I love seeing all the Star Wars related things being posted for May the 4th! Every year the Star Wars Day May the Fourth celebration gets a little bigger.

May the 4th Be With You

This pic is of me and my son last year at the Jacksonville Main Library’s Comic Con. I wore my female Chewbacca cosplay, and he wore Darth Vader pajamas. I’ve found the easiest way to get him to dress up is to make it as comfortable as possible! I made my outfit, but I bought the official Disney pajamas off Amazon.

Empire Strikes Back 40th Anniversary

This Star Wars Day marks a special occasion: the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, which was released May 21, 1980. I was four years old at the time! The Star Wars universe didn’t become a big thing to me until a few years later with the release of Return of the Jedi, which came with a lot of related toy merchandise. I loved playing with the Ewoks tree house set!

My cousins and I spent a lot of time fighting with lightsaber broomsticks on our great-grandmother’s porch, so I have a lot of great childhood memories associated with the movie. My R2-D2 Underoos were a favorite, second only to Wonder Woman.

A Star Wars Life

Star Wars has always been a part of my life because I grew up with it and loved it from a young age. It’s crazy that it ended up being such a big part of my life and basically being the movie that launched my costume business and gave me some minor geek-celeb cred. You can read all about that in the post, My Slave Leia Story, which tells all about how one costume changed so many things.

I love that the movie came back, everything was re-released and the story was continued. I love that I’ll be able to share the entire saga with my son, and hope he loves it too. To be honest, so far he hasn’t been entirely impressed.

He’s much more interested in watching other children shoot each other with Nerf guns on YouTube. And I may have been too, if there were choices like that when I was little. But there weren’t, and I was totally enthralled with a galaxy full of spaceships, blasters, aliens and a princess that showed girls could kick ass too.

So Happy Star Wars Day everyone, May the 4th be with you!

And watch out for Revenge of the 5th tomorrow. 😉

History of Star Wars Day

The phrase “May the Fourth be with you” is a play on the famous Star Wars catchphrase “May the Force be with you.” The pun first gained popularity among fans in the late 20th century and was later adopted by the official Star Wars franchise.

The first known reference to May 4th as a Star Wars-related date occurred in 1979 when Margaret Thatcher’s political party placed a congratulatory advertisement in a newspaper, stating “May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations.”

Over time, the day evolved into a global celebration of the Star Wars franchise, with fans organizing events, parties, and themed activities. In 2013, the Walt Disney Company officially embraced the concept, hosting special Star Wars Day events in its theme parks and further cementing May 4th as an annual celebration for fans worldwide.

The popularity of May the Fourth has continued to grow, with Lucasfilm and Disney regularly releasing new merchandise, offering discounts, and organizing special screenings to commemorate the occasion. This day serves as a joyful gathering for Star Wars enthusiasts, celebrating their shared love for the iconic series.