I think that Hasbro and/or Disney are rolling back the hype machine deliberately. There was SO MUCH hype from the launch of the product line for THE LAST JEDI, but it happened 3 months before there was a movie to see. Hasbro's CEO expressed that he thought it was too big of a gap between Force Friday and the theatrical release of the movie, and that the merchandising probably suffered.
In this case? The movie itself was beset by bad press as a result of Lucasfilm firing the original directors of the film. And it seems like the movie was reshaped significantly by Ron Howard. To his credit, Howard did a lot to build up fan interest with his social media content. The slow rollout on the product line might be an effort to keep expectations for both the movie and the merchandising in line. It's better for Disney and Lucasfilm if this movie exceeds expectations, rather than having people's fears about the movie confirmed.
But back on topic? I found Chewie today, and it was a pretty cool feeling. He's always been a favorite character of mine, and with the movie seeming to build upon his story, I actually feel a bit excited to see an exploration of Chewbacca's partnership with Han Solo.