SHAG and Geeki Tikis Celebrate Star Wars: Return of the Jedi with SDCC-Exclusive Collection - First Look

Now Beeline Creative and SHAG are headed to the desert planet of Tatooine to create the ultimate celebration of the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, StarWars.com can reveal. This collection focuses on Jabba’s palace and the gangster’s merry band of misfits. The items in this set will be making their initial debut at the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con, with additional inventory (as well as any potential leftovers) available online. As we count down to SDCC 2023, StarWars.com talked with both tiki (and geeky) experts about their newest collaboration, as well as their favorite characters from Jedi.

StarWars.com: Last time you talked with us, you were asked about the first time you ever saw Star Wars. So now, do you remember the first time you ever saw Return of the Jedi?

Josh Agle: I definitely do! At that time, a couple of friends and I would always go and see the premiere of every big movie at a theater down in Newport Beach. We eventually saw Back to the Future there, as well as the first Ghostbusters. Shout out to Mike and Steve, a couple of true friends!

Brandon Giraldez: I actually did not see Return of the Jedi in theaters, but I wish I had! I do, however, remember riding my bike down to the local country store and buying the trading cards. I opened those cards, and it was the first time I had ever seen the Gamorrean Guards and Salacious Crumb. I was just completely enamored by these creatures, both what they looked like and the puppetry behind them. I remember reading stuff about the mechanics of the Jabba puppet and was so entranced.

StarWars.com: What was the process of this collaboration this time around? Was it immediately decided to jump into the world of Return of the Jedi?

Josh Agle: It was actually Brandon who came up with the idea of doing a collection based around Jabba the Hutt and Return of the Jedi. We had talked about it, going back to 2020 and our first collaboration, just because Jedi is such a rich environment for aliens and situations. We both quickly thought that it would be something we could really mine for great characters and come up with some equally great products and art based on that.

Brandon Giraldez: That first collaboration was just such a great experience, and we had a great synergy working with one another. I knew there was a lot more to Josh's point of view within the Star Wars galaxy. The timing was perfect, now that it's the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi. I'm really glad we got to noodle with things a bit and come up with a line that we're both excited to launch.

StarWars.com: The real question: how did you turn Jabba the Hutt into a tiki mug?

Josh Agle: I started from a creative place. Jabba is actually easy because he has such a distinctive outline. He’s easy to manipulate, while still making him look like Jabba. So, I pretended there was someone that decided to carve a tiki god based on him.

StarWars.com: The rest of the collection is equally incredible: an aloha shirt, a highball set featuring the Max Rebo Band, and coasters. How did you collaborate to create a collection that speaks to both the fun of tiki, as well as a love for Jedi?

Josh Agle: I went after the aliens that appealed to me. I remember that the Gamorrean Guards stood out to me that first time I saw the movie, so I knew I definitely wanted to include them. I loved the Max Rebo Band, with its crazy singer, Sy Snootles. They especially harkened back to the first Star Wars movie in 1977 with the cantina and its music and creatures. It all just really reached out to me.

Brandon Giraldez: For us, it all starts with Josh’s art. It actually started with his print of the Great Pit of Carkoon, which was full of creatures. We then took those vibrant characters and saw how they translated to a shirt and glassware.

This is actually the first time we’ve done this glassware, with these highball glasses. I especially love the coasters. It’s like putting your drink on a mini art print! Josh was the one who came up with all the characters and the vision, and then we just honed it into what we thought would be a cool series of products for fans.

StarWars.com: You mentioned the incredible Great Pit of Carkoon print. How did you decide on this rather thrilling moment to portray and were there any major challenges?

Josh Agle: That scene is so dramatic. There’s so much going on that I just felt like I could do a really dynamic piece of art based on it.

Brandon Giraldez: And this piece is massive. What’s the size of this print, Josh?

Josh Agle: Yeah, it's four feet tall. [Laughs.]

StarWars.com: You’ve now tackled so much of the iconography of the original trilogy (both with the 2020 collaboration, as well as SHAG’s earlier Star Wars: A New Hope Cantina artwork, previously available at Disney’s Wonderground Gallery). Are there any items in the galaxy still on the bucket list?

Josh Agle: I feel like, since we've done A New Hope and Return of the Jedi, we need to do The Empire Strikes Back. I’m thinking we head to the planet Hoth. There’s so much to do within the ice planet: the wampa, the AT-ATs. It’s another really rich environment.

Brandon Giraldez: And you could even do a “Don-the-Beachcomber”-esque tiki bar, where people could go to escape the snow and ice.

StarWars.com: Finally, which character would you most like to grab a drink from Return of the Jedi?

Josh Agle: For me, I would want to drink with the clarinet player in the Max Rebo Band. He doesn’t even speak, but he just oozes cool. Even his name is cool! Droopy McCool!

Brandon Giraldez: I would like to share a punchbowl with the Ewoks in their tree-top village. I think that would be fun. Either that or I would want to grab a round with Akbar.