Let's forget about George Lucas and his infuriating OCD Star Wars Blu-ray changes for a moment, and return to a simpler time... when there was only one Star Wars, and it was not yet A New Hope... and fast-food franchises actually sold drinking glasses made of glass. When a 13-year-old Star Kid actually managed to persuade his folks to take him to Burger King four weeks in a row so he could collect all four commemorative glasses.
The artwork on those glasses was great. I particularly liked the Darth Vader one.
I never got these from my Burger King (probably one of those "at participating locations" kind of things.) But I did manage to score the Vader and 3PO ones from a knick-knack shop for 50¢ a pop in 2006.
ReplyDeleteTex
(good thing the local BK never had 'em--Katrina would have eaten them as well, yah?)
I had them all as a kid, and I actually found one while cleaning out my parent's house.
ReplyDeleteThat same summer, BK offered a set of Star Wars posters featuring artwork by Del Nichols (the same set the now-defunct Burger Chef chain had sold a year earlier) which matched the glasses. If you really look, you can spot the Chewbacca glass in William Lustig's 1980 shocker, Maniac.
ReplyDeleteMy father is Del Nichols... I remember him painting the posters in his studio in Atlanta, Ga. He just turn 85 and will be thrilled when I tell him his art is still being enjoyed! Thank you for your appreciation of his art.
DeletePlease tell him he brought joy and uber-coolness to millions of childhood bedrooms with the most MAJESTIC ART EVER. These were so much better than the LucasFilm offerings since.
DeleteOur humble thanks to your beloved father.
What I love about this ad is that it was running in January! More than 6 months after the movie came out. Star Wars had serious staying power.
ReplyDeleteI had the Darth Vader one... I actually forgot all about that until this blog post! I wonder if I sold it years ago, or if I still have it lying around stored in a box someplace...
ReplyDeleteCR
Loved the glasses, posters, etc. back in those days. Original artwork you wouldn't find on any other merchandise... so cool. The collectibles from this era are so much more interesting and unique for it, too. I don't think I have all of these glasses, but I do have all the Empire Strikes Back ones, and the posters with Boris art.
ReplyDeleteAnother great blast from the past Chris. I had this set and the set for Empire. The artwork was beautiful, but the glass was not very durable. Unfortunately, most of the Star Wars set was lost to my natural clumsiness. But the Empire set is still a proud part of my collection.
ReplyDeleteThanks for rekindling a fond memory.
I've still got my luke skywalker one and darth vader glass from empire.
ReplyDeleteStar Wars had just celebrated its first birthday when these glasses became available in 1978. The film then returned to theaters on July 21 for its first U.S. re-release--which was pretty amazing, even then, considering it had only just left theaters a few months earlier when its original run ended (not counting the handful of theaters where the film had been held over for an entire year and was still playing). Imagine that happening today, when most summer blockbusters seem to fade from view, and the public consciousness, in only a matter of weeks. And this was just the first of several times Star Wars would be successfully re-released in theaters over the coming years.
ReplyDeleteWell, Tim, this promotion couldn't have been to celebrate the film's first year anniversary, as these glasses were available in January of '78 - according to the actual commercial above - and Star Wars was released in late May of '77.
ReplyDeleteThat would be closer to its six month "anniversary."
But the point remains - Star Wars was incredibly popular. :)
That's weird. I'm positive I got my glasses from BK during the early weeks of summer 1978. Is it possible this promotion occured at different times of the year in different areas? Or did BK offer the glasses a second time to coincide with the summer '78 re-release of the film? Whatever the case may be, the glasses were certainly cool. :)
ReplyDeleteDO NO DRINK FROM THESE GLASSES.
ReplyDeleteSuper-high lead content. There was an article a few years back.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.246774-That-Star-Wars-Glass-Youre-Using-Is-Poisoning-You