6. Super Nintendo Power-Up Bands
PRICE: $14.99 – $29.99+ (plus accessories)
BACKSTORY: If you’ve been around the themed entertainment industry at all in the last decade, you probably know that right now, parks are firmly engaged as battlefields in the larger, corporate Content Wars. As Disney and Comcast (parent of NBCUniversal) race headlong into licenses, acquisitions, and content creation, having the biggest, hottest, coolest, (and, at least we hope, most timeless) IP is the name of the game.
Pixar, Harry Potter, Marvel, Star Wars, The Simpsons, AVATAR, Dreamworks… Back and forth, Disney and Universal traded blows, bringing pop culture-shaping stories to their parks. And by 2016, it would’ve been fair to ask, “What’s left?” But lightbulbs clicked on and jaws dropped when, that December, Universal announced that it had acquired the global rights to build themed lands based on the timeless, continent-and-generation spanning worlds of Nintendo. Seriously, this was a major coup on par with Disney’s Star Wars.
Universal’s first Super Nintendo World – once planned for 2020, but delayed to 2021 due to the pandemic – will open at Universal Studios Japan in February 2021. The photo above (yes, photo… not concept art) gives you a gist of what we expect to be among the most breathtaking “Living Lands” ever built… a kinetic paradise of massive Thwomps, spinning coins, and marching Koopas. (A copy is currently under construction at Universal Studios Hollywood; a double-sized land with a Donkey Kong area was planned for Universal’s Epic Universe in Orlando, but the jury’s out on that project’s post-Covid likelihood).
EXPERIENCE: Super Nintendo World will feature two rides (Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge and Yoshi’s Adventure) and will probably sell out of Mario and Luigi hats, Invincibility Star popcorn buckets, and Toad sippers every day. But naturally, following its own Wizarding World model, Universal’s found a way to make the land interactive: Power-Up Bands!
These simple plastic wristbands will likely feature RFID chips, allowing those who purchase the bracelets to punch power-up blocks, activate hidden secrets, and track their progress around Super Nintendo World. The bands are set to connect with a dedicated smartphone app, meaning guests will be able to monitor their “coins” and stats across the land (and perhaps even use them to personalize their Mario Kart ride).
The truly dedicated can even undertake three mini-challenges (like sneaking past a giant, sleeping Piranha Plant) to “collect” three hidden gold keys scattered throughout the land. Those who collect all three can participate in a “boss battle” with Bowser Jr.! In other words, Power-Up Bands look to be the must-have interactive accessory of one of the most impressive lands on Earth.
VALUE: Much of the “value” of a Power-Up Band depends on its price! At Universal Studios Japan, the bands are set to debut at ¥3,200 (about $30) – frankly, a little more than we would’ve suspected. (Similarly-capable MagicBands, for example, are $15… albeit, with more functional than fun.) Still, given the massive, cross-generational appeal of Nintendo, the “gaming” aspect inherent in the experience, and the multitude of things a Power-Up Band can do (and frankly, the little land’s capacity to handle interactives without mini-queues), it’s fair that this wearable will fetch a premium price!
7. Savi’s Handbuilt Lightsabers
PRICE: $199.99 (plus accessories)
BACKSTORY: From the moment Disney announced their intentions to build Star Wars-themed lands at both Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, there was simply no way to imagine such a land without Lightsabers as the signature souvenir. Perhaps the only “must-have” movie prop that can match the Wizarding World’s wands, fans eagerly imagined the ways that these ancient Jedi weapons would be bought and used in the land. What few expected was the enormity of the price tag. You could equip your whole family with wands for the price of a single Lightsaber. But of course, there’s a reason…
EXPERIENCE: Moreso than any other experience on this list, gaining a Lightsaber is an attraction. Hidden in the streets of Black Spire Outpost, Savi’s Workshop is a secret, unmarked place where “Gatherers” collect the scrap metal pieces needed to forge these ancient weapons. Guests choose one of four styles from the start – essentially, Jedi, Sith, ancient, or natural – and, in a show-like, ceremonial setting of just fourteen builders, are given the choice of “kyber crystal,” the ancient stone whose power gives each saber its color and energy source. Then, they’re given time to select and assemble their sword’s hilt however they like, selecting sleeves, activators, pommels, and emitters from their chosen suite of scrap metal.
