On The Shelves: Toy shelves from Plovdiv, Bulgaria

July 5, 2026

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Star Wars fans in Bulgaria are enjoying a wave of merchandise celebrating The Mandalorian and Grogu. Here is a collection of freshly deployed merch spotted on July 4th at the Comsed toy store in Mall Plaza, Plovdiv.

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Nenko Genov https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/5124820._

Nenko Genov was born in Plovdiv and has been a Star Wars fan since the early 1990s, discovering the saga through worn-out bootleg VHS tapes and the occasional imported collectible in post-communist Bulgaria. During the early years of Bulgarian Star Wars fandom he was known among local fans as “Young_Jedi” and served as a librarian, hosting a humble collection of English-language Star Wars books for local fans to borrow. (Today his collection includes most of the Star Wars titles ever published and takes up his entire attic!) Nenko holds degrees in English Studies and Film & Television Arts, worked for five years in television production and short filmmaking, and has lived in Poland since 2011, where he currently works as an educator. He also runs a long-standing Bulgarian book blog, launched in 2016, and regularly takes part in workshops, conventions and panel discussions focused on literature, film, pop culture and the creative arts. Nenko is a published writer and the author of the award-winning Bulgarian “Farewell, Diary!” trilogy (“Сбогом, дневнико!”) and the steampunk fantasy novel “The Adventures of Captain Claude and the Sky Scoundrels” (“Приключенията на капитан Клод и Небесните негодяи”). Working across Bulgarian, English and Polish, he has translated and edited a wide range of projects, and since 2022 has translated all the Bulgarian editions of Star Wars comics, manga and picture books, while also consulting on Star Wars novel translations and publishing plans. In collaboration with local publishers and with approvals from Lucasfilm and Marvel, he also writes the forewords for Bulgarian editions of Star Wars comics.

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Counting Down To:

September 2026

tue22sep12:01 AM11:59 PMLucas Museum of Narrative Art opening ceremonyEvent ends in

Event Details

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art celebrates the power of visual storytelling. Founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the museum explores how images move us and shape our collective memory. From Frida Kahlo’s self-portrait to Norman Rockwell’s scenes of everyday life to Charles White’s portraits of dignity. Each invites reflection. Each tells a story.

Designed by Ma Yansong of MAD, the Lucas Museum is located in Exposition Park in the South Los Angeles region. The museum’s campus includes new green space designed by Mia Lehrer and her team at Studio-MLA. Inside the building, our galleries explore timeless themes—family, love, work, play, fantasy, and more. Additional spaces include two state-of-the-art cinematic theaters and dedicated areas for learning, dining, retail, and events.

George Lucas and Mellody Hobson share a conviction that illustrated stories connect people across cultures and generations. Their decades of collecting span iconic American painting and popular illustration, comics, and cinematic art.

Lucas, creator of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, and founder of the George Lucas Educational Foundation began collecting in college, when the only art he could afford was original comic art for $30. Over 50 years, that collection has grown to more than 40,000 works. “I could never sell my art,” Lucas says. “It just is not what I think art is. I think it’s more about an emotional connection with the work, not how much it cost.”

Hobson, in addition to managing Ariel Investments, is the former chair of Starbucks Corporation and serves as a director of JPMorganChase.

In 2010, Hobson and Lucas signed the Giving Pledge, a campaign and public promise by some of the world’s wealthiest philanthropists to give the majority of their wealth to charitable causes. The pair is committed to improving education, particularly through the arts. “We’ve always said we’re holding society’s money, which we fully intend to give back,” Hobson says. “This is how we’re doing it.”