Love Your Melon will launch a line of Star Wars-branded hats next week to coincide with the release of the newest film in the franchise, "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."
Love Your Melon releasing Star Wars-branded hats as part of Disney collaboration
The hats — which will be available the day the movie opens, Dec. 20 — will feature R2-D2, Darth Vader and Yoda.
December 13, 2019 at 5:31AM
The products are part of a collaboration Love Your Melon signed earlier this fall with Disney, which will last through 2021.
The hats — which will be available the day the movie opens, Dec. 20 — will feature R2-D2, Darth Vader and Yoda, the company said. They range from $40 to $55.
The first Disney products Minneapolis-based Love Your Melon released — about 4,500 Mickey and Minnie Mouse hats on Oct. 21 — sold out within hours. Those hats have since been restocked for the holiday season. Love Your Melon also this fall released hats for the movie "Frozen II."
The social enterprise is hoping that the Disney collaboration can give the brand a global reach. The company said it is trying to make as many as possible to meet demand.
Zachary Quinn and Brian Keller founded Love Your Melon in 2012 while in college, with the idea of raising money for pediatric cancer nonprofits. The company gives 50% of its profits to charities, with the total now more than $6.2 million. It also has given more than 185,000 beanies to childhood cancer patients.
In 2018, it became a $40 million company, and Quinn, the company's president, said it is still growing and profitable. Besides the Disney collaboration, in August Love Your Melon released its first "Collegiate Beanies" and have licenses with 160 colleges and universities across the U.S. The custom program also has grown, for example working with Facebook, Lululemon and Cambria.
Last winter season, the company expanded into mittens, scarves, sweaters and other items.
"These partnerships have resulted in both increased awareness and incredibly popular products, including quickly sold out 'Disney x Love Your Melon' collections," the company said in a statement.
Quinn told StarWars.com he was a huge fan of the franchise.
"One of my favorite toys as a kid was a blue Jedi lightsaber," he said. "Star Wars to me represents the fight between good and evil and that good will always conquer in the end."
Nonprofits supported by Love Your Melon include DKMS, Beat Nb, Alex's Lemonade Stand, Make-A-Wish and the Confetti Foundation.
Catherine Roberts • 612-673-4292
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