The Onion AV Club did a nice write-up on how ThinkGeek.com’s April Fool’s joke backfired in a commercially pleasant way. They jokingly posted an advertisement for a sleeping bag based on a Star Wars scene. From the article:

Star Wars fans—and they are still legion, despite over 20 years of nonstop setbacks—fondly remember a sequence in The Empire Strikes Back on the planet Hoth, an arid wasteland characterized by deadly sub-freezing temperatures. In order to save Luke Skywalker from certain death, Hans Solo carves opens the dead carcass of a Tauntaun (described on the Star Wars “Wookieepedia” as an “omnivorous reptomammal” that the Rebel Alliance used for transport) with his Lightsaber and tucks his little buddy inside. Sure, it stinks to high heaven, but nestled under the Tauntaun’s thick skin and warm intestines, Luke is saved from a grim fate.

ThinkGeek’s April Fool’s joke was the unveiling of the Tauntaun sleeping bag, a plush replica of the beast featuring a “built-in embroidered Tauntaun head pillow,” “a glowing Lightsaber zipper pull,” and “the exact synthetic compounds needed to recreate Tauntaun fur.” Funny, right? Because who would want to sleep inside an animal’s, smelly intestines? Answer: The many, many people eager to fork out $39.99, that’s who!

ThinkGeek is now trying to actually produce said device and is negotiating with LucasFilm for the rights. It should fit in well with their other products such as the Star Wars Cookbooks, the R2-D2 trashcan and the Darth Vader USB Hub. And nothing says joie de vivre like a Yoda plush backpack.

The best comment from A.V. Club is by “Hack”, who says “Wow, an idea that was too stupid to fail. Someone deserves to be fired, then receive a huge bonus.”