arrives at Experience Barnsley
film merchandising franchise, netting over $42 billion by 2015.
The exhibition at Experience Barnsley celebrates the original films and the wonderful memories they evoke. Visitors can relive childhood memories and enjoy the magic of the original trilogy in this fun display of toys and memorabilia.
Budding Jedi knights can see toy replicas of Skywalker’s hovering Landspeeder, the Rebels’ X-Wing Fighter with its distinctive red and yellow stickers and s-foils and even the almighty Millennium Falcon as piloted by Han Solo and Chewwie.
Forty years and seven subsequent films later, this would-be space opera franchise has since been propelled into a universe of popularity, becoming an astronomical film phenomenon for years to come.
Amid the buzz of the latest instalment – The Last Jedi – a touring exhibition will be making its way to Experience Barnsley this April as the town’s award-winning museum presents May The Toys Be With You; one of the UKs finest privately owned collections of vintage Star Wars toys and film posters.
Owned by 45-year-old collector and space enthusiast, Matt Fox, May The Toys Be With You sees over 500 figures and posters featured in the collection which Matt has collected since seeing the original film age five.
Having travelled up and down the country since 2016, this is the first time it has made its way to Yorkshire with Barnsley the only place in our county to play host.
When the first film was released in 1977 it was the catalyst of a space odyssey that took the world by storm. While the film broke box office records and continues to do so, nobody predicted that the merchandise that followed would eclipse ticket sales tenfold. From 1977 to 1985, there were over 300 million figures sold, with children and sci-fi fans looking to re-enact the exploits of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo and the Rebel Alliance. Birthday and Christmas wish lists in the late 70s and early 80s were filled with new characters and figures from the latest saga. Every girl wanted to copy the cinnamon bun hairstyle of a different kind of princess, the rebellious Leia. Bedroom floors were transformed into the desert of Tatooine. Truly wonderful the mind of a child is. Star Wars’ extensive media franchise means that the fictional universe has been awarded a Guinness World Record for the most successful
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original design which was unused in favour of Chantrell’s.
Matt, who set up Spacefund with his wife to teach kids about space, will be giving talks and tours throughout the exhibition. There will also be a programme of fun, family activities taking place alongside the exhibition, all space themed. May the Fourth will be an unmissable day in Barnsley; along with celebrating the official Star Wars Day as part of the exhibition, the date will also see day two of the Tour De Yorkshire start outside Barnsley’s iconic Town Hall. While waiting for the race to begin, why not visit the exhibition and take part in a variety of Star Wars themed activities. Making a rare appearance will be a life-size replica X-Wing fighter plane so why not take a seat and become one of the rebel pilots fighting to free the galaxy from the clutches of the Galactic Empire. With rarely seen treasures and a chance to dress up as your favourite hero, Yoda be mad to miss this exciting exhibition. For more information about the event and upcoming activities, visit
www.experience-barnsley.com
Exhibition at
Also included is a unique collection of 12-back A carded figures which have remained boxed and untouched since the 70s, with everyone from retired Jedi Obi Wan to loyal droid C-3PO. How many did you have in your collection? Try your hand at wielding a lightsaber to defeat the Sith and their imperial agent Darth Vader. Watch out for the Stormtroopers who guard the treasures from the Death Star and see the unproduced Tie Bomber which was sadly left off the shelf due to the end of the first trilogy. Along with toys, May The Toys Be With You also features iconic design works from the films which have continued to inspire imaginations of generations. Along with posters by British illustrator Tom Chantrell, the exhibition also sees rare hand painted artwork by Tom Beauvais, an
21 APRIL UNTIL 15 JULY
• FREE ENTRY • #maythetoysbewithyou
Over 500 figures and posters from the original Star Wars trilogy
Activities and events planned throughout the exhibition
Discover more online:
www.experience-barnsley.com
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