Collectors and fans alike have a chance to own one-of-a-kind Star Wars art pieces while giving to a good cause with The Empire Muggs Back. Lucasfilm asked artists, comic book creators, toy designers, and celebrity fans to get out their markers, paint brushes and glue guns and transform blank Mighty Muggs (donated by Hasbro) into custom Star Wars art which will be auctioned by The Make-A-Wish Foundation.
StarWars.com chats with artist Chris Rabilwongse about his process for turning a blank Hasbro Mighty Muggs figure into a special tribute to Queen Apailana.
What did you choose to do for your Mighty Muggs art piece?
I was either going to make a Kaminoan or Queen Apailana and went with Apailana since I happened to have most of what I needed to make her elaborate costume. I did have to purchase some extra accoutrements such as feathers and beads but that was about it. I also happen to be the costume foreman for Titan Maximum, so naturally I went for the costume.
What kind of work do you do for Titan Maximum and Robot Chicken?
On Robot Chicken, I work as a character fabricator. Some of my favorite puppets to make were the giraffe in quicksand, Falcor, fat Leia (from first Robot Chicken: Star Wars and Boba Fett. I also worked on Coraline as a painter. I painted hundreds of faces, costumes, and anything puppet related that needed to be painted.
What were some of the challenges you had while making Queen Apailana?
The only challenge I had was how to make the tear drops on the corners of her eyes. I looked in vain for something that would work on such a small scale but decided to leave this tiny detail out. I hope the fans don't crucify me for this. The entire "kimono" was rather simple but the headdress was complicated and took several hours to do all of the beading despite the fact that most of what I had was already strung!
Why did you want to participate in The Empire Muggs Back art project?
The Mighty Muggs project was so much fun despite our one week turnaround. I'm so glad I got to be a part of it. I was even more thrilled when I found out that it was going to benefit the Make-A-Wish foundation. I hope mine makes a lot of money!
The Mighty Muggs art pieces are now up for auction and can be seen at The Empire Muggs Back on Starwars.com. The auction ends August 14, 2009.
Stay tuned to StarWars.com for in-depth coverage on The Empire Muggs Back.
