Series 1
Series 2

When Return of the Jedi was released in 1983, there was little doubt that Burger King would continue their wildly popular tie-in glasses promotion. As with the previous editions, there were four different Jedi glasses available with the purchase of any soft drink, though the price for the glass varied from region to region. Typically this “special price” was between 55 cents and 59 cents, according to the research materials I’ve been able to dig up online. This is actually cheaper than the Empire glasses were (between 79 and 88 cents), and more in line with the original glasses that sold for 59 cents. I’m not sure if it’s the reason why the glasses were cheaper for Jedi, but I feel like they’re thinner glass than previous versions, which might have made them less expensive to produce.

Like the other series of glasses, the Jedi glasses were heavily promoted in Burger King locations, using a variety of signs and standees. Here are a few I was able to find online…

Design

Once again, the design of the glasses changed, going with a pedestal-style base, rather than the rounded base of the Empire glasses, more closely matching the style of the glasses from the original film.

As with the other glasses in the series, the artwork on the Jedi glasses is pretty good. There’s more detail than on the previous series, as well as more general scenery and characters crammed into the space. One design difference that stands out is that the text on the glass is not broken out like it was on previous designs, but just kind of integrated into the landscape. I have to say, I kind of prefer this method, because then it provides more room for artwork that depicts the scene from the film. Here are the four different designs…

Massachusetts Variant

Most of the Star Wars glasses are pretty easy to find on the collector’s market. However, there are some really rare Jedi glasses – the plastic cups for Massachusetts. In 1982, Massachusetts passed legislation that made it illegal to give out glass containers, so Burger King wound up making plastic cup versions of the Jedi glasses just for that market. These are very rare and very difficult to find in decent shape because the ink rubbed off easily, especially in the dishwasher. I’ve seen these sell for as much as $45 for a single cup…

Legacy

I don’t think its an exaggeration to say that the Burger King glasses are some of the most iconic Star Wars items available. I’d love to find some documentation telling us how many were sold over the three series’ run, but I’m sure it’s in the millions of units sold. Everyone had at least some of these in their kitchen cupboard and they’re still a common site at thrift stores and flea markets. But because they’re vintage Star Wars, they aren’t necessarily cheap, with most glasses going for $10 – $25 a piece and between $200 to $225 for a full set of 12.

2 Comments

  1. The Ewok glass on the far right features Deej in the hang glider. That Ewok hang glider totally looks like a cicada. I’ve been dealing with cicadas too much recently.
    Also, with looking up the name of the Ewok with the hang glider, I learned that Deej is the father of the famous Ewok, Wicket.

    1. Sometimes I hate how detailed Star Wars lore has gotten, but then there are times like this where I’m totally cool with it 🙂

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