the difference is back when the first films were released, EVERYTHING had a pez dispenser, I would be shocked if there wasn't a pez dispenser pez dispenser!
And it was okay, the original merchandising was actually pretty cool, but ever since Episode 1 its been slowly running around the drain.
IT isn't as much as fans of the movies hating the merchandising, its more that we hated how Lucas had to explain everything about how the force worked, how Vader wasn't a cold bad-ass but instead missed his mommy, and how the Emperor came to power.
Seriously, Fuck you Jar-Jar.
This....This is something you would expect from the seasons next big blockbuster movie of the month.