Sad news arrived today as we learned of the passing last Thursday of Craig Spivey, a fixture on the UK collecting scene. Busy in the fandom, he was a vital part of Generation Skywalker, was heavily involved in the return of Helix Star Wars products, the brains behind a number of vintage UK Star Wars events and exhibitions but far more important than any of that, a friend to many. The Generation Skywalker team posted their own tribute to Craig earlier today.
Toy Shop On Tour also paid tribute to Craig.
Back on 15th June 2009 on Lightsabre.co.uk I had the pleasure of interviewing Craig about his collection, a treasure trove of fascinating items that had caught the imagination of the fandom at the time. Unseen since Lightsabre finished in late 2009, we’d like to repost that interview here.
Q – Craig, welcome to Lightsabre.
A – Hello, thanks for having me.
Q – You’ve been a fan of Star Wars since it was released. What is it about Star Wars that has kept you interested for all these years?
A – I guess it hooked me in when I was at my most impressionable and has been hard to shake off ever since. As a kid it permeated every aspect of my life – the droids would crop up in my stories at school, and my exercise books would be festooned with squadrons of TIE Fighters and I even tried to cultivate an American – (well Corellian) – accent for a short time.
There was, of course, a time in my early teens where I was pre-occupied with other stuff and all the toys went up in my folks’ attic – I was one of the lucky ones who’s mum didn’t give it all away.
I got back into it when I was at college – the toys were still pretty cheap to pick up back then. I was so excited when ‘Heir to the Empire’ was released and have been devouring the EU novels ever since.
Like everyone else I was very giddy about the prequel movies – but ultimately had to accept their shortcomings.
These days I liken it to supporting a football team. You can be a die-hard supporter but there will always be performances that have you swearing at the manager.
Q – Which of the many various Star Wars characters is your favourite?
A – When I was 8 I wanted to be Han Solo now I’m 38 there’s still a little bit that does.
Q – As a collector, which is your favourite character or vehicle in your collection?
A – My favourite bits in the collection tend to be the early UK items – especially the Letraset stationery and transfer sets. They’re particularly choc-full of nostalgery-goodness and just look great.
For UK fans things like the Cliro soaps in the shape of R2-D2 and paper masks that came free with Lyons Maid lollies – the ones you had to attach over your ears with elastic bands – were OUR STAR WARS.
Q – You have an amazing collection. Which was the first piece you collected?
A – Cheers, I think the very first thing I ever owned was one of the blue Helix rulers with the stormtroopers on the back.
I know my first 3¾ figure was a Palitoy Chewbacca. I was on holiday in Devon in 1978. I can remember the Star Wars display on the toy floor of some department store or other and I remember playing with him in the swimming pool of the campsite we were staying in.
Yes, I still have him and, despite having no nose, he takes pride of place in the collection.
Q – Having watched the collection grow over the years which pieces do you prefer, the older classic stuff or the newer items?
A – Definitely the older stuff. There’s a wonky charm you get with the items that were banged out in the early days. Now all the licensees seem to be so tightly controlled and all the images are a bit cut and paste.
That’s not to say that all new stuff is soulless. Some of the high-end collectibles are gobsmacking and if I had the room and the funds…
Q – Now the movies are finished and we are on to the television era of Star Wars, what are you hoping to see next?
A – Something that is aimed at me. Lucas has his kiddy demographic all sewn up with the Clone Wars cartoon, so it will be interesting to see which direction the TV series takes. The bar for intelligent, witty and character-driven TV sci-fi is so high with the likes of Firefly and Battlestar Galactica
Still the fact that he is farming out the writing bodes well and, whichever way it goes, I’d like it to be faithful to the EU continuity, I’ve invested too much time in the bigger story to have it all discounted now.
Oh, and I know the Gurlanins are out there in the Star Wars universe, but please, no bloody shapeshifters.
Q – If you had the chance to design a unique piece of Star Wars memorabilia, what would it be?
A – I always had this idea for a Star Wars umbrella. The shapes lend themselves to the opening crawls and I’ve never seen much done with them.
Wouldn’t be able to display it indoors though. Bad luck.
Q – If you had the chance to work on any Star Wars related project, what would it be?
A – Working in design and marketing as I do, it would be nice to do something promotional. Maybe ads for the next Celebration Europe or a bit of packaging or a book or something?
I wouldn’t want to get too close to creating anything in-universe. Star Wars is where I escape to, I would want it to turn into work.
Q – A quick question about our site, Lightsabre. Any comments?
A – I think the anglicised name is cute and fair play for creating your own little corner of the galaxy – you have to admire that!
Q – It’s been a great interview, and thanks for being our guest on Lightsabre. Just one final question. Hasbro, Gentle Giant and Mighty Mugs want you to design and create a unique character. Which character would you produce, and which one would you go for, the 3 ¾ inch figure, the serious sculpture or the comic Mighty Mug?
A – I think the Muggs present the most creative challenge, but they’re a bit hit and miss as a line. The sculptures are nice but ultimately an exercise in “How close can I get this likeness?” So for me it would have to be a contribution to the 3¾ line. It’s just so iconic.
What character? I think with rapid prototyping technology and digital printing we are not far away from fans getting an ‘official’ figure of themselves mint on card. They’d have to have the Lucasfilm/Hasbro seal of approval, but which collector wouldn’t want to be immortalised alongside their heroes as a little plastic X-Wing pilot? No..? Just me then.
For my part, I’ve known Craig since 2007, meeting often at Memorabilia at the NEC in Birmingham for a coffee and a chat to discuss the state of the galaxy at the time, and over the years we helped each other often. His knowledge and images were integral to my Star Wars in the UK: Together We Shall Ruler the Galaxy article on StarWars.com back in 2014, while I was thrilled to be able to organise a message from Gareth Edwards to Craig for his Galaxy In The Gallery exhibition in Nuneaton back in 2016. Most memorably, Craig and Kimberley gave myself and my wife Ruth a spare ticket for The Force Awakens afterparty in 2015, one of the most amazing nights of my life, and he was very aware how much I appreciated that gesture.
Our thoughts are with his wife Kimberley, his three boys and wider family, his brothers in the Force at Generation Skywalker and everyone who had the distinct pleasure of knowing him.
