Where’s Rey? Despite Monopoly maker’s promise, still missing

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Where’s the character Rey in the “Star Wars” version of Monopoly? In a land far, far away, apparently.

Eighteen months after game-maker Hasbro Inc. promised to add the female character to the game by the fall of 2016, an Illinois girl who wrote to the company to say “girls matter” is still waiting. Others are, too. After inquiries from The Associated Press this week, the Pawtucketbased company said it made the Rey piece but sets with Rey weren’t available for sale in the U.S. People who bought the all-male game can request a Rey from customer service, spokeswoman Julie Duffy said Wednesday.

“In early 2016, Hasbro updated the 2015 Star Wars: Monopoly game to add a Rey token,” Duffy said by email. “This product was sold to retailers in several markets around the world but is not available for sale in the U.S. due to insufficient interest.”

Duffy said the company offered the updated version of the game to U.S. retailers but “retailers had ample inventory so they did not choose to sell the new version.”

She said the game with a Rey piece was made available in five markets, including the United Kingdom and France, though the AP found one family that recently bought the game in the United Kingdom and no Rey was included. Duffy said the company has fulfilled 99 requests for the Rey token in the U.S. and 10 in Canada.

Hasbro said it would add a Rey character in January 2016, amid an online outcry that carried the hashtag #WheresRey.

“We love the passion fans have for Rey, and are happy to announce that we will be making a running change to include her in the Monopoly: Star Wars game available later this year,” Duffy told the AP by email at the time.

She added that fans who had already bought the game “can obtain the Rey token by contacting Hasbro Consumer Care when the updated game becomes available later this year.”