With the opening of “Episode One: The Phantom Menace,” the first new “Star Wars” movie in nearly two decades, the thirst for anything “Star Wars”-related has become insatiable.

Many Ames businesses have cashed in on the “Star Wars” mania by offering various types of “Star Wars” merchandise.

Target, 316 S. Duff Ave., has a large display of “Star Wars” goods inside the front entrance.

Among the racks are books, backpacks, sleeping bags, soda, clothes, even inflatable character chairs.

“We have all sorts of things, almost every department has something,” said Dax Abbas, team leader for the Toys/Seasonal Department at Target.

Rob Josephson, co-owner of Mayhem Collectibles, 2532 Lincoln Way, said the release of “The Phantom Menace” has definitely created a merchandising juggernaut.

He said stipulations by George Lucas’s film company have given Lucas complete control of marketing and merchandising of memorabilia related to the new film.

Josephson said the collectable toys are being released at different times and three assortments already have been released.

“There is a huge amount of toys not coming out until next year,” he said.

Josephson said the collectibles are hard to keep in stock because of increasingly high demand from “Star Wars” collectors.

“Right now, Darth Maul is definitely No. 1 on the merchandising end,” he said.

“Everywhere you go, it seems he’s sold out,” Josephson said.

Target executives do not think so either, Abbas said.

The store’s weekend flier will contain a six-page insert of “Star Wars” products.

Local schools are benefiting from the popularity of the memorabilia as well.

Abbas said Target stores are donating a percentage from Target card purchases of “Star Wars” items during the first month of release to the school of the cardholder’s choice.