These aren't the copyright infringements you're looking for OR: ARE THOSE STORMTROOPERS BUYING THAT PLUSH CHEWBACCA JESUS OR GEORGE LUCAS'S LAWYERS

CHEWBACCA IS MY JESUS!

Last Saturday we checked out the opening night of the new "Stitch Wars" exhibit at the Bear and Bird Art Gallery (also known as the second floor of Tate's Comics) in Lauderhill, Florida. I don't really need a reason to go to Tate's as it is one of the best comic book stores I've ever been to, but a Wired Magazine blogger said Stitch Wars "looks like a must see exhibit". Now "looks like a must see" doesn't exactly sound all enthusiastic. It's the kind of half-assed praise I hate, but after that first prequel movie I can see why people are cautious about recommending anything Star Wars related. So I went!

Wow, it's just like being at a Star Wars convention (or an anime convention, or a comic convention, or Botcon, or the swap meet or everywhere else I see multiple guys in Boba Fett costumes)

Since it was opening night there was quite a crowd, with Star Wars lounge music and cosplayers and the sort of atmosphere you'd expect if someone threw a Star Wars convention in a small club. A small sexy exciting club. My cosplay count was 1 Boba Fett, 1 Jango Fett, 1 TIE Fighter Pilot, 2 Princess Leias (one white dress Death Star prisoner and one slave outfit), 1 Tusken Raider and 1 Han Solo (small head variant). And of course assloads of stormtroopers. Or maybe there was only one Stormtrooper and one Scout Biker but holy hell Stormtroopers are so played out that when I see any my mind does a Special Edition edit and all of a sudden I see dozens more that weren't there before.

Is this a) the art show at Celebration IV, b) the gift shop at Star Tours, or c) an elaborate viral marketing scheme for a new line of Star Wars sexual aids

The theme here was cloth interpretations of Star Wars. One might think that in this Lucasfilm dominated retail reality where every last character and creature from Star Wars has been licensed in a million different ways and been made into a billion different toys that there aren't any original expressions of the brand left. And yeah, maybe some of these ideas have been rendered a little less original by existing licensed products, but the spin these artists put on their creations is what makes them unique. This exhibit says yeah, you may have seen a plush Jawa before, but have you seen a HIPSTER plush Jawa?


I hope George Lucas cross stitch becomes my generation's equivalent of the velvet Elvis painting.

So I say go check it out if you're in southern Florida because you can never have enough excuses to do something Star Wars (or visit Tate's). I can't promise there will be real life Slave Leias like when I was there, but you might find a plush crack whore Leia that'll make you think.


The Prince of Macrocrania, the Queen of Macrocrania and two Princesses of Leia