Even though it hasn’t aired since 1978, The Star Wars Holiday Special has managed to stay alive in today’s fandom by spawning its own unofficial holiday: Life Day, essentially the Wookiee version of Christmas. Now, Disney is capitalizing on the “holiday” with a number of Life Day-specific products.
Life Day is now celebrated on November 17 each year, the day the Holiday Special aired its once and only time on CBS. The Star Wars Holiday Special is known for its cheesiness and terrible attempts at humor, but it does have some nostalgic appeal. It managed to reunite all of the stars, introduce Chewbacca’s family, and even include a fantastic Star Wars cartoon that introduced Boba Fett a year and a half before The Empire Strikes Back opened in 1980. While it has never been officially released to the public on home video or streaming, a bootleg version of the special is available on YouTube (and can be seen below).
While George Lucas has basically disowned the special, we are finally seeing some merchandise from it hit store shelves, mostly under the premise of Life Day, which has managed to be worked into Star Wars canon in other properties like books, comics, and even a mention in The Mandalorian.
Following are some of the best Life Day items we found.
Chewbacca Life Day Plush 20”
Dressed in a traditional Life Day robe, this Chewbacca plush even includes a satin “blue orb” as seen in the Holiday Special. It can be ordered by clicking right here.
Star Wars Life Day 2022 Fleece Throw with Sleeves
This 70×55 red blanket with sleeves looks just like the Life Day robes. Click here to order one!
Star Wars Life Day Mug by Starbucks
This ceramic hot beverage mug includes Chewbacca in his red robes on one side, and the Starbucks logo in bas relief on the other. ”Family Joy Harmony” is printed on the inside. It’s dishwasher and microwave safe and holds 14 oz. It can be ordered by clicking right here.
Here’s the Star Wars Holiday Special as it aired on November 17, 1978.
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