The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chewbacca returns to Dragon Con
Peter Mayhew, aka lovable ‘Star Wars’ Wookiee to visit convention.
“Let the Wookiee win.” So goes a line from 1977’s original “Star Wars” flick, referring to the towering fuzzball Chewbacca. Call it prophetic, but nearly 40 years after the fact, actor Peter Mayhew, Chewie’s alter ego, continues the streak.
Not only does Mayhew don the Wookiee costume once again in the year’s most anticipated film, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” coming in December, expect plenty of Chewbacca love arriving at light speed. This means merchandise galore, from Chewie’s own Marvel comic to a stuffed Wookiee at Builda-Bear Workshop. And fans may roar with delight as Mayhew lands at Dragon Con — the sci-fi, fantasy, pop culture and gaming convention whose presence in downtown Atlanta will be hard to miss this Friday Go to myAJC.com/living to see photos from earlier editions of Dragon Con, including a look at some of last year’s most outrageous costumes, and to find more info on this year’s edition of the convention. through Monday.
During a recent phone conversation, Mayhew made his own noise about the mammoth convention, one of his favorite stops of its kind.
“It’s gotten so big now,” said Mayhew, who stands more than 7 feet tall himself. “All of
the costumes are wonderful. You see things that you don’t know what you’re looking at, and you have to take a second look.”
When asked if he has a favorite Dragon Con moment from years past, Mayhew blasted a quip worthy of Chewie’s wisecracking pal, Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford.
“Yeah, I have one,” he said with a laugh, “but I better not say anything about it.”
Yet dig a little deeper, and you’ll find the real reason Mayhew and wife Angie have a soft spot for the event. During one of his earlier Dragon Con visits more than a decade ago, Mayhew rubbed armor with members of the 501st Legion, a group of “Star Wars” fans specializing in screen-accurate costumes.
Upon learning of the 501st’s charitable contributions to organizations such as Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Starlight Children’s Foundation, the Mayhews eventually created their own nonprofit.
Today the Peter Mayhew Foundation assists other charity groups, from the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program to the Wounded Warrior Project, in bolstering their efforts. For example, if Make-a-Wish sends a terminally ill child and his or her family to a Disney theme park, Mayhew’s foundation may step in and provide additional funds for noncovered expenses like food and souvenirs to make the experience even more magical.
So while attending Dragon Con, Mayhew typically hangs with the inspirational members of the 501st, having dinner and catching up on galactic activity. However, he spends a majority of the rest of his convention time on the Dragon Con floor signing Chewbacca photographs and more “Star Wars” memorabilia than you can shake an Ewok at.
These fans aren’t the only ones amassing “Star Wars” merchandise. Mayhew admits he falls in line with the rest of them. He even has his own personal Chewbacca shrine on private property, a museum of sorts where he not only displays “Star Wars” wