What On Earth Is Up With Disney’s Costume Color Palette For Star Wars?

We like to make our jokes here from time to time. The upside is that I think we all enjoy the occasional chuckle. The downside is that we run the risk of people thinking that site is pure satire like The Onion. But when I saw the figure of Jedi Master Sol revealed, I knew I had to say something despite being a little worried that the audience would think it's a joke. I assure you it's not. The articles we write here are sincere, but we make jokes within them. Does that make sense? So it's in all seriousness that I say that I truly think Disney's color choices have an effect on toy sales. I can't quantify how significant the impact is. It could be insignificant or it could be something more meaningful, but I suspect it isn't zero.

We all know that the traditional Jedi "Tatooine peasant" garb doesn't pop with color, but by sticking with the earth tones, the ensembles are pleasant. Browns, taupes, tans, and putty colors harmonize well. In fact, I must confess that I tend to gravitate to those colors in my personal wardrobe. Disney seems insistent on injecting the "mustard" color wheel into their costumes, and I personally think it's not very appealing. The shades range from spicy mustard to honey mustard. If you prefer, you could say what I'm calling "spicy mustard" is also "baby poop brown." You can decide whatever objectionable shade that is. I feel like Disney's costume designers raided Dwight Schrute's closet:


This brings us back to Bernie Loomis's contribution to the toy industry lexicon: "toyetic." I personally feel that the figures in the header images aren't toyetic. Taking the media itself totally out of the equation, they lack shelf appeal due to the color palette. The Black Series Yord and Jecki are about as eye-catching as a pair of manilla envelopes. I honestly think that one of the reasons the Black Series Finn (both scales) peg warmed is that a mustard brown jacket over a black body suit on a fire engine red background is eye-searing. Again, remove all your thoughts about the character and the media. Just look at this presentation. Does it have shelf appeal?


Now of course, we don't want the merchandizing to take precedent over the entertainment. The Ewoks were greeted with cynicism immediately for that reason. But gratuitous character decisions and wardrobe choices are two different things. Disney can help Hasbro help themselves (via royalties) by ditching the Schrute-styling.

Finally, the notion of shelf appeal doesn't impact us hardcore collectors. If we like the movie or character, we're going to buy it no matter what, but shelf appeal impacts casual fans and impulse buyers, on whom any collectible product line is dependent.

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