A Field Guide to Major Movie Merchandising Misfires, From 'Alien' to 'Waterworld'

With the release of the latest round of Star Wars merchandise set for this year’s so-called “Rogue Friday” (riffing on last year’s Force Friday) on Sept. 30, Yahoo Movies is looking back at movie merchandise through the years. In today’s fourth installment, writer Ethan Alter looks back on movie-related goods gone awry.

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Ever since George Lucas’s foundational blockbuster Star Wars proved that the Force is strong with tie-in movie merchandise, audiences have been able to follow their favorite big-budget spectacles directly from the multiplex to the toy store. But not all blockbusters ? nor toy lines ? are created equal. While action figures modeled after such citizens of that far, far away galaxy as Han Solo, Amidala, Kylo Ren, and Jyn Erso are always guaranteed to fly off the shelves, some toys are destined to sit there gathering dust. Maybe the movies they were based on played to empty theaters, while everyone saw The Force Awakens for the gazillionth time. Or maybe, just maybe, the toys themselves desperately needed more time in the plastic incubator from whence they emerged. With spiffy new Rogue One: A Star Wars Story toys arriving this week, we look back at some of the biggest merchandising misfires in contemporary movie history. And as you’ll see, even a mighty brand name like Star Wars can take a major toy-related tumble now and then.