Tauntaun sleeping bag: And you thought they smelled bad on the outside

Why do these products only come out when '80s geeks reach adulthood? Young Jedis and stormtroopers alike, I give you: Official Star Wars Tauntaun sleeping bags from ThinkGeek.com.

"In the sub-zero wasteland of the planet Hoth, only the strong survive... and of course those lucky Jedi protected by the thick skin of a Tauntaun," reads the official advertisement. "This high-quality sleeping bag looks just like a Tauntaun, complete with saddle, internal intestines and plush lightsaber zipper pull."

Internal intestines? Oh no, your kids won't have nightmares AT ALL. ("Daddy, daddy. I just dreamed I was suffocated by small intestines." ... "Oh, don't worry, kiddo. It could be worse. You could have just made out with her sister before escaping certain execution on the Death Star. Nighty-night.")

Just consider the official slogan of the Tauntaun sleeping bag: "Slumber in the Belly of the Beast." Oh, it gets so much worse. Read on.

"Now when your kids tell you their favorite Star Wars movie is Attack of the Clones you can nestle the wee-ones snug in simulated Tauntaun fur while regaling them with the amazing tale of Empire Strikes Back," the ad reads. "Use the plush lightsaber zipper pull on the Tauntaun sleeping bag to illustrate how Han Solo saved Luke Skywalker from certain death in the freezing climate of Hoth by slitting open the belly of a dead Tauntaun and placing Luke inside the stinking (but warm) carcass."

The sleeping bag -- "great for playing pretend 'Save Luke from the Wampa' games" -- sells for $99.99 at ThinkGeek. ... Or does it?

Turns out the Tauntaun sleeping bag was a prank by ThinkGeek. Yeah, the same gang who punked us April Fool's Day products (I love the Betamax to HD-DVD Converter) fooled the world with the sleeping bag. Ironically though, due to demand for the sleeping bag, ThinkGeek is trying to get the actual product made now. 

"We are definitely trying to make it in to an actual item to be sold 
on our site," ThinkGeek's Shane Peterman told the LA Times. "Right now, we're aiming to have it available 
for the holidays, or at the latest, the 30th anniversary of The Empire 
Strikes Back next spring. We're still working with Lucas to get approval for a final design."

Thank the Maker!

(Thanks to SIT80s "Dubai correspondent" Beth for tipping us off.)

Comments

[DerekT]

http://starwarsblog.starwars.com/index.php/2009/10/23/tauntaun-grooms-cake/

If you think the sleeping bag is weird, check out this cake.

[beth]

Hi Billyshakes! I live in Izmir--for almost 10 years. I work for Space Camp Turkey.

[Clearwater]

It's supposed to come out next month and it's going to be big enough for adults.

http://gizmodo.com/5378464/drop-the-knife-the-tauntaun-sleeping-bag-is-now-real

[don in tulsa]

man i gotta get one (for my son of course) whenever they bring them out for real.

[billyshakes]

Merhaba beth!

Where in Turkey do you live? I just moved back to the US from Istanbul earlier this year.

I think I shall get this for my little kid. I have an old gray sleeping bag I could mod myself but I would have to do with red flannel inside instead of the "mod intestines".....hmmmmm

[Mick in Sydney]

The so called fake looks pretty good in the pictures, they would of had to make something wouldnt they?

[Crockett]

Spears is funny with his trading cards.

I too have the Desert Storm ones....Somewhere....

[Dr. Dim]

Brilliant! Those folks at ThinkGeek really nailed it with this prank. It just seems so plausible that there would be a Tauntaun sleeping bag.

And now there might actually be one. Brilliant!

By the way, I still have my official Star Wars bedspread. It is currently adorning my son's bed.

[beth]

Thanks Steve for the credit. Actually I live in Turkey and in Dubai for business for the week. I need more podcasts to keep me entertained during my travels. You guys crack me up and keep me forever stuck in the 80s!!!

[Spears]

I still have a bunch of Star Wars trading cards that they used to give out in loafs of Wonder Bread. Also have the Battlestar Galactica trading cars.

(And sadly, I think I have the trading cards from the first Persian Gulf war.)

[beth]

Don't I get credit for sending you this link a few days ago? I hope I get mentioned in the next podcast. While I am on my travels around the world for work--your podcasts are keeping me entertained as I sit in traffic currently in Dubai. I'm even listening to some 2 or 3 times.

[Crockett]

THis is awesome!
I WISH they had this when i was a kid!!!

I still occasionally drink out of my Han Solo glass i got at Burger King from the early '80s!!

You know I may just buy this for my gift to myself for Xmas. Douglas, get one anyway!

excellent post!!

[Jeff Fisher]

Steve,

This was an April Fools joke from ThinkGeek.

They had so much interest though, that there are rumors of this being made one day.

They have talked about it a number of times on TheForce.net

May the Force Be With You Stuck in the 80s!

[DerekT]

Having the intestines showing is in bad taste. It reminded me that The Family Guy is retelling The Empire Strikes Back soon.
Now a slave girl Leia sleeping bag is something I would like to crawl into. ;-)

[Douglas Arthur]

this reminds me of the fact that I had an Empire Strikes Back bathrobe. Would have loved the tauntaun sleeping bag back in the day, but that ship has sailed...