Disney’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge park is now charging $11 for sporks that were free when it opened. Almost eight months on from when the first Star Wars theme park opened in Anaheim, California, fans continue to flock to Disney’s immersive planet of Batuu.
At this point, Disney has made good on their promise to open Star Wars themed areas inside two of their parks. As previously mentioned, the first Galaxy’s Edge opened at the end of last May, with the second theme park having opened in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the end of last August. So far, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, though Disney CEO Bob Iger previously had to explain why attendance numbers aren’t as high as originally forecast. Regardless of the numbers, Galaxy’s Edge is nothing if not a runaway success. Fans have come from around the world to experience the world of Star Wars and to avail themselves of the unique variety of souvenirs available. While everything that’s available to purchase isn’t necessarily the most affordable (we’re looking at you, build-your-own lightsabers), fans haven’t had any major issues with paying top dollar for memorabilia.
That sort of tolerance may gradually wear thin if Disney continues to test the limits of Star Wars fans’ dedication. According to Disneyland News Today, a spork (that’s a spoon and fork together in one handy useful utensil, incidentally), which used to be free and easily attainable in the Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo area of Galaxy’s Edge, is no longer available. After a brief hiatus, Disney has now decided to re-introduce the utensil with a $10.99 price tag and a handy carrying case thrown in for good measure. You can check out the full tweet below:
It’s understandable that opening and maintaining theme parks such as Galaxy’s Edge is no minor endeavour and that Disney’s bottom line is to profit whenever possible. These are clearly the basic necessary elements of running any successful business, let alone the most powerful entertainment conglomerate in the world. And to be fair to Disney, there is presently no information regarding exactly what this new spork is made of or how durable it may be. All that being said, of course, charging $11 for a spork when it was previously available for free is a bit much. Granted, Disney had previously been having problems with Galaxy’s Edge visitors stealing the sporks due to them being free, and apparently because some fans felt they were worth keeping. Whether any of this justifies an $11 re-introduction into the Star Wars universe is presently up for debate.
Regardless of how any fans may feel about the re-appropriating of these Star Wars sporks, the fact remains fans of the franchise have to expect this sort of thing. There is literally no limit to the number of things that can be turned into a Star Wars souvenir and for fans who want to own these bits of memorabilia, there will always be a price to be paid. In most cases, unfortunately, that price is often high. Paying $11 for a spork may seem insane to many, but there are quite a few fans out there who will be more than willing to do so.
Next: What Happens At Galaxy’s Edge When The Star Wars Saga Ends?
Source: Disneyland News Today
