instead of just specialty cereals, they introduced orange bags bearing BB-8’s image, grapes that paid tribute to Baby Yoda, and an array of soups.

As a true Star Wars and Mandalorian enthusiast, you haven’t fully embraced the Force until you’ve added the coveted Limited Edition grapes to your collection.

— Johnny “ChiGuy” Zaccari (@JohnnyZaccari) November 14, 2020

As a movie enthusiast, I couldn’t help but notice the latest trend in flavored coffee creamers, which seemed to have a strange connection with my favorite sci-fi universe. These limited edition creamers were designed to make it seem like you were pouring hazelnut creamer straight from C-3PO’s head into your coffee! It’s fascinating how they manage to tie in pop culture references even in the most unexpected places.

Food Makers

It’s quite simple for marketing teams to come up with clever ideas when they put popular characters like those from Star Wars on pre-packaged foods, making it a no-brainer for kids.

Are you fond of waffles? Do you prefer them round-shaped? Great news for you! You can buy a Death Star-like waffle iron, so when you drizzle maple syrup on your waffles, it’ll feel like the Red Squadron is breaking through the trenches.

Are you tired of having plain-looking toasted bread? If you’re looking for a fun twist, consider buying a toaster that not only toasts your bread but also imprints images onto it, such as Darth Vader from Star Wars. This way, you can enjoy your toast while pretending it’s a piece of his memorabilia found on Endor!

Wookiee Crocs

Among the distinctive traits of Wookiees, their thick layers of fur stand out, making one long for nothing more than embracing them warmly. There’s an abundance of fluffy merchandise available that allows you to mimic being a Wookiee, such as sweaters, hoodies, pajamas, and even slippers.

It appears that the shoe brand Crocs may not fully grasp the reasons for our fondness for Wookiees or what sets their shoes apart as unique.

In terms of footwear, Crocs are popular among kitchen workers and vacationers alike. These are rubber sandals designed to swiftly expel water from the sides, making them ideal for effortlessly transitioning from a beach stroll to indoor walking. However, the unique Wookiee Crocs come with a lining made of brown fur, which means any droplet of water or sweat will be trapped within permanently. Despite this, the shoes themselves do not sport fur, so the wearer doesn’t appear as though they’ve swapped their feet for a Wookiee’s.

2025-01-28 00:12