When it comes to celebrating Star Wars, there is no other event that can outdo the epic nature of Star Wars Celebrations. Celebrating their 20th Anniversary, from April 11th to April 15th, Lucasfilm and Disney brought in the biggest names from the Saga in addition to the 100’s of exhibitors, creators, vendors, fan groups, collectors and influences to share in the fun. Here we will chronicle our adventures each and every day of the mega-convention celebrating that galaxy far, far away.
Day One – Show Floor
After an early look at the Hasbro Booth, we ventured out into the rest of the show floor since the first day of Celebration Chicago did not play host to any panels or shows.
Action Figures
When it comes to Star Wars action figures, Celebrations never disappoint. No matter what line you collect, you will absolutely be able to find it from an exhibitor on the show floor. We made a few small purchases but mostly took in the good, the bad and the ugly when in comes to “con prices”. Here’s just a sample of some the vendor’s offerings we wandered past.
- Our first purchase of the show!
- Second purchase of the show was our customary Bespin Luke!
Friends
One of the best things about Star Wars Celebration is seeing friends we hardly ever get to see. On Day 1 we were able to catch up with friends Trent Bailey and The Wicket Chick!
Our good friend and autograph aficionado Greg Hanson was helping out with the celebrities signing at this year’s show!
We helped our good buddy, Scotty White from The Mopcast Network nab an autograph he was looking for from Andi Gutierrez, host of The Star Wars Show.
During a trip to the Her Universe booth, we assisted our very good friend Steve James’ children with grabbing a few pics with Ahsoka Tano herself, Ashley Eckstein.
We were able to chat, albeit brefly with Jamie “Sillof” Follis, whom we have been a big fan of for years now. He was working with Frank D’iorio on this years Scarif Diorama Workshop!
We also bumped into Gentle Giant’s Life-size Vader and Artoo and there was no way they were escaping without a selfie!
Cosplay
Celebration is always the gold standard when it comes to Star Wars cosplay and while we were very busy browsing for action figures, we did manage to grab some pics once and awhile.
Lily Ledy
We were absolutely mesmerized with the Lily Ledy collection on hand on the showroom floor. The official Mexican manufacturer of vintage Star Wars figures, or not a common as Kenner figures and some can command a great price. The brown caped Squidhead and red caped Bib are pieces that can fun you 500-800 loose! We were also impressed with the ID Guide which was produced for the Unboxing Toy Convention held in Mexico last year.
Miscellany
LEGO had on display their brand newly earned Guinness World Record display which contained over 36,000 Stormtrooper Minifigs in the shape of a Stormtrooper bucket. Crazy fact about the display, none of the troopers are glued down.
Collector’s Social Lounge
Located upstairs from the show floor is the Collector’s Social Lounge. This year, they featured two display cases which will be filled with swag throughout the convention and will eventually auctioned off to two lucky fans. We began by adding our pieces of swag and stopped to drool over some of the Kenner inspired pieces in the display.
That’s it for Day One at Celebration Chicago. Check back for our recap of Day Two which features both the Episode IX Panel and the Hasbro Panel.
