I saw the item on the sales floor. It stood about three feet tall and was located near the antacids. I noticed a red banner around it, but I didn't know what it said so I went over, turned it around and read the writing.
BB My Valentine
I think everyone who participates in the exercise of commerce understands what's going on here. Take an insanely popular film franchise, and combine it with a holiday based on something pure but sullied by commercialism, and you get what I saw on Saturday night, something that is either offensive, or funny, or something else.
I suppose there are many who find this item so amusing that they just have to purchase it, either for themselves, or for a loved one. There's probably many who would like to get the BB-8 with or without the sash. I would imagine the sash just lifts right off, and an unsuspecting kid (especially one that dislikes anything Valentine's...) would enjoy it all the same.
I snapped a quick picture and considered using it for my Pic Of The Day, but I didn't. The reason I chose another picture is because I didn't know what caption to use. I could have been snarky saying something about how the pun based on a beloved Star Wars character would be so bad that you'd want to pick up some Zantac at the same time. Or I could have said the pun was fun and light and cleaver. In the end, I went another way.
When I see something like this for sale, something that I wouldn't necessarily want to buy, I wonder how many of the items they end up selling, how many people bought leftover Christmas inventory when introduced with a Valentine's Day theme. If it's a lot (or even if it's not a lot...), pretty sure, we'll see more things like this next year.
