Fans who were lucky enough to live around one of about 150 select shopping malls in the U.S. during the first few weeks of July, 1983 may have happened across an unusually large display touting the arrival of the third chapter in the Star Wars saga, Return of the Jedi.

The Jedi Adventure Center, an enormous walk-through display showcasing the characters, scenes, and special effects of the classic Star Wars trilogy, was devised by distributor 20th Century Fox to lease out to nearly 130 shopping malls and/or movie theaters nationwide for Jedi's release. While early estimates suggested that 250 venues would be receiving the display, reports from the manufacturer show that only 130 were shipped out, possibly because of the campaign's late arrival on the scene (the Jedi Centers arrived over a month after Jedi debuted in theaters).

Filling a 14-foot square area and measuring about eight feet tall, the 200-pound modular walk-through display featured three separate activity areas: a Jedi Hall of Fame, Photo Center, and Communication Center.

In the Hall of Fame, visitors could view concept art, photos, drawings, and documents from the classic trilogy, displayed on large mural-size panels attached to tubing. In the Photo Center, guests could be photographed in front of Ewok Village artwork, appearing to become part of a scene from the film. Finally, the Communication Center allowed visitors to listen in on pre-recorded introductions by C-3PO (voiced by Anthony Daniels) and Darth Vader, dropping hints about the storyline revealed in Return of the Jedi. Hyperspace members can listen to those eight recorded messages here.

Over 30 licensees provided merchandise to be used as prizes for the various competitions, which included a "Star of the Day" contest (visitors drew a character portrait "out of a hat" to see if it matched that day's designated character) as well as contests for drawing and trivia. Prizes for each venue included 1,400 items valued at nearly $5,000, including four collections of Kenner's full line of 65 action figures.

The Jedi Adventure Centers constituted the most ambitious movie promotion Fox had ever staged at shopping venues, the likes of which have not been seen since, at least for a Star Wars movie. With the relatively few Adventure Centers leased during the summer of 1983, many fans were probably unaware of their existence -- fortunately, Hyperspace members can now experience a little of what those early fans would have seen and heard at their hometown shopping mall during the summer Fox was calling the "Year of the Jedi".