In a mini-show known to bring grown men to tears, the weapon’s blade is magically fused onto the guest-created hilt and – in a glowing, stirring ceremony – the new generation of Lightsaber wielders raises their swords together in a moving and spectacular moment of triumph and emotion. It must be especially emotional for Disney executives, given that just two shows an hour net the company $5,600 – over $67,000 in a typical operating day, or $24.5 million in a year.
The price paid covers one builder (and their observing guests; limited to one at Disney World and two at Disneyland). A credit card is required to hold the reservation, and a no-show or last-minute drop-out incurs a cancellation fee of… $200. Disney requires at least one member of the party to be over the age of 14, but says the experience is appropriate for children as young as 5. We assume they mean as observers… Children younger than 10 would likely struggle with the building process (or even seeing over the counter). And as the $200 price tag implies, the resulting saber is not a toy.
VALUE: Is the Lightsaber a good value? This is the toughest question yet. $200 is… a lot of money. For the same price, you could purchase a banshee, a wand, and a Droid, or just buy two friends tickets to Galaxy’s Edge for the day!
But to be fair, if you visit Dok Ondar’s shop next door, you can purchase a pre-made character-model “legacy” lightsaber hilt (which starts at $129) that can’t change colors or swap pieces. It also wouldn’t come with a blade; that’d set you back another $50. So for “just” $20 more, you get a customized lightsaber with a Kyber crystal, a very substantial carrying bag to sling over your shoulder, and (yet again) an ultra-interactive, very-individualized show that stars you.
Naturally, the resulting Lightsaber can then be personalized and upgraded in various ways. The most popular is by purchasing one-off Kyber crystals for $12.99 each, which can be easily swapped into your Lightsaber’s hilt to “magically” change the blade’s color and sounds (another RFID shout-out!). Disney also sells “scrap metal” (one-off hilt pieces to mix and match) for $19.99, but with ever-changing caveats to weed out eBay resellers. Another popular upgrade? Having the awkwardly-shaped weapon shipped home for around $20 (though, after a few weeks of case-by-case treatment, the TSA did officially approve lightsabers for airplane carry-on… we recommend a bag that accounts for the 31-inch blade).
Unlike the wands, there’s no benefit to having a Lightsaber in the land aside from photo-ops, spontaneous character interactions, adding to the land’s nighttime glow, and becoming a part of the original mythology that surrounds and permeates Galaxy’s Edge.
Disney will quickly quell any attempt at a battle, even among family. Though supposedly they can be battled with at home (and in fact, they produce a white impact flash when crossed), the price should imply what differentiates this from a Droid: it’s really not meant to be a toy, but an impressive, interactive collector’s item. In fact, many Star Wars enthusiasts call the Galaxy’s Edge versions among the best collectable lightsabers in the industry for the price, with comparable glow and craftsmanship to $600 replicas. So is it a value? Depends if it sounds like one to you!
Gotta-have-it?
Looking to take home one of each of the souvenirs we’ve surveyed? It’ll set you back more than $500 – an admittedly hefty price tag on top of admission, food, and a hotel stay. But in the increasing age of social media and “gotta-have-it” virality, Disney and Universal have figured out the formula: Snapchat-ready, Facebook-shareable, interactive, personalized, reservation-required, ultra-take-homes with “add-on” and “upgrade” options that test your wallet and exponentially increase per-cap spending.
At least for fans and families who want it all, admission is no longer all-inclusive. Rather, Disney and Universal have found new ways to extend the “must-have” merchandise of yesteryear into interactive, Instagrammable, memory-making experiences that enhance visits and act as attractions unto themselves. That’s our theory at least… Do you buy it?
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