LA, CA All Collecting, All the Time!

I saw 3 or 4 blue saber Palps at Frank & sons saturday. About $25 bucks on average. If that's in your budget maybe you could have on of the regulars pick one up for you?

 

$25 is way too expensive. I hate those people because they make it difficult for us collectors. Everytime I go to Target, I always see the Palpy's slightly pushed aside because people are just checking them for their sabers (I know because I do). Man! No, I don't need one of those that badly. I'll just steal JR's.

 

I got a burgerking vader!

 

I was talking to the people at my local BK this morning and I was told that the manager was hording the Vaders. No esta bien. I guess I was fortunate. The Force has been with me with regards to BK toys.

 

I got my Master Replica of Anakin today. Its the bomb. WOWSERS!!! okay imma open it, YUPPIE!

 

A_S, very cool! I'm sure it will make your costume even cooler.

 

I had BK for dinner last night and got a Grevious and Jedi Starfighter. I still need that X-Wing and ObiWan to get caught up.

 

SR, you are a week ahead! I was trying to figure out a way to get out to my regular BK Monday morning since it is a holiday and I don't have to come to work.

 

I don't know why some stores are ahead. This one was in Culver City. I asked to see what toys they had and they put Grievous, the Starship, Chewbacca, and the Boga on the counter. I really wish they knew more about SW but it is hard to explain to people who don't speak English that I'm looking for an X-Wing.

There was a lady in front of me who was yelling at the cashier for not selling her the toys without the food. She said other stores were doing it. I piped up and told her that each store was different. She didn't understand.

 

SR, you are way too patient. I would have referred her to Dear Skyryder. She definitely has issues.

 

The Force may - or may not - be with Burger King's latest Star Wars-themed Kids Meals.

One day after a record-shattering weekend for Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, an advocacy group is asking Burger King to stop the tie-in of its Kids Meals with the film because it is rated PG-13.

The same group, Dove Foundation, got McDonald's 13 years ago to apologize for "confusion" from its promotion of PG-13 Batman Returns with Happy Meals. Now, it's going after BK's latest Kids Meal promotion -targeted at kids ages 4 to 9. The meals feature characters from Sith or other Star Wars films.

"When Burger King puts that in a Kids Meal, there's an implicit endorsement of the movie," says Dick Rolfe, chairman of Dove Foundation.

This is no small matter. Product licensing and promotion is a $100 million annual business. Since the first Star Wars was released in 1977, the six films have racked up almost $9 billion in merchandise sales and product promotions.

For Burger King, the stakes are huge. The No. 2 burger chain is in the 16th month of a major rebound. The Star Wars promotion, dubbed "Choose Your Destiny," is the 50-year-old chain's first global promotion.

Burger King officials insist the promotion isn't specific to the latest film (the others are rated PG), but one that relates to the chain's long-term relationship with the Star Wars franchise. Executives point out that only four of the 31 Kids Meal toys are specific to Sith.

The toys "clearly celebrate not just one film but the entire Star Wars saga," says Edna Johnson, a Burger King spokeswoman. "The reception at our restaurants and from our customers has been overwhelmingly positive."

But Rolfe says "the tie-in is very specific to this film." Wrappers around Kids Meal toys all promote Sith, he notes.

Dove Foundation, a non-sectarian family advocacy group, sent an overnight letter to Burger King last Thursday requesting the promotion be stopped. It also conducted a national phone survey of 889 adults and says 83% felt the promotion was not appropriate for kids.

Another critic says the fault isn't that of Burger King but Star Wars creator George Lucas. "It's irresponsible of George Lucas to OK the marketing around this PG-13 movie to young children," says Susan Linn, a Harvard psychologist and author of Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood. "Star Wars is broader than a single movie," says Lynn Fox, a LucasFilm spokeswoman. "Parents know that Star Wars has been a positive influence."

 

These crazy people need to get a life. Just because one of six films is PG-13 and there's a cross-promotion with this "restaurant" does not mean anything. Maybe I should go to SR's BK to buy the toys before they get pulled.

 

I guess I should return all my toys in protest. The bottom line is that parents ultimately decide what is viewed by their own children and most SW stuff is totally kiddie friendly anyway. My padawans are having the greatest time swimming in all this neato stuff I've brought home (especially from BK), but they will not all see the film. Gee whiz, so much drama.

