The History of Sideshow: A Galaxy of Star Wars Collectibles

Sideshow celebrates 30 years of collectibles and community in 2024. In those three decades, we have remained dedicated to evolving the experience of storytelling through collectible sculpture, fine art, and more. This milestone would not be possible without the countless fans, artists, and all-around geeks sharing their fandom, talents, and passion for pop culture over the years.

To commemorate our 30th Anniversary, we want to spotlight some of the significant moments from throughout Sideshow history. Whether you’ve been a part of the journey for every step or just recently decided to Let Your Geek Sideshow, you’re invited to take a walk down memory lane with us.

Today, we’re headed to the Outer Rim to explore the history of Sideshow and Star Wars™ collectibles. Across trilogies, animated series, classic toys, and more, Star Wars is an integral part of our geek DNA as fans first, artists second. We’ve gotten to explore the galaxy far, far away through formats ranging from sixth scale to life-size. Let’s revisit some of that legacy here.

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Making Star Wars Collectibles

“Despite the fact that we’ve literally filled a book with Star Wars collectibles, I don’t think we’ve even come close to tapping out the well of inspiration there,” says Anna Van Slee, Sideshow’s VP of Business Development.

With a franchise as vast as Star Wars, there have been countless iconic characters, moments, and pieces of tech to explore across multiple collectible formats. Sideshow has worked in both two and three dimensions to capture and recreate some of the most awe-inspiring elements of Star Wars possible.

Over multiple decades, Sideshow’s Star Wars collection has encompassed:

• Poseable, costumed sixth scale figures with accessories and swap-out elements. These are sometimes also known as 12″ figures, but with characters of varying sizes like Yoda and General Grievous, figure heights may vary.
• Fifth scale statues, fully sculpted and painted with immense detail. Many Mythos releases have been presented in this format. A series of Ralph McQuarrie concept art pieces were also released in this series.
• Quarter scale Premium Format Figures, often containing polystone elements and occasionally mixed media costuming. Characters from across all three trilogies, as well as additional Star Wars films and media, have been captured in this scale.
• Half scale statues, also known as Legendary Scale. These included full body figures of characters like Boba Fett, Darth Vader, and Stormtroopers as well as the droids C-3PO and R2-D2.
• Life-size busts and statues capturing the true-to-scale appearance of iconic heroes, villains, aliens, and droids. The Child Life-Size Statue from The Mandalorian™ has been a modern fan-favorite for generations of geeks old and new.
• Fine art giclée prints and gallery wrapped canvas prints for hanging, printed in archival quality materials.
• Dioramas, limited bronze casts, and more!

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A Long Time Ago…

In 2005, Hasbro’s long-running line of larger scale Star Wars action figures came to an end and had been the main source of this figure format in the collector market for a number of years. Recognizing the large audience for high-detail collectibles in the 12 inch, or sixth scale, format, Sideshow then partnered with Lucasfilm to release limited-edition Star Wars sixth scale figures that were highly poseable, fully costumed, and high-quality with removable or swappable accessories. This marked a big change just after Sideshow’s 10th anniversary that would set the stage for the following decades.

Up to this point, Sideshow was primarily known for its historically accurate military figures as well as cult TV classic collectibles from The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The sixth scale collectible line was expanding with films like The Lord of the Rings and James Bond as well. Naturally, the Star Wars license opened up an entirely new galaxy of options to explore. At about the same time, Premium Format Figure explorations of these iconic characters were being developed for quarter-scale collectors.

“The most labor-intensive part of the process is getting the figure to properly interact with all of its clothing and accessories,” explains Production Director Matt Bischof. “Star Wars consumers are just as discerning as we are … They are just as passionate about our product as we are in creating it.”

Bringing the Expanded Universe to Life

Fans were even invited to provide input into character selection, voting in a poll about which Expanded Universe character would be the first in the collection. Different series of figures were created for different affiliations throughout the franchise, including Sith Lords, Militaries of Star Wars, Galactic Rogues, the Jedi Order Collection, and The Legacy Collection.

Since the series debuted in 2006 with the release of Luke Skywalker: Jedi Knight™, Sideshow’s Star Wars sixth scale figure line has grown to become the most in-depth collection to date, boasting over 250 items. And that number is still growing, even today! (Keep reading to find out what’s next…)

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Artist Series and the Dawn of Star Wars Mythos

As Sideshow continued to explore Star Wars characters through collectibles, some unique opportunities arose through Artist Series items. The first of these was a series of statues based on the concept work of artist Ralph McQuarrie. This collection featured alternate interpretations of Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and Stormtroopers as they appeared in the earliest drafts of Star Wars ideas.

Another notable milestone was the introduction of Sideshow’s Mythos line. As a collection, Sideshow’s Mythos series are fine art collectibles that allow the collector to imagine what could have been, but maybe never was. Myths meant to be initiated by the eye and completed by the mind.

“Our art team is taking the themes and core concepts common to the Star Wars mythology, such as love, honor, hope, despair and adventure, and accentuating those themes to achieve a collection of figures unlike any we’ve previously offered. We hope to capture the imagination of Star Wars fans all over the world, and share with them our own adventures in that galaxy far, far away,” Sideshow CCO Tom Gilliland explained about the launch of Mythos.

Star Wars Mythos Expands

Over the years, this collection has captured many characters and appeared across numerous formats. Beginning as statues, Sideshow’s Mythos line has also been presented in sixth scale, quarter scale, and fine art print formats. Among the notable additions to the series, fans have had a chance to visit Darth Vader in the midst of dark contemplation over his fall, Nightsister Asajj Ventress primed for vengeance on her homeworld of Dathomir, a younger Yoda performing nimble feats of Jedi protectorship, and perhaps most recognized, Obi-Wan Kenobi as a desert nomad wandering the wastes of Tatooine after the rise of the Empire.

Sideshow’s artists were excited to revisit this Obi-Wan Kenobi concept for a new Premium Format Figure, marking the first time the Star Wars Mythos series has ever been presented in quarter scale. With meticulously layered and distressed costuming plus a plethora of Easter eggs representing his nomadic journey away from the Jedi Order, this collectible combines the passion and imaginations of our artists with the rich storytelling potential of the Star Wars franchise.

The Sideshow Mythos collection has truly captured popular imagination across a global collector community and even made appearances in unexpected places — see our 30th Anniversary spotlight of Sideshow Cameos in Media and Movies for a story about Ewan McGregor doing a motorcycle stunt with our Obi-Wan Kenobi™ Mythos Sixth Scale Figure.

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A Wretched Hive of Scum & Villainy

So, what’s next for Sideshow and Star Wars? The future is as vast as the galaxy itself, with countless characters across the star systems to discover. But fans looking for a bit of underhanded action and skullduggery might want to pay a visit to Tatooine…

Continuing our illustrious history with Star Wars figures, Sideshow’s new Scum & Villainy Sixth Scale Figure collection is an exciting new series of limited-edition figures spotlighting the most infamous outlaws, gangsters, pirates, and criminals in the galaxy. Wave 1 of our new collection features familiar faces from the Mos Eisley Cantina, including the first two launches: Greedo and Ponda Baba!

You can also RSVP to be notified about upcoming series releases, including Garindan, Dr. Cornelius Evazan, and Labria. You never know what other nefarious figures will be revealed, so stay tuned for more information if you’re looking to snag the bounty on any of these bad guys for your own collection.

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Collecting a Galaxy

If fans want to discover even more concept art, behind-the-scenes insights, and expert photography cataloguing Sideshow’s extensive history with Star Wars collectibles, our The Art of Sideshow: Star Wars/Collecting a Galaxy book is available now.

This deluxe hardcover is written by Samuel C. Spitale with a foreword by Phil Tippett and features nearly 350 pages packed with stories and details about the creation of countless statues, action figures, life-size replicas, and more from within Sideshow’s studio. The Art of Sideshow: Star Wars/Collecting a Galaxy is sure to be a fan-favorite addition to any home and an amazing look at some of the ultimate celebration of our favorite heroes, villains, droids, and creatures from throughout the Skywalker Saga.

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Stay Connected

Join us for a yearlong celebration during Sideshow’s 30th Anniversary! All throughout 2024, we’ll be celebrating with new reveals, deals, giveaways, and more. Brush up on your Sideshow history by following us on social media and staying subscribed to the official Sideshow Newsletter — the best place to get your first look at the exciting future of collectibles.

Share your favorite Star Wars collectibles in our Let Your Geek Sideshow Facebook Group or on the Sideshow Social Network. And, as always, don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!