The BB-Björn: Our Custom Droid Carrier For Disney's Galaxy's Edge!

Ever make something just for pun?

(That's not a typo.)

I only ask because that's how our BB-Björn droid carrier came to be! As soon as I made the joke to John, we knew we had to make one.

 

And so we did.

(Yes, that's a pacifier in the droid's "mouth." We do know how to amuse ourselves - which you can probably tell by my "Quick take the picture before I crack up" face.)

Best of all, we then got to take our BB-Björn for a spin at Disney's Galaxy's Edge!

  

 

 (This was back in September, so it was still 90 degrees and sweltering.)

 

 

 Please note John's incredible decal:

See how BB's Mickey ears are the umlaut over the O? John is especially proud of that part.

Puns aside, this is actually a handy DIY if you're planning to visit Galaxy's Edge, because get this: the droids you build there are interactive with the land! So of course you'll want an easy way to carry your droid where you can see it. 

To be fair, Disney does sell custom backpacks for their droids, but they're not very exciting looking, and they cost a whopping $70:

 Plus they don't convert to front-carriers.

By contrast, I used John's holographic Tamatoa backpack to make our carrier, which costs $10 Prime:

So much prettier, and the cheapskate in me loves getting dual-duty out of something we already have.

 The bag itself needs very little modification. First I folded down the top flap inside the bag, cutting off the top zipper edge so it would lay flat:

I glued this part down inside.

Next I cut off the outside zipper to give it a clean edge, though this is optional:

 

And finally we swapped out the straps. 

That's it!

Now, you could keep the straps as-is and just wear this as a backpack:

... but I wanted the option to carry it in front like a Baby Björn, both to fit the pun AND so I could see the droid talking and spinning around as I walked through the park.

To do this we added new adjustable straps that are extra long. The length adjusts with velcro, so it only takes a moment to change from short backpack straps to the longer criss-crossed carrier straps.

 

Sorry my hair is in the way, but hopefully you get the idea.

(My hair was such a sweaty mess at Disney that we re-shot some of these later at home.)

The crowning touch, of course, is John's decal:

We even did a little fancy Cricut work to get the two-toned outline on it.

And yes, of COURSE we'll share the files!

 

And here's the outline to stick under it:

You only need a mini backpack for this, and even with a pack as tiny as this one there's a little space left over to fit the droid's remote and my purse essentials. Because BB is a big ball, there's space in each of the 4 corners. 

This is BB-11, btw, which belongs to our friend Karen. We proudly informed the cast members who asked that we were "BB-sitting."

 I haven't tested this with any R2 units, but they look too big for this particular bag. Definitely check whatever backpack you want to modify first, just to make sure your droid will fit. If you're crafting this before you get your droid, then google the droid dimensions.

 

I should note the Galaxy's Edge droids are heavier than you expect, since their battery is like a brick. So if you're like me, you'll end up wearing this as a backpack through the rest of Hollywood Studios, and only flip it around to front-carry when you're in Galaxy's Edge itself. The droids only interact with Star Wars areas anyway, so I promise you won't miss anything.

Oh! Last thing: before you go, I have two more awesome droid carrying options for you. 

First, I was lucky enough to spot this couple during our visit:

Ahh-mazing. They're each wearing this cat carrier backpack, and then they added battery operated push-lights inside, which looks incredible at night.

 At about $54 each, those backpacks are still cheaper than Disney's option - though I think they'd be too big for the smaller BB units.

 And finally, I think you'll agree, this last droid-carrier is definitely the best option - if you can afford it:

Though I hear they're real fuel-guzzlers.

;)

I hope this sparks some crafty ideas out there! Stay tuned, and I promise I WILL post more photos from Galaxy's Edge eventually. I just took so many that I overwhelmed myself, ha, and still have to go back and edit them all.

******

If you're more interested in full-size BB units, then I can show you how to build your own life-sized BB-8 for less than $80!

Click here for my tutorial from 2017