Fans of the enormously popular Star Wars franchise were out at stores - some of them during a midnight hour special - buying up a new line of merchandise tied to the series' forthcoming seventh film.
Among the goods available at the Toys R Us in Amherst Friday morning were masks of the updated Stormtroopers and the new villain, Kylo Ren. Plenty of items from other Star Wars story lines, including a currently-running cartoon series known as Star Wars Rebels, were also on the shelves.
Among those waiting in line for the store to open was Beth Mahoney, who is also selling Star Wars themed clothing through her business, 15 Monkeys.
"We do everything from children's clothing to costumes. So of course I jumped on the bandwagon and started pushing all my Star Wars gear," she said.
Some retailers hosted midnight sales, giving fans a chance to scoop up new merchandise during a one-hour window of opportunity before those stores closed until the morning.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be released in movie theaters on December 18 but the hype is already high for the much-anticipated film, which brings back many of the classic characters who made the franchise famous when it debuted in 1977.
The voice of Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker, can be heard in a trailer available on the film franchise's official website. The trailer also features an on-screen appearance by Han Solo, played by actor Harrison Ford, along with his furry sidekick Chewbacca.
It's a series with a fiercely loyal following. Also in line outside Toys R Us on Friday morning was Reuben Safarian, who has Star Wars character tattoos on both his arms. One one arm are characters from the "dark side" of the Force, including Darth Vader and the Emperor, while on the other arm he has good guys Luke Skywalker, Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda.
"It started off to be just one tattoo but then it was like, why not just finish it out?" Safarian said.
In addition to the classic characters, anticipation is high for some new ones including a female stormtrooper. A children's costume featuring that uniform was among the items available.
"I think it's pretty neat," said Mahoney, who told WBFO that the female stormtrooper character was especially of interest to her. "Obviously we're going to see a lot of Star Wars characters for Halloween. I think that's going to help them out tremendously. And obviously it's going to be big this Christmas."
