When should your kids meet Star Wars?

For record, I presume that all children at some point in time will be introduced to Star Wars.  Since I was a kid the Star Wars universe has grown a bit.  It’s much more than movies, now it’s toys, books (comics!), an eventual theme park and of course the movies.  We’re glad that Disney purchased them because it will give the brand a fresh start-and Disney does things on a first class scale. 

Because there are so many areas we’ll break up the Star Wars universe into Toys, Movies and Books-with a slight diversion into theme parks.

The Movies

What order should we have them watch the movies in?  Do we start with Episode 3 (the first movie) or Episode 1 (the so-so one with Jar Jar Binks)? I’ve seen the videos where children discover that Darth is Luke’s father and that would be cool to witness, but does it make the most sense to a viewer who knows nothing about the movies?

Right now I think that it would make the most sense to start with Episode 3, continue through 6, and then start with Episode 1.  That is what I think now, it could change.  What did you do with your kids in introducing them to the movies?  I bet that 3YO Mojo will watch his first Star Wars movie when he’s 6 years old.

The Toys

If I had a time machine I’d go back and purchase pallets of toys from Star Wars and Return of the Jedi.  I’d play with one and save the rest for eBay circa 2012.

We have one Star Wars item back from the day, an old lunch box.  The odds on any of our children wanting to use that are slim to none, but they’re welcome to if they would like.

At some point our kids will want to have some Star Wars LEGOS.  That is a moment that I’m looking forward to.  It will enhance their building skills, free play, they all look cool and I can play with them too.  I’m also cautious because I’ve seen the prices on some of the kits and I wonder what happens if you lose a piece of the kit?

I visited a local store that sells LEGOS and was amazed at how detailed each kit was.  Then I saw that they you can purchase different them in bulk so that you can build (or add onto) things.   My future self is hopeful that you can fix those lost pieces with these ones.  Yeah, our oldest child is only 3; I went there just to experience what the future holds for us in a couple years.

Ditto the action figures, except I think we’ll experience the joys of Stat Wars action figures in a year or two.

The Books

He’ll be able to read our old school Star Wars comics soon.  Of course we’ll be there with him to be certain that he takes care of them.    It’s amazing to know that it was the success of the books in the mid to late 90’s that helped fuel the current Star Wars toy surge.    He’ll be into the comic books  within the year-with supervision.

The Theme Parks

Of course there’s the Star Wars Weekend at Disney World.  Now that Disney owns Star Wars the internet is ripe with ideas on stand alone Star Wars theme parks.  Star Tours at the Hollywood Studios is a great attraction though.

At what age did you start your kids with Star Wars?  I know each child is different, but any advice on what’s appropriate or timely is appreciated.