"Star Wars'" "Force Friday" has proven to be a marketing and sales force to be reckoned with as thousands of fans rush to get their hands on hundreds of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens'" toys and other paraphernalia.

Thousands of toy stores around the world came up with their own gimmicks aimed at catching the attention of "Star Wars" fans. Numerous shops even encouraged fans to come dressed up as their favorite "Star Wars" characters when they come in to check the new action figures, Lego models, lightsaber daggers and spaceships that are on sale. Customers in Australia and Japan were lucky as they were able to take the first bite out of the "Force Friday" apple, as stores in those two countries opened way before the ones in Europe and the U.S.

One of the more in-demand toys this Friday is the BB-8 droid. The orange and white, hamster-sized, cylindrical droid was trending on Twitter hours before shops opened for "Force Friday." The BB-8 droid can move, talk and be controlled via a smartphone app.

It comes as no surprise that an updated Millennium Falcon spacecraft is also among the eagerly awaited "Star Wars" toys.  

Other toys that stand-out are the lightsabers that come in different styles (including the glowing daggers), plushies, Furbacca (a Furby Chewbacca), "Star Wars" dolls and Hasbro's action figures that come in various sizes. Even characters that have not even been introduced or seen on the big screen yet, like Sarco Plank — an alien desert nomad — are likely to be snapped up by collectors.

This is the first time in "Star Wars" history that a marketing push this big has happened. Of course, "The Force Awakens" is the first "Star Wars" movie that's being released under the House of Mouse. This event is more of a strategy by Disney to drum up further interest in the movie and build momentum for its merchandise.

Despite its novelty, a marketing push like this will be easy for "Star Wars" to pull off because even during those long, non-movie years, the movie's merchandise has always sold well. As a matter of fact, "Star Wars" merchandise is a $2 billion annual industry. Analysts are saying that number will easily be eclipsed this year as $3 billion worth of merchandise are expected to be shipped. Sales next year will undoubtedly be even bigger.