JediCole
01-28-2003, 07:50 PM
Somewhere in the distant past (well, October) I thought I had posted a thread about our old Toy Show mascot and good luck charm, Good Luck Magic Yoda and meeting Rena (Taun We) Owen. Needless to say, I have been unable to discover that thread, so I will retell the tale and then continue with the update...
Back in October 2002 (11-13 to be exact), the Dallas ComiCon played host to a great many media guests including Carrie Fisher. A more recent player in the Star Wars mythos, Rena Owen was also a guest of the show. Mrs. JediCole and I were set up at this show selling our usual variety of things new and old and were right next to the entrance to the main autograph hall. The evening of the first day of the show we were quite surprised to find Ms. Owen at our table asking for something "unique" that featured Yoda (her favorite character). We had cast about the table as we were closing down for the evening. We showed her our long-standing good luck charm, "Good Luck Magic Yoda" as an example of something truely unique.
Now I must take a moment to describe GLMY as best I can. Years ago we got some clear casting resin and a few molds. One was a small dome mold to make paperweights. One of the few POTF2 figures that would fit in the mold of that size was Yoda (absent his cane), so we thought it would be fun to try to cast a Star Wars figure in resin. We had also purchased some blue acrylic dye and wound up casting Yoda in a clear dome with the last few layers in blue. The result was a yoda figure trapped forever in clear plastic with a blue background that lent the paperweight a curious kind of depth.
Well, needless to say the sight of such a unique (one of a kind) Yoda item was quite beyond Rena Owens' expectations. She was so enthusiastic about Good Luck Magic Yoda that it seemed a shame to deny her this great piece. However, due to constant questions about how much we wanted for our mascot, Mrs. JediCole had put stickers on the underside that proclaimed, "Good Luck Magic Yoda is NOT for sale!" After some careful consideration, we determined that Rena could have Yoda but only as a gift, thereby not altering the contention that the good luck charm was not for sale.
At the time I did ask one favor of Ms. Owen. That upon her return home to New Zealand that she please email photos of GLMY in his new home! She let me know that it would be after the new year before she and her husband (who we also met that evening and got to hear his great Yoda impression) finally made it back home! Every now and then since the Dallas ComiCon, Good Luck Magic Yoda has crossed my mind. Rena gave us a Taun We figure and photo, both of which she signed with commemerative notes about the Yoda and her signature. Well, this weekend I had to wonder no more.
Awaiting me in our P.O. Box was a greeting card size envelope. I thought this was rather curious as the box is used for our toy show business. Inside I found a card from Rena Owen with greetings and thank yous for Yoda and a whole mess of photos of she and Yoda back home in New Zealand! I now have some great images of Good Luck Magic Yoda in New Zealand along with Rena Owen and will try to post them on this thread as soon as possible.
In the mean time, if you happen to attend a convention or toy show where Rena Owen is making an appearance, drop by and ask her about "Magic Yoda". I think it would be great to let her know that the legend lives on in fandom!
Back in October 2002 (11-13 to be exact), the Dallas ComiCon played host to a great many media guests including Carrie Fisher. A more recent player in the Star Wars mythos, Rena Owen was also a guest of the show. Mrs. JediCole and I were set up at this show selling our usual variety of things new and old and were right next to the entrance to the main autograph hall. The evening of the first day of the show we were quite surprised to find Ms. Owen at our table asking for something "unique" that featured Yoda (her favorite character). We had cast about the table as we were closing down for the evening. We showed her our long-standing good luck charm, "Good Luck Magic Yoda" as an example of something truely unique.
Now I must take a moment to describe GLMY as best I can. Years ago we got some clear casting resin and a few molds. One was a small dome mold to make paperweights. One of the few POTF2 figures that would fit in the mold of that size was Yoda (absent his cane), so we thought it would be fun to try to cast a Star Wars figure in resin. We had also purchased some blue acrylic dye and wound up casting Yoda in a clear dome with the last few layers in blue. The result was a yoda figure trapped forever in clear plastic with a blue background that lent the paperweight a curious kind of depth.
Well, needless to say the sight of such a unique (one of a kind) Yoda item was quite beyond Rena Owens' expectations. She was so enthusiastic about Good Luck Magic Yoda that it seemed a shame to deny her this great piece. However, due to constant questions about how much we wanted for our mascot, Mrs. JediCole had put stickers on the underside that proclaimed, "Good Luck Magic Yoda is NOT for sale!" After some careful consideration, we determined that Rena could have Yoda but only as a gift, thereby not altering the contention that the good luck charm was not for sale.
At the time I did ask one favor of Ms. Owen. That upon her return home to New Zealand that she please email photos of GLMY in his new home! She let me know that it would be after the new year before she and her husband (who we also met that evening and got to hear his great Yoda impression) finally made it back home! Every now and then since the Dallas ComiCon, Good Luck Magic Yoda has crossed my mind. Rena gave us a Taun We figure and photo, both of which she signed with commemerative notes about the Yoda and her signature. Well, this weekend I had to wonder no more.
Awaiting me in our P.O. Box was a greeting card size envelope. I thought this was rather curious as the box is used for our toy show business. Inside I found a card from Rena Owen with greetings and thank yous for Yoda and a whole mess of photos of she and Yoda back home in New Zealand! I now have some great images of Good Luck Magic Yoda in New Zealand along with Rena Owen and will try to post them on this thread as soon as possible.
In the mean time, if you happen to attend a convention or toy show where Rena Owen is making an appearance, drop by and ask her about "Magic Yoda". I think it would be great to let her know that the legend lives on in fandom!