Buzz
When Star Wars debuted in 1977, the vast and intricate universe crafted by George Lucas was largely confined to the director's imagination. There was no online resource to verify the correct spelling of Chewbacca or to find out who played him. (For the record, it was the late Peter Mayhew.) Fans seeking information beyond what was shown on screen had to turn to Alan Dean Foster's novelization, the Star Wars comic series published by Marvel, or a set of trading cards released by Topps.
Amid these trading cards, depicting various characters and scenes from the film, one card stood out with an odd and arguably inappropriate detail. Card number 207 features the protocol droid C-3PO (played by Anthony Daniels) emerging from an oil bath, seemingly exhibiting an anatomically correct form—an unusual trait for a robot.
baseball-nutz, eBayIn 2007, the official Star Wars website clarified that the image was nothing more than an unfortunate accident. According to the Lucasfilm-sanctioned explanation, a part of the costume detached at the exact moment the photo was taken, giving the character an unintended look of mechanical arousal:
“...[It] seems that the extra appendage is not the work of an artist, but rather a coincidence of timing and lighting. The original, unaltered photo shows the image exactly as it appears on the card. The current theory suggests that at the precise moment the photo was taken, a piece of the Threepio costume fell off, aligning perfectly to create a risqué illusion. The original contact sheets from the photo shoot confirm this. They were not retouched in any way, yet still feature the same image. Whatever the real explanation may be, the ‘mischievous airbrush artist’ theory simply doesn’t hold up.”
An alternative theory from Gary Gerani, who was in charge of selecting images for Topps at the time, suggested that the Pfizer version of C-3PO was simply the result of prop masters having some fun on set for their own entertainment.
However, neither of these theories seems to fully explain the situation. Mytour reached out to Daniels, who is currently putting the finishing touches on his autobiography, I Am C-3PO: The Inside Story, set to release on November 5. Calling both explanations 'nonsense,' Daniels was kind enough to shed light on this long-standing mystery.
According to Daniels, the infamous mishap occurred on set at London's Elstree Studios while filming the scene where Threepio was supposed to be lowered into his oil bath. 'It really was oil,' Daniels shares with Mytour. 'I was standing on a platform that gently lowered me into the green liquid. The crew had been thoughtful enough to warm it up, though not as much as the steam suggested. That effect was created by two electric kettles hidden behind me.'
But the oil had an unexpected effect. 'The oil seeped into the gaps between me and the costume’s legs as I conversed with my new master, Luke Skywalker [Mark Hamill]. I eventually emerged, dripping but without any issues. Or so I thought.'
Daniels completed the scene—and the film—without giving the shot a second thought. It wasn’t until years later, when he saw the trading card, that he realized what had actually happened. 'At that time, the pants section of the costume consisted of two thin plastic pieces, front and back, held together by a strip of gold-colored tape, which worked fine. But being submerged in vegetable oil dissolved the adhesive, causing the two parts to separate. Simultaneously, Threepio’s left leg dropped down over the shoe. This combination led to an exaggerated plastic exposure in that area, resulting in a bulging crease.'
What happened next is still somewhat open to interpretation. The now-defunct story on the Star Wars website claimed that the card image was taken from the original, untouched photo snapped on set; however, Daniels believes a cheeky Topps employee noticed the crease, then accentuated the protruding part, making it appear larger and with added anatomical detail. He says this version was confirmed by Lucasfilm.
In any case, the photo ended up in the Topps set because Gerani and his team were simply overwhelmed by the sheer number of still images they had to go through. After viewing hundreds of shots, they missed the mistake and sent the card to production. Parents buying the trading cards for their children quickly noticed the unexpected bulge on C-3PO’s pelvis and brought it to the attention of Topps executives, who swiftly replaced the card by airbrushing out the offending detail.
Unwanted or suggestive imagery has long been an issue in the trading card industry. Most famously, a 1989 Billy Ripken baseball card from Fleer featured the player holding a bat with a vulgar message scrawled on the handle. (Ripken had written the obscenity, which rhymes with “muck face,” to help identify his bat during practice, only to forget about it when his photo was taken.)
While such misprints can sometimes fetch a high price among collectors, the C-3PO card is not especially rare. The 'X-rated' version can usually be found on eBay, with prices ranging from $30 to $100, depending on its condition.
Just don’t expect Daniels to sign it for you. 'If you come across one signed by me, it’s a fake,' the actor states. 'I would never autograph that. Call me humorless if you like, but despite the cleverness of the artwork, I find it disrespectful to a good friend of mine who can’t speak for himself.'
Beyond being childish, Daniels feels the card commits an even greater offense: it goes against the very nature of Threepio’s character. 'As a protocol droid, skilled in the arts of etiquette, Threepio would never, ever appear as flustered as that in public. And that’s a fact.'
