Is there a house on this planet that doesn’t have some sort of Star Wars tie-in toy, game, book or DVD? Probably not. Turns out that according to Forbes, the Star Wars toys alone “have grossed over $9 billion, more than the films have made in combined box-office revenues.”

Nine. Billion. Dollars.

So far.

Did I mention the $1.6 billion in video game revenue and the $700 million in books? I’m not even talking about the movies, DVDs, Blu-Ray, remasters, re-edits, and special packaging of the films here, this is all money made in addition to the direct revenue from the six blockbuster films. How blockbuster? The least successful of them in gross box office revenues was, surprisingly, ‘The Empire Strikes Back,’ and it still pulled in $534 million worldwide.

Rumor has it there’s another Star Wars film coming later this year (he says drily). So it’s definitely time to fire up the franchise licensing machine over at Lucasfilms / Disney and start doling out those licenses.

And what better day than May 4th, “Star Wars/May The Fourth Be With You” day, to start the marketing barrage? And May 4th? Do you really have to ask?

And so it began in my mailbox with Petco telling me I can buy Star Wars related junk for my dog or cat:

My cats would be singularly unimpressed, actually, and destroy anything Star Wars related. Maybe that Jar-Jar Binks toy is a good idea then. Hmm…

Not to be outdone, Build-a-Bear has its own thematic contribution:

If you live for the idea of Chewie wearing a cheerleader outfit and sneakers, that’s exactly the place to go for your Star Wars memorabilia. And if the idea of Chewbacca in a cheerleader outfit turns you on, well, you’re seriously weird. Just saying…

LEGO has a promo running, but that’s no surprise, the company’s done great things with its Star Wars license, probably the best of any toy company:

If you are a Star Wars fan but don’t like LEGO, you’re probably evil. A pox on you!

Since everyone in the Star Wars movies was constantly on their Android and iPhone devices, it only makes sense that you would want an iPhone or Droid case, right?

Wouldn’t Darth need a bluetooth headset to use his smart phone to call his <cough, spoiler> son anyway? Pretty sure “the Force” isn’t compatible with modern smartphones, but perhaps in the future?

And, finally, the daftest of all the promos, courtesy of the fine folk at Bed, Bath and Beyond:

I mean, who wouldn’t want a Star Wars Darth Vader Toaster that cooks the Star Wars logo onto every slice of bread you make? Of course, I’m now wondering what happens to Pop-Tarts and bagels when they’re toasted too. Does the bagel say “S R” and “W S”, leaving you to wonder if Boba Fett can help you decipher the mystery?

Star Wars is a cultural phenomenon and as we get closer to the release of ‘Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens’ it’s going to become more and more impossible to avoid all the spin-offs and licensees. Might just be time to get ready for an assault on our humble little planet.

And how about you? What’s the weirdest or funniest thing you’ve seen in terms of Star Wars Day?