Disney's 'real lightsaber' is one of the coolest merch items ever made


Disney's 'real lightsaber' is one of the coolest merch items ever made

Disney has officially shown off its long-hyped “real lightsaber” toy to audiences at the 2023 South by Southwest event. While it’s still not as real as some psychopaths might like, it’s undoubtedly one of the coolest merch items we’ve ever seen.

Revealed alongside the company’s Judy Hopps robot that has turned internet furries rabid, the new toy is the most realistic lightsaber recreation yet.

Based on a patent that was released over a year ago, Disney’s “real lightsaber” extends just like it does in the movies. While expensive prop lightsabers have more realistic hilts, none of them can act in this way.

At the conference, Disney Parks and Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro took to the stage to show off the device. As expected, the audience went wild.

“This is the true ‘wow’ moment for our guests and for me, as you can tell,” D’Amaro said. “I love firing this thing up!”

Immediately, D’Amaro flicked the switch, powering the device up. Instead of simply turning on, the real lightsaber expands out of its hilt just like in the original films, accompanied by its iconic sound effect. It looks fantastic!

It might not be able to slice through droids or steel doors, but Disney’s lightsabers looks like the toy we’ve always wanted.

“This was a hard project. This was not easy,” said Disney’s R&D for Disney Imagineering Leslie Evans. “[We wanted to] build film moments in the real world.”

There’s currently no release date or pricing information for Disney’s lightsaber prop. However, once it’s out, we will be fighting tooth and nail to get one.

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