Star Wars-inspired robot is the hottest toy of the season

The BB-8 from Sphero may be the droid you’re looking for—at least this holiday season. The smartphone-controlled BB-8 robot based on the droid in the upcoming film “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is included in the Amazon’s list of best-selling electronics for kids, and is already expected to be one of the hottest toys this Christmas. According to BMO’s Toy Scout Report, the BB-8 droid is “likely the single hottest Star Wars toy currently on the market.”

So, how did a small company selling basic spherical robots and developing for education markets get access to the hottest toy market of 2015? Bloomberg calls it “the toy company that won the lottery.”

Until the release of the BB-8, Sphero sold 500,000 robots in a span of four years, or about 14 per hour, according to Bloomberg. Since the release of the BB-8 on September 4, Sphero has been selling about 2,000 robots per hour. Sphero’s big break came when they took part in a Disney seed incubator for startups. In a meeting with Disney CEO Bob Iger, the Sphero team got to see a picture of the BB-8 for the first time, and they were commissioned to make the robot for consumers. Sphero co-founder Adam Wilson also said the BB-8 is “significantly cuter” than the company’s previous products, which probably helps sell the robot along with the Star Wars brand.

Tapping into popular content and brands is not something all manufacturers can do, of course, but it is certainly one avenue that is commonly used to boost sales. It is rare, though, for a company’s signature product to be suited perfectly to be adapted into a toy for a blockbuster movie franchise. Lego famously escaped the obscurity that comes with the cloning of its product by signing exclusive deals with content producers, starting with getting the rights to make Star Wars toys out of plastic blocks.When Frozen became an overnight sensation two years ago, many manufacturers were quick to respond. A cursory search on Global Sources will reveal a slew of Frozen related school supplies and clothes. The good news with the BB-8 development is that drones and robots need not be left out of this smart marketing method. However, before everyone jumps in on the Star Wars trend, keep in mind that it might be a little intimidating for people to see a real-world flying Death Star in their neighborhood.