#wheresrey? Not in this Monopoly set. That’s right. Playing as The Force Awaken’s main character — MAIN CHARACTER, PEOPLE — simply isn’t an option.
In Star Wars: The Force Awakens Monopoly you can choose to play as one of four male characters from the Star Wars franchise — Luke Skywalker, Finn, Kylo Renn or Darth Vader. But there’s no sign of the film’s protagonist, Rey.
The inclusion of Vader instead is particularly disappointing as he doesn’t even appear in the most recent film, unless you count his mangled helmet. It really makes you think when a symbolic death mask is viewed as more significant than the female lead.
This discovery comes off the back of a disappointing visit to toy aisles where I have been endlessly scouring shelves for Rey merchandise.
It’s not just that Rey is not marketed to boys, #StarWars is not being marketed to girls. #WheresRey pic.twitter.com/9CgQY0iOI2
— Liz Rugg (@LizRugg) January 3, 2016
Potential loot so far includes a couple of t-shirts, a plush toy, an action figure with her speeder and some adorable kid’s costumes. Rey is definitely existent in some merchandise, but her presence is in no way comparable to the amount of products emblazoned with the male characters from the film.
I think eight year old Annie Rose sums it up best:
8 yr old asks, How could you leave out Rey in SW Monopoly? @LetToysBeToys @HasbroNews @PigtailPals #WheresRey pic.twitter.com/EnOs56PQE5
— Carrie Goldman (@CarrieMGoldman) January 4, 2016
I really thought the arrival of Rey signalled the potential for some major changes for the frequency of female characters appearing on movie merchandise. Perhaps even in direct relation to the importance of their role in the film. Was I wrong? Have you had better luck than I have finding Rey?