New interactive toys from Sphero based on the droids from the Star Wars universe, including Star Wars: The Last Jedi‘s BB-8, BB-9E, and R2-D2 are now available. Indeed, these are the droids that you’re looking for. Some things just go hand in hand, like Star Wars and merchandise. Since the 1970s, the franchise has been pushing the limits of children’s collective imagination, whether it was watching Luke blow up the Death Star on the big screen or by creating their own custom battles in the sandbox.


Star Wars has always been ahead of the merchandising curve, the most recent example was the BB-8 explosion during the winter of 2015. The charismatic Astromech droid made a huge impression in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. However it wasn’t until Sphero released a miniature replica did the Star War merchandising craze truly get revitalized in modern times – for both kids and adults alike – bringing to mind the toy crazes in previous decades. Spherois back at it again with their latest offering, which not so coincidentally is perfectly lined up for another holiday storm, with the pending release of The Last Jedi.

Today, Sphero released a brand new announcement video for their latest interactive toys, which have added Star Wars icon R2-D2 and future First Order favorite BB-9E, which makes its own debut in this December’s release. The new trailer shows off the impressive capabilities of the toys, including a bipedal R2-D2 whose third leg extends for stability and how BB-9E and BB-8 are indeed water resistant. (Just make sure to keep the dome dry.) Along with a host of interactive functions that promises to have parents “borrowing” their kids’ new Christmas presents this holiday season.


The new Star Wars Astromech Droids will be made available tonight at midnight, so prepare your bank account. The BB-8 toy currently sells for $129.99, the new BB-9E will go for $149.99, and the R2-D2 will be available for $179.99. The droids have adaptive personalities that will react to your interactions, authentic sounds and light responses, the ability to explore autonomously or to be fully controlled via the phone app, and possibly the coolest ability is their “Watch With Me” feature where the droids watch Star Wars movies along with you while interacting to the action on screen.


The Sphero toy company is making quite a name for itself by creating incredibly accurate and ambitious toy recreations, that are pushing the boundaries of science fiction and children’s entertainment. Recently they released a Car 3 Lightning McQueen remote-controlled car, as well as the interactive Spider‑Man toy, which is a cross between an Amazon Echo and Teddy Ruxpin. So it’s clear that Sphero is more than a flash-in-the-pan toy company, as they continue to push the limits of technology with each new release.