Star Wars and Retro Sweets: A Marriage That Is Out Of This World
There’s nothing quite like the launch of a new Star Wars film to make you feel nostalgic for ‘the good old days’. Incredibly, many of the original cast take their place in J.J Abrams’ new take on the franchise (which makes us feel older somehow), and depending on your vintage you may even remember the release of the original Star Wars film back in 1977.
Memories of movies, music and, of course, retro sweets have been flooding back to us ever since we had a first glimpse of the trailer for The Force Awakens, and here is a quick rundown of each of the original films in order (and the sweet treats that greeted their release):
Star Wars (latterly known as Episode IV: A New Hope) – 1977
This was Luke Skywalker’s on screen debut as he joined forces with Obi-Wan Kenobi to tackle the dastardly Darth Vader. This was also our first experience of C-3P0, R2-D2, Chewbacca and the rest of the gang in an adventure that would earn more than £100 million at the box office worldwide.
1977 was known as the year that punk took over the world, with leather and safety pins taking over from tank tops and flares and the Sex Pistols knocking the likes of Abba and Rod Stewart off the top of the charts.
But even punks have a sweet tooth, and they will have been delighted with the invention of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, which were also released in the UK for the first time in 1977.
The Empire Strikes Back – 1980
The Empire Strikes Back spawned perhaps the most famous line in film history – “No, I am your father” – and found our hero Luke Skywalker learning the ways of the Force as he continued his battle with his old man, Darth Vader.
Back on Planet Earth, the UK was in a deep, deep recession in 1980, the average UK salary was £6,000 and John Lennon was murdered....so all-in-all it was a pretty miserable year for everyone. Coincidentally, 1980 was the year that Space Dust was introduced to British mouths; that yummy popping candy with the super sweet fruity flavours. It remains a favourite with many of our customers more than 30 years later!
Return of the Jedi – 1983
The Return of the Jedi was a topsy-turvy affair in which Han Solo escaped the clutches of Jabba the Hutt, Princess Leia turned bounty hunter and the Ewoks battled the Dark Forces on the moon of Endor.
And things were just as action-packed on Earth, with Margaret Thatcher winning a second term as Prime Minister, the dawning of breakfast TV on BBC and Wham! ruling the pop charts. This was still a full year before George Michael went solo and released his seminal hit Careless Whisper, which may or may not have been influenced by the 1983 release of Wispa, the beautifully bubbly chocolate bar. This became one of the jewels in Cadburys’ crown; and is still a staple of the A Quarter Of ‘Choco Heaven’ category.
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