Rey is still waiting her turn in Star Wars Monopoly
She may be the lead in one of the biggest movies of all time, the most mysterious inhabitant of the galaxy far, far away, and an inspiration to millions of children around the world.
But according to toymaker Hasbro, that's still not enough to earn Rey a place in Monopoly's Star Wars edition.
In 2015, a social media campaign dubbed #WheresRey drew attention to the lack of Rey toys in The Force Awakens merchandise -- including Star Wars Monopoly, which featured an all-male cast of figurines (Finn, Luke Skywalker, Kylo Ren, and anachronistically enough, Darth Vader).
Monopoly maker Hasbro relented in 2016 and promised to include Rey in the game later that year. But now the company says American retailers opted not to sell the edition with a Rey token.
"This version of the game was offered to our retail partners globally and several retailers in markets such as the UK and France bought it," Hasbro spokesperson Julie Duffy said in an email. "In some markets, including the U.S., the original version of the 2015 game was selling well and retailers had adequate inventory so they opted not to list the new version."
An adequate explanation, but it still seems odd that no retailers anywhere in the U.S. would not opt for the well-publicized update. The Associated Press, which first noticed Rey was still missing, was unable to find any versions including her in the UK.
Retailers were initially caught flat-footed by the demand for Rey and other female characters in Star Wars, but they have since started to catch up. Hasbro itself is producing dolls for Star Wars: Forces of Destiny, a brand new Disney animation franchise that focuses on female characters including Rey.
But that doesn't mollify Monopoly players who were waiting for the orphan from Jakku. "They didn't keep their word," Carrie Goldman, the mother of the girl whose request for Rey in Monopoly made Hasbro relent, told the AP.
Duffy added that anyone can contact Hasbro's customer support to receive a free Rey token; so far just 99 U.S. Monopoly players have done so. As Goldman points out, it's not something the average consumer would know to do.
Whether retailers will ask for the Rey version of Monopoly when she appears in December's The Last Jedi remains to be seen.
Chris is a veteran tech, entertainment and culture journalist, author of 'How Star Wars Conquered the Universe,' and co-host of the Doctor Who podcast 'Pull to Open.' Hailing from the U.K., Chris got his start as a sub editor on national newspapers. He moved to the U.S. in 1996, and became senior news writer for Time.com a year later. In 2000, he was named San Francisco bureau chief for Time magazine. He has served as senior editor for Business 2.0, and West Coast editor for Fortune Small Business and Fast Company. Chris is a graduate of Merton College, Oxford and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is also a long-time volunteer at 826 Valencia, the nationwide after-school program co-founded by author Dave Eggers. His book on the history of Star Wars is an international bestseller and has been translated into 11 languages.
