'Star Wars 7' Toys Kept Under Wraps To Avoid Potential Plot Spoilers Before December Release Date

Perhaps one of the most exciting things to come from the release of a new “Star Wars” movie is the bevy of toys for children (and fun-loving adults). That’s what makes the absence of any new products from “The Force Awakens” at the annual Toy Fair in New York City so surprising.

For those unfamiliar with the event, New York’s Toy Fair is an annual gathering of thousands of vendors, manufacturers, distributors and more hoping to show off the year’s next big thing in the toy world. It’s arguably the perfect place for big-budget blockbusters to debut their lineup of toys to coincide with their movies. With “Star Wars” being such a hot property for action figures, fake light sabers and more, many were surprised to the point of frustration when the coming movie had literally nothing to showcase at this year’s fair.

According to MTV, the only evidence of “Star Wars’” existence was a small sign from Lego:

“New Lego ‘Star Wars’ sets will feature iconic scenes from the latest chapter of the epic saga when 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' hits theaters December 18, 2015!”

The outlet reports that Lego technically had the biggest showcase thanks to the sign. Other toy companies like Hasbro and Entertainment Earth reportedly had even less to show for the movie other than a logo sign.

With many believing that Disney’s principal motivation for jumpstarting the dormant “Star Wars” franchise was just to sell more toys, the lack of anything new is puzzling. But the reason is very simple – no one has seen more than the 88 seconds of teaser footage, including Lego, Hasbro and other toymakers.

In an effort to avoid spoiling the movie, all footage is being kept under a tight lock and key. As previously reported with “Jurassic World,” sometimes the lineup of toys from a movie can do more to spoil its plot than people imagine. Director J.J. Abrams is particularly worried about the plot of his highly anticipated seventh installment in the franchise getting ruined by fans before it even hits their screens. Earlier last week it was reported that he and Disney are seriously considering moving the movie’s release date up to the summer of 2015 just to avoid another six months of potential leaks. Disney even went as far as to request a subpoena against the photo-sharing site ImageShack after a user posted leaked concept art to the site.

For that reason, not even toy companies looking to get a lineup of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” toys out ahead of the film's current Dec. 18 release date have been given a sneak peak. It isn’t unheard of for a toy company to try to make toys based on trailer footage, but Kylo Ren’s broadsword light saber from the first teaser can only be stretched so far. Odds are most toy companies are waiting until a full-length trailer is released later this year to debut their playable lineup.