Hello Mouseketeers! This week we unfortunately don’t have a new episode ready for your listening pleasure [WHOMP WHOMP]; but this blog will prepare you for our next show…. coming straight to you from a galaxy far far away. Can you guess what our topic will be? (Spoilers: IT’S STAR WARS) – NOW, ON WITH THE BLOG!
Anyone who knows me (Hi, it’s Erika), knows I am eternally obsessed with Halloween and all things Disney making me a very proud “nerd”. So when the house of Mouse officially acquired Star Wars, I was beyond stoked. I knew my Endor dreams were about to come true, and someday I would hug an ewok and own my very own droid, and what I have found is that my wallet would suffer in the process. That is no exception for Halloween and Star Wars mash-ups, like this little known gem for collectors of the lovable astromech droids. Meet the R2-B00 series of droids….
The annual Halloween series started in 2016 with the original astromech R2-B00. Every subsequent year the numerical scheme and droid structure changed slightly but still maintained the very punny B00 in it’s core naming convention.
2016 – R2-B00 
2017 – R3-B0017 
2018 – R4B0018 
2019 – R5-B0019
Each iteration comes in packaging with a biography and artwork that genuine fans will recognize as not only collectible items, but a unique piece of a bigger story. For example, R3-B0017 serves Darth Maul, and he glows in the dark like the glowing green mist that swirls through the air on Dathomir from Star Wars: The Clone Wars episodes. 2019’s R5-B0019, has a black-and-white paint application that resembles a creepy skeleton costume, and according to his box bio this droid awaits his fate in the dark and formidable bowels of a sandcrawler. Talk about epic story telling, am I right?
I think the best part about these little droids is that their pieces are interchangeable; giving you endless options to Frankenstein together your own unique droid, and create your own story. This is the magic of Disney at it’s best, giving you the resources to expand your creativity and create.
Now, if you are interested in owning your own, these Halloween-themed droids are available every September and October at Star Traders at Disneyland Park, Tatooine Traders at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Star Wars Galactic Outpost at Disney Springs, and other locations across Disney Parks. They have been known to pop up after the fact at Disney Store’s across the US and at the Character Warehouse locations where you can find discount Disney merch. So if you can’t get to the parks, check your local Disney store because you may find your Halloween Droid lurking around a bin within the next month or two.
That’s it for this week, we absolutely will be back next week to talk about the upcoming end of the saga that has shaped a generation of Star Wars fans. It’s an episode you won’t want to miss, available anywhere you get your podcast fix.
See you real soon!