Over 30,000 visitors have streamed to Leicester, the home of Palitoy, to attend a Star Wars exhibition focusing on the classic vintage UK toys of the 70’s and 80’s. May The Toys Be With You gives visitors a closer look at the UK Star Wars experience, and the collection of Matt Fox.
#MayTheToysBeWithYou collector Matt Fox invites you to our #StarWars exhibition! Free entry, everyday until 28 October! #newwalkmuseum #leicester #visitleicester https://t.co/pY4uaKqr6y pic.twitter.com/YxdQueOA8g
— Leicester Museums (@leicestermuseum) August 8, 2018
An exhibition featuring one of the UK’s largest collections of Star Wars toys has attracted about 30,000 people in its first month.
“May The Toys Be With You”, at the New Walk Museum, Leicester, includes toys made by Palitoy in Coalville, as well as posters and unpublished artwork.
The gallery’s previous record holder was a celebration of Leicester City winning the Premier League.
The exhibition also reflects links to nearby Coalville where millions of the toys were made at its Palitoy factory. Despite making popular items like Action Man, Star Wars became the company’s biggest-ever seller and was even responsible for the redesign of some products for a UK audience.
By the early 1980s, the production of most of the toys had shifted to Hong Kong and by 1986 Palitoy had ceased trading.
