It's a sweltering day in May, 1980 in London, England. Young kids exiting the theater ("theatre" technically) after experiencing The Empire Strikes Back need something to cool off with and relive the excitement of the movie they have just witnessed. Lyons Maid Ice Lollies to the rescue!
I don't know how sweltering it really was in London in 1980, but regardless, British kids did get to enjoy a treat in the form of a special branded Empire Strikes Back ice lolly. First off, for those who don't speak the Queen's English, an ice lolly is what we would call an ice cream bar or a popsicle. Lyons Maid, a famous ice cream maker in England, had previously done a similar promotion for the initial release of Star Wars, as well as others like Superman and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. This time around the packaging was updated with Empire artwork. Each individually wrapped lolly cost 15 pence (up from 10 pence for the Star Wars version) and was available at newsstands, sweet shops, and even the cinemas showing the movie. The lolly sounds quite tasty as it is described as a "Toffee flavour and mint ice lolly with chocolate flavoured coating and sugar balls." Great for giving kids that extra burst of energy they might be lacking.
The wrappers all featured a version of the "Vader in Flames" artwork that appeared on some of the early marketing items for The Empire Strikes Back and even the cast/crew patch worn during the making of the film. On the back of each wrapper was one of six different character illustrations and a brief description. For example, the Boba Fett wrapper tells us "He wears a modified uniform of the "Mandalorre" supercommandos who were wiped out by the Jedi Knights in the Clone Wars." Now there's an episode idea for the Clone Wars animated show! In addition to everyone's favorite bounty hunter, other wrappers featured Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Lando, Yoda and even the tauntaun.
But wait. Still more fun was in store for the now sticky-fingered Star Wars fan! Under the wrapper, between layers of waxed paper, was one of 12 stickers to collect. The set featured eight photos and four illustrations of the main characters. Savvy collectors were quick to discover that if you looked carefully enough, you could see what sticker you were going to get through the wrapper, thereby reducing the number of ice cream treats you had to purchase. Of course, this is ice cream we're talking about, so I imagine many did not stop at just 12!
Make sure to check out Gus and Duncan's Comprehensive Guide to Star Wars Collectibles, available exclusively online and now shipping!