Speaking of BK, some girl at the LL field tried to lift my son's Ani/Vader while he was playing catch. Of course I had her taken away by field security...

 

It's just like television. Responsible parents should monitor what their kids watch. We don't need someone to tell us what our kids should or should not watch. People are crazy.

DM, I had to chuckle at the story about the Vader toy.

 

DM, if you are going to give back your toys, I'll take them. Also, you did the right thing by having security take that evil bratty kid away. I hope they froze her in carbonite.

So I went to BK for lunch today. And boy am I getting fat, but the only toys they had were Leia and Jar Jar, so I got them. But I still need a Chewbacca, R2, X-Wing, and ObiWan. I wonder what they will do with the left overs? I know there will be some.

Also in collecting news I have started a slow process of finding vintage figures to replace the ones stolen by my evil step brothers. Now, I started this at CIII when I bought Bespin Luke. We all know what happened to my Bespin Luke and I don't want to get into it because it just brings up sad memories. So today I got a package from Brian's Toys with a very nice Greedo, Hammerhead, and Luke X-Wing. I'm not going to go all crazy, but if I have a little money now and then I'm going to order a couple of figures from them. They usually run around $15 each.

 

i bought my first box of cereal today, and got a blue spoon , guess that makes up for missing out on target clone trooper, bk vader, and blue saber palpatine.

 

SR, buy the food but don't eat it. How many whoppers can one man eat (and still be recognizable)? You know, speaking of language barriers, I told the lady I wanted the emporer with the black hood and she gave me R2. Umm, that was challenging. It is much easier if you bring your BK Adventures magazine and just point to what you want. It's primitive but at least you won't get Mace when you ask for Padme.

And as for that evil child at the field, I asked security to execute Order 66...

 

Awww DM, excute order 66 on an evil youngling!!! LoL. So whats the dealio random BK toys come out and they are just mixing the remaining toys with the new ones?

 

Order 66. That's rough. I was playing the video game last night and got to that point. I don't think it is right because now you have to kill both clones and droids. It is a short game, I'm almost finished.

I think you are right AS. It is a mixture of new stuff plus old stuff. I just want the person behind the counter to hand me the box and let me go through it.

How is that new saber working out for you? I am needing a Mace one ever since I saw JB with one at the opening the other night.

 

I know SR, I sometimes wonder why they wont just let us see the box. I mean were not gonna run off with it. I guess round and round we'd have to go for the reminder toys. I remember a few months back when we had seen this coming (the mixing of toys), most of us said we'd would be trading off the toys! Back in the old collecting thread.

The saber is rad! I cant put it down. Especially last night I was in the back yard playing with it to test out the brightness of the blade. Hope you get the Mace. JR posted a code that you can get 25% off one in Master Replicas, you saw it right?

 

I just got a BK R2 from LM. Thanks to all my peeps for helping me out in this effort to obtain them all. Now I'm just needing the X-Wing, Chewbacca, Obi Wan, and Boga and I'm caught up.

I actually checked ebay yesterday just to see what they were going for. I almost got the whole second wave that I missed for $15 but someone out bid me.

 

i have a bk darth vader, plus a yoda head slurpee mug, - if anyone wants to trade? i am really looking for moc saga figures, but open to offers.

 

I bet you are just kicking yourself Richie. You know just a few months ago you could buy them all so cheap. Did you check EE yet?

 

do they have store to look around? or is it just internet based? i found they are quite expensive. been picking them up on ebay for half entertainment earth's price. also get a few at frank & sons. and the odd kb toys has a few in the clearance dept. for $2.99. i find the 2002 ones really easy, but the 2004 ones are impossible to find, and on ebay go for $10-20 each. wonder why that is? as its only a few months ago they were in every store.

 

Thanks, DH, for thinking of me!

Just wanted to let everyone know that Walmart is selling new SW twin sheet sets, kid sleeping bags (I got the Jedi one - I can use it as a comforter LOL), and SW dome tents, which are really neat but unfortunately very kid-sized.

And Target has SW blankets (like for picnics, with a built-in pouch so you can fold the whole thing up and stuff it in the pouch) and Jedi fold-up chairs. I'm a proud owner now .