'I Grew Up Star Wars' Compiles Vintage Photos of Kids With Gear From a Galaxy far, far Away
(Photo: Instagram)
Technically, I Grew Up Star Wars is an online collection of photos from the 1970s and early ‘80s featuring kids surrounded by Star Wars toys and other merchandise. But for those of us who grew up during that era, it’s more accurate to call it a time machine, a portal that immediately pulls Gen X-ers back to the Halloweens, arcade birthday parties, and rec-room Christmas mornings of their youth, where AT-AT Walkers and C-3PO pillowcases were as inescapable as all the wood paneling and floppy hair.
Related: Take a Force-ful Nostalgia Trip With the Best Vintage ‘Star Wars’ Toy Commercials
The nostalgia-rich site has existed for a while; its founder, Star Wars fan and ‘70s kid Tom Berges, told Mashable that he came up with the idea to post the pics 10 years ago, after sorting through some of his own Jedi-infused photos and memorabilia. But the site recently received an upgrade and, in recent days, has started attracting more widespread attention from outlets like the aforementioned Mashable and The A.V. Club.
(Photo: Reddit)
Spend some time with the photos — so far more than 1,000 have been collected — and you’ll inevitably recognize some of the Star Wars stuff you used to own (totally had that Ewok eraser!) and/or be reminded of Star Wars experiences you thought you had tucked away in the recesses of your brain, along with your memories of the Star Wars Holiday Special. (Looking at all these photos gave me a jarring flashback to the time I met Chewbacca at a Toys “R” Us circa 1980.)
Related: 10 Wildly Expensive ‘Star Wars’ Bootleg Toys
Even if you weren’t alive back then, it’s still fun to revisit what now qualify as images of tentpole marketing history. Look closely, and you may even find a couple of more contemporary pictures of kids who are currently growing up Star Wars and following in the footsteps of their parents, the members of the ‘70s/‘80s generation who pioneered the art of freaking out over action figures.
Watch how ‘Star Wars’ fans reacted to seeing the ‘Force Awakens’ trailer for the first time:
