The Yodamobile

The Yodamobile is the proudest Star Wars-related possession of DCSWCC President and Director, Martin. Thus far, the longest-living and most famous incarnation has been a 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid model in factory color Jasper Mica, sporting Virginia license plate TOY YODA and adorned with Yoda stickers and collectibles of all shapes and sizes in the front, back, and side windows. However, the car has evolved much over the years, and for as evident as its punny license plate is, the car’s final form was all but predictable.

History of the Yodamobile

Martin’s first Star Wars car was a 1989 silver Camry. At first, the only thing special about it was the license plate, which cycled over several Star Wars phrases and puns before finally settling on the archetypal Yoda declaration “TRY NOT”. Over time, he began adding Star Wars collectibles in the back window, most notably a vintage Kenner Yoda hand puppet, a custom “Star Wars collector” ball cap, and a window decal reading “Dagobah Jedi Academy” made by a friend who worked at the Huffy bicycle factory. Almost as a premonition of its future fame, this car was seen briefly on a Fox 5 (DC) local news story about Star Wars collectibles on January 11, 1997.

VHS screen grab, January 1997

In the summer of 2000, it was time for a new car, and Martin opted for another used Camry. He found a sleek, lightly-used 1997 model in the factory color Frosted Iris Metallic (light blue). While the now-world-famous license plate “TOY YODA” is an obvious play on the car’s make and the objects in the back window, it is actually a 3-way pun: when it comes to Star Wars toys, Martin is as knowledgeable as Yoda — he is “the toy Yoda”! After years of monitoring the Virginia DMV website, at some point in the mid-2000s the plate became available, and Martin seized the opportunity. He continued filling the windows and bumper with collectibles, carefully curating a themed display of Yoda products, until the dashboard was fit to bursting. In 2009, he painted the car Gecko Green, a standard color used by Volkswagen on their 2005-2011 Beetles, completing the final step of its transformation into the well-loved and oft-photographed Yodamobile.

Posted on CoolPl8z (website defunct) in Fall 2007, re-posted on Pinterest
Posted on Reddit, early 2011?

But the ’97 Camry did not last forever. It was pure luck that a green Camry popped up in northern Virginia just as he started his search for a replacement in early 2012. Martin purchased the iconic 2009 Camry Hybrid in February of that year, and the rest is history.

Cultural Icon?

The car has been a curiosity and conversation starter in the northern Virginia area (Washington DC suburbs) for many years. Exhibit A, these Internet posts over the years:

Posted on me.me (website defunct), Summer 2012
Posted on Facebook, July 2012
Posted on 9gag, August 2012
Posted on Pinterest and Blogspot, March 2013
Posted on Imgur, April 2013. Note that this is the same image used on 9gag nine months earlier.
Posted on various obscure sites, Summer 2013 — the same image was reposted by the Herald Weekly in December 2020
Posted on Imgur, May 2014
Posted on Reddit, July 2017
Posted on Imgur, June 2019
Posted on Reddit, Summer 2019
Posted on Reddit, January 2020
Posted on Reddit, February 2020

If you’ve seen other images of the Yodamobile floating around out there on the Internet that are not included here, or if your family or friend ever sent you a “hey look at this car” text, please let us know! press@dcswcc.com

Celebration Anaheim Promotions

The Washington DC Area Star Wars Collecting Club (DCSWCC) has developed a long tradition of offering unique and highly in-demand collectibles, dating back to Celebration III in 2005. The tradition continues at Celebration Anaheim 2022 with a set of 15 custom designed, high-quality felt pennants! The set is approved by Lucasfilm Ltd. as an exclusive for Celebration Anaheim.

Each piece measures 12 inches across and features custom artwork highlighting characters from The Empire Strikes Back in the style of vintage Kenner action figures, from Rebel heroes and Yoda to vile bounty hunters and Imperial forces. The pennants will be available free at the DCSWCC Fan Booth in the main exhibition hall throughout the convention and can be obtained by trying your luck and skill at the club’s exclusive Sabacc Hi-Lo game. Pennants can also be obtained directly from the individual sponsors, who can be identified by special badges.

Generously sponsored by members of the club, these Celebration Anaheim pennants will long be remembered as another great offering from the DCSWCC.

While at the DCSWCC booth, visitors can also obtain a valuable piece of a multi-club patch set – collect all eight club patches and then earn the large central patch! In addition, DCSWCC is the sponsor of two of the Fill Echo Base coins and will be giving out the Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker challenge coins free to winners of the game. The club will also be offering two exclusive licensed cloisonné pins (limited to 500 each, while supplies last) for a $15 donation to support U.S. military families via the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS, www.taps.org). The pins feature Princess Leia and another charming character design which will be announced Thursday morning at the booth and via live Facebook stream.

January 2022 meeting – Odenton

The January 2022 meeting of the DCSWCC will be held on Sunday, January 23rd at the Odenton Regional Library in Odenton, MD from 1:00 to 4:00.

Meeting theme: Christmas presents show and tell

Odenton Regional Library
1325 Annapolis Rd
Odenton, MD 21113

Library website:
http://www.aacpl.net/branch_info/wco.htm

Anne Arundel County Public Library requires face covering at all times inside their building.

Please follow social distancing guidelines and appropriate regulations of Anne Arundel County and the state of Maryland.

September 2021 Meeting – Bethesda MD

The September 2021 meeting of the DCSWCC will be held on Sunday, September 19th starting around 1:00pm in the parking lot of the Cabin John Ice Rink. انواع لعبة الطاولة For driving directions, use “10600 Westlake Dr, Bethesda, MD 20817”

Please bring your own chair, a table if desired, and a canopy to share if you have one.

Follow state of Maryland / Montgomery County guidelines on masking in outdoor spaces, as appropriate.