Going through an old box and found some Episode One ephemera

[u/thewarfreak]

[u/simplehistorian91]

I think SW movie merch and ads peaked with EP1, nothing after that matched with that. I was a really good time for kids and adult fans alike.

[u/jobifresh → u/simplehistorian91]

It was absolutely the peak of the fandom. No new theatrical movie since 83. Almost 4 years of build up starting in 95. The special editions whetting our appetites for the 20th anniversary. The teaser trailer. Midnight shopping madness for the new figures before the movie even came out. KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Having to wait in line to see the movie. There will be nothing like that ever again even if other franchises make more money.

[u/ElYodaPagoda → u/jobifresh]

That was a pretty wild time, I'd go to Taco Bell, and they'd have the soundtrack playing! My brother and I got all of the cup toppers, you had to go to all three restaurants, and it was fun trying to collect all of the pogs.

We found three statues (Darth Maul, Qui-Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan) that you could paint-by-numbers, and we ended up using the Citadel Colour to spruce them up better!

Yeah, that time will NEVER happen again. I'd imagine there are loads of this stuff gathering dust in someone's garage or storage unit.

[u/jobifresh → u/ElYodaPagoda]

I had those statues! They were soft but pretty ok likenesses 😂. I remember I won some posters from Frito lay but I never got them. I don't know what happened. I had a bunch of those cups and toppers but they took up so much space.

[u/simplehistorian91 → u/jobifresh]

Even in my small Central European country it was all about Star Wars, when the Special Editions aired in the movies even the smallest stores had big Han Solo, Luke, Darth Vader etc, cutout next to the Pepsi stand, everything was packed with Star Wars toys and models, leading up to the EP1 release, one of the long walls in the local Burger King was repainted into the EP 1 movie poster and it remained there for like 10 years or so. It was a really good time to be a kid. Even the schools took the kids to watch EP1.

[u/CalligrapherPale5886 → u/jobifresh]

It's wild how those moments really defined the fandom, huh? I still remember all the hype around the toys and the lines at the theaters.

[u/steamart360 → u/simplehistorian91]

EP3 was just as insane. There was literally everything star wars and the hype for "the end of Star Wars" was through the roof. 

Also, you might wanna rephrase that last part of your post lol. 

[u/scaredt2ask]

I like to think somewhere in someone’s storage all of this stuff exists in one place. We are just waiting for a yard sale or goodwill donations to find it.

[u/Ebonwrath89]

Saddest thing about these photos is seeing how affordable things were back then 🥲

[u/QuarkVsOdo]

I want to be hyped like that again.

[u/anon_eats_beans]

lmao at the pepsi chancellor valorum can

[u/cheesecakefunk]

There was SO. MUCH. MERCH.

[u/Crucial_Fun]

Interesting thing is, the N64 (alone) is going for about the same price these days.

[u/OhGawDuhhh]

The Episode I mania was off the charts and I loved the movie so it was a great time to be a Star Wars fan. I miss this era of film and pop culture.

[u/Nersheti]

I’ve got that pod racer. It’s sitting in my office right now

[u/mortraineyhat]

Wish I could feel something like I did when I was a kid a seeing this stuff.

[u/TaraLCicora]

It was such a great period for merch and stuff like this.

[u/Capable_Maintenance1]

We got the JC Penney catalogue, I've definitely seen this before. Memory unlocked, OP!

[u/JLandis84]

TPM, an incredible film with an even more impressive marketing and merch campaign

[u/kimmy23-]

Very cool

[u/xColonelxTurtle]

Delicious nostalgia.

[u/ZannyHip]

Holy crap I had that n1 fighter tshirt as a kid… core memory unlocked. Pod racer n64 game too, I still have it

[u/Ok_Nefariousness9736]

They definitely went overboard with TPM merch but it was actually pretty cool as a kid even though the film turned out to be disappointing.

[u/Do_You_Pineapple_Bro]

Oh boy, I can't wait to wash down my Generic Boy flavoured potato chips with a nice cold Ewan McGregor juice

[u/IntentionlGameDesign]

I‘m now going back in time to get all of this, buh bye!

[u/Subject_Flounder_540]

I’d be stacking up on all the shirts

[u/steamart360]

What a throwback! That Qui Gon was the first star wars toy I've ever owned and it was so much fun, probably my favorite figure for a decade or so. 

The Pepsi cans were really cool too and I don't remember how but you could get water bottles with the same designs.