by Thinus Ferreira
For angry and frustrated South African consumers who went to Burger King and left disappointed with none of The Mandalorian and Grogu collectable mugs for sale for R40 as add-ons, there is still a way for desperate nerf herders to try and get their paws on one - including a Mandalorian helmet.
The highly desirable black Mandalorian and white Grogu porcelain mugs sold out - no word from Burger King South Africa yet on how many it actually had and sent to franchises - in just two days across the country.
Now people don't want to buy Burger King's Galaxy Mandalorian meals (which you have to buy first, in order to buy a mug), since the mug is the reason people were willing to buy the Burger King adult meal.
It's bad for Burger King SA, which apparently severely underestimated just how popular the Mandalorian merch would be, and while the 8 collectable plastic figures are cute and also a "worthy" collectable, it really is the two mugs that Star Wars fans - big and small - are after.
The lack of available tie-in merchandise at Burger King is also a bad reflection on The Walt Disney Company South Africa.
Consumers are lured to Burger King with a promise about Disney and Lucasfilm merch - basically a marketing proposition, but when the consumer arrives, there is no make-good on the promise or proposition from Burger King and Disney's Star Wars: You can't buy or get what you're told is on offer.
Disney and Burger King SA seriously need to rectify the problem and stop marketing the mugs and whatever is sold out (keep in mind the promotion is still supposed to run for a month!) and explain that to potential customers, or find additional stock and get it to Burger Kings across South Africa as soon as possible.
There is still a way to try and win some of the Mandalorian and Grogu mugs through Burger King.
Burger King SA is running a competition tied to the movie and merch on the Burger King app in South Africa.
Download the app and click on The Mandalorian and Grogu vertical. Scroll down and click on "Join the mission!"
Here, Burger King receipts can be uploaded after taking a photo of it. A new competition runs weekly, starting on a Monday, and with winners announced on the next Monday. The first draw will be on Monday 11 May and the final draw will take place on 8 June.
Every Monday, Burger King will give away (the first Monday's winners will be announced this upcoming Monday): Burger King vouchers, The Mandalorian and Grogu merchandise like Grogu animatronic dolls or Grogu figurines, and sets (one of each design) of the mugs.
There are 120 mug sets up for grabs in total - so 30 winners every Monday will get a mug.
Every week is a new chance to win but only Galaxy Mandalorian meal purchases from that preceding week are included in the draw for that week.
Then Burger King SA has an "ultimate grand prize". At the end of the campaign, one lucky winner will get a The Mandalorian and Grogu hamper, valued at R25 000.
This will include a Mandalorian helmet, a Grogu animatronic doll, and a "premium lightsaber".
For this grand prize, all entries received throughout the campaign period will be included in the grand prize draw, so every Galaxy burger meal bought and uploaded will count as a valid entry.
The Mandalorian and Grogu will debut in South African cinemas on 22 May.
On TV, The Disney Channel (DStv 303) is running two Lego Star Wars series.
From 4 to 7 May at 16:30 there is Lego Star Wars: Rebuild The Galaxy in which Sig
Greebling unearths a powerful artefact from a hidden Jedi Temple.
From 11 to 14 at 16:30 there is Lego Star Wars: Rebuild The Galaxy Pieces of the Past in which Sig, Jedi Bob, Yesi, Servo and the villainous Dev return and must
face off against a new enemy – the powerful and mysterious Solitus.
"Our heroes will make unlikely alliances as they traverse new and dangerous
parts of the hilariously mixed-up galaxy in an effort to stop the
growing threat Solitus poses to all they hold dear," reads a logline supplied by Disney Africa.