“Star Wars” fans have been protesting the lack of Leia goodies for ages, and now General Leia herself is weighing in via Twitter.
It’s hard to believe that one of the most iconic characters in mainstream cinema — a princess-turned-politician-turned-Jedi Knight-turned-General — doesn’t already have an action figure. Princess Leia has been a fixture in popular culture for decades, but Disney doesn’t currently sell plastic, pint-sized versions of the heroine, and has no plans for Leia products in the future.
Fisher used her Twitter account to retweet fans urging Disney to give “Star Wars” aficionados what they want and supply the Leia demand. The actress first retweeted, “Carrie Fisher, did you know Disney is not selling Princess Leia dolls? What are your thoughts?” and later retweeted other messages in support of Leia merch.
For some insight into the scarcity of Leia goodies, consider what Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfim, told The New York Times: “The business infrastructure of franchises are predominantly men. If I’m sitting in a meeting about toys, it’s predominantly men.”
So Disney refuses to render Leia in toy proportions, but no time was wasted when it came to shrinking Fisher the actress. “They don’t want to hire all of me — only about three-quarters,” Fisher told Good Housekeeping U.K. She was asked to lose over 35 pounds before reprising her role as Leia in the upcoming “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
Fisher opined, “Nothing changes, it’s an appearance-driven thing. I’m in a business where the only thing that matters is weight and appearance. That is so messed up. They might as well say get younger, because that’s how easy it is.”
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” opens December 18. We’re remaining optimistic that Disney kowtows to fans — who have money, and want to give Disney their money — and starts drafting plans for Leia-centric toys ASAP.
[via People]
