PITTSBURGH —
A long time ago, taken to a state far, far away…
Back in August, an iconic piece of Star Wars memorabilia was taken from its home outside a fire department in Mt. Washington by a content creator.
The disappearance of the 1999 Star Wars Phantom Menace-themed vending machine caused a disturbance in the force across Pittsburgh and beyond.
A new hope? Not quite
In its place, an apparent handmade replica of the original was left behind.
“It looks like a homemade art project, but it has a little character to it. One thing I did notice though, is (the vending machine) used to have Pepsi in it, and now it has Coca-Cola,” Bill Bara said.
A state far, far away
It wasn’t until a month later that the machine reappeared more than 2,400 miles away in California.
Content creator Braeden Days claimed he had permission to take the vending machine and that he’d return it after making repairs.
Days posted a video of the machine on the back of a flatbed truck being driven around LA to his Instagram feed. Days said the stunt was in celebration of this week’s grand opening of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art from “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, who has been developing the museum for years.
Days said in his post the machine would be returned in the next month.
The force returns to Mt. Washington
Finally, three months after it disappeared, it is back home outside Fire Station 27. Pittsburgh Public Safety says it’s now fully operational.
Finally, three months after it disappeared, there is a new hope. It is back…
