The recent anniversary of Revenge of the Sith has made me incredibly nostalgic for the release of the final film of the prequel trilogy. I was a teenager by this point and so had a paper round (are those still a thing?) to earn a few quid for myself. I’d been saving up and saving up for Star Wars stuff; I just wasn’t sure what type of Star Wars stuff.
Now, we have to remember that the internet, though it was around obviously, was nothing like it is today. I have a vague recollection of wating ages for the broadband to load up. Well, it was the morning of 2nd April 2005 and while all the other kids were out playing football, I was browsing for Star Wars on the world wide web.
An event came up that was dubbed ‘Midnight Madness’ and was to be held at my local, and sadly now defunct, Toys ‘R’ Us.
‘All toys to be released at 12.01am on April 2nd’ proclaimed all the websites. I simply had to go, but how? I was 13, and Toys ‘R’ Us was a good seven miles away. Buses weren’t an option, so there was only one thing left to do.
I did what any teenage boy would have done at this stage and I asked my Mom. It worth pointing out that I never asked for or desired anything as a kid. We were working class and I was content with what we had. My old man pointed this fact out that I never asked for anything off my folks, and while he said that I should go to the midnight opening of the new toys he quickly pointed out that he planned on being fast asleep with a bottle of wine. So, it was left to my Mom and she came through and proved time and time again that she really is the greatest.
We got to the queue and I was thrilled to be first in line. Shortly after that we were joined by a fellow and it was just the three of us chatting for ages. He introduced himself as James. The queue then filled up and it was a long, long line of fans waiting.
There’s a quote that I like that goes like this; “I wish someone would tell you that you’re in the good old days when you’re actually in the good old days.” And boy, was this the good old days of collecting. Anyone who remembers these days will know. It was wall to wall of Star Wars goodies. Action figures, board games, models, playsets and more were on hand that night for the big moment. What followed days later were sticker books, t-shirts, posters, food related items – it was Star Wars everywhere.
There are two important stories from that night. The light and the dark. The good and bad. Let’s start with the dark side.
Here in the UK, if you spent £20 or more on toys on the opening night then you received a free figure that was exclusive to Toys ‘R’ Us. It was a Holographic Yoda. I picked up some fantastic stuff that night and my excitement was through the roof. There were some great giveaways, and I loved it. I picked up a Holographic Yoda and put him in my basket as soon as I went through the door. Around forty-five minutes later when I was at the checkout there was no Yoda in my basket. He was nowhere to be found. I was confused and a little upset. The manager of the store noticed this and straightaway verified that I was the kid at the front on the line and did indeed have the figure in my trolley since the doors opened.
“Leave it with me. This won’t do,” were her words that have always stuck with me.
My Mom was obviously angry. Star Wars was and is my lifeblood. My passion. My all. The only explanation was that someone, a fellow fan and collector, had stolen the toy out of the trolley for themselves. Surely not. Surely not.
Well, surely so. The next day my Mom received a call from the store manager who had looked at CCTV. While they couldn’t make out who had done it exactly as it was a crowded huddle, there was indeed a hand that went into my shopping trolley whilst I wasn’t looking. There, folks, is the dark side and selfish side of fandom. Keep in my mind that I was still essentially a kid.
The store manager was having none of it. “As I said, leave it with me. Your son will not be left empty handed. I promise.”
True to form, a few days later the phone went and it was the call to say the manager had sourced the Yoda figure from another store and was having it delivered. I was ecstatic. Now, you can pick this figure up fairly cheap these days but that’s not the point. It serves as a story for the proof that good folk will go the extra mile.
The final story from the night comes from a name I mentioned earlier. James. He was the guy who was in the queue that night in 2005. A decade later I arrive at the same Toys ‘R’ Us for the now rebranded Force Friday (I’ll always call it Midnight Madness) It was the big launch for The Force Awakens on a cool September evening.
I was first in the queue. Next came a guy named Chris Cooke who would go on to become my ultimate partner in crime. Next was a guy named James. It only dawned on me some time later that it was the same man who I’d been speaking too in 2005. Fate, and the Force, had brought us back together. Towards the end of this evening, a chap named Paul Naylor rocked up who was covering the event for the Express and Star. We laughed, we talked, we swapped numbers.
Each of these men are now among some of my closest friends and we all speak daily in our group chat. That’s what these events will always mean to me…the toys brought, absolutely, but more importantly it’s about the friends collected and kept. A decade on, well – two decades on for James and I, and our fandom and friendships are at an all time high.
