'Star Wars' joins toy unboxing trend with live global broadcast of releases

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Disney is hosting an 18-hour live broadcast of events held all over the world celebrating the releases of official Star Wars merchandise.

The YouTube broadcast will cover unboxing demonstrations -- or demos of toys and other products being unpackaged and used -- from 15 cities including Rio De Janeiro, Brazil; New York, United States; Toronto, Canada, Mexico City, Mexico; and Seoul, South Korea.

The online event is hosted by the official Star Wars YouTube channel and marks the world's first live global toy unboxing event. The practice of unboxing, from toys to consumer electronics, is one of YouTube's most popular trends.

Live broadcasting began in Sydney, Australia, early Thursday morning and continued through Asia, Europe, Canada and the Americas based on time zone. Retailers selling official Star Wars merchandise have been opening their doors at midnight.

"Over the course of 18 hours, some of Maker Studios' biggest stars will each be unboxing a new toy from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens product line in a different city around the world and sharing the experience live on YouTube," said Leslie Ferraro, President, Disney Consumer Products, in a statement.

"We've seen tremendous excitement for these new products and can't wait to see the global reaction from the Star Wars fan community."

The event incorporates famous toy unboxers including, by YouTube handle, EvanTubeHD, Bratayley, ExpCaseros and gamers such as AlexBy11.