Lucasfilm take a look at a character from the depths of Star Wars history, one many will be unaware of but those who remember will look back on fondly. No, it’s not C.Y.R.I.L, it’s Marfalump, the star of the Pepsi adverts who was crafted by the late Richard Miller and Danny Wagner (who back in the day wrote a diary for one of Fantha’s predecessor sites Lightsabre.co.uk).
Marfalump appeared in at least three Pepsi commercials tied in to The Phantom Menace campaign, acting as an alien on Earth who is both a huge Star Wars fan (hence the t-shirt) and lover of Pepsi products. Voiced by Billy West, Marfalump’s hijinks became a familiar sight on TV during the summer of 1999, a memorable but ultimately short-lived stint for the affable character.
Fortunately, Marfalump can still be found within the halls of Lucasfilm for those who know where to find him. While the short figure displayed near Consumer Products was crafted by the late ILM sculptor Richard Miller and ultimately used as a gift for crew members, a lesser-known, much larger version of Marfalump lurks quietly in a corner near the company mailroom, a less traveled area of the campus. This larger, four-foot Marfalump, which is made of latex and poly foam with a wire armature inside, was sculpted by former ILMer Danny Wagner with assistance from Michael Murnane for use as a poseable stand-in on the commercial sets.
