Chewbacca Poses For Instagram, Plus Some Awesome Stormtrooper Helmet Art

By David Wharton | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

ChewieForget the selfie; make room for the Wookiee. In celebration of yesterday’s Star Wars Day — May the Fourth — Chewbacca emerged from his long retirement just in time to give the camera a look at his best side (the furry one). The picture above, of Chewie posing with Disney chairman/CEO Bob Iger, was posted to the official Star Wars Instagram Sunday, accompanied by a caption reading, “Chairman’s new co-pilot. #StarWarsDay.”

Chewie’s looking great for having been out of action for 30 years. (I hear the secret is getting the right conditioner.) The big question is, who that is in the suit? We were really pleased to learn that Peter Mayhew would be returning to the role as everyone’s favorite walking carpet, but there’s no way to tell who that is under all the fur. Maybe this is Mayhew back in the suit for the first time in decades, or maybe it’s an intern standing on a stepladder. Either way, it’s another little moment that helps hammer home the fact that it’s not a dream, there really are more Star Wars movies on the horizon.

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Elsewhere on the Star Wars/May the Fourth front, Disney and Lucasfilm joined forces with snowboard/skateboard gear manufacturer NEFF to let artists apply their muses to the classic Stormtrooper helmet designs for an art show called “Legion”:

Artists from across The Walt Disney Company including Lucasfilm, Industrial Light and Magic, Marvel and Pixar — as well as select street artists chosen by Neff and celebrity Star Wars fans — all come together to create individualized interpretations of the iconic stormtrooper helmet.

NEFF founder and CEO Shaun Neff said:

As a lifelong Star Wars fan, it’s been a dream of mine to collaborate with Lucasfilm. Teaming up with some of the most prominent street artists from around the world, we are thrilled to work alongside The Walt Disney Company — to re-imagine such an iconic piece of cinematic history as the stormtrooper.

The “Legion” show ran over the weekend at the Robert Vargas gallery in Los Angeles, but you can see some of the surreal designs below. Personally I really like the melting ice cream one and the “snarling with teeth” version.

Star Wars: Episode VII is scheduled to hit theaters on December 18.