Is BB-8 the Best Star Wars Toy Ever Made?
by EG
When BB-8, the new droid from the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, made an appearance on stage at the Star Wars celebration in April, fans immediately fell in love with the little spherical robot and its expressive movements. This week, as a ton of new Star Wars toys hit store shelves in anticipation of the film's release in December, a toy version of BB-8 has Star Wars enthusiasts even more excited.
The remote-controlled toy is made by Sphero, an electronics company that has been making remote-controlled spherical robots for quite some time. According to the creative team behind The Force Awakens, Sphero wasn't responsible for creating the droid used in the movie, although it's quite a coincidence that the studio producing the movie - Disney - is a part owner of Sphero, and that one of the movie's principal characters bears a striking resemblance to products that Sphero was already making. Now Sphero is able to created a licensed product that stands to make a lot of money for both the company and the studio. That's corporate synergy.
But by all reports, the toy is amazing. It performs just like the on-screen BB-8, and it can be controlled via an app on your smart phone or tablet. And it only costs $150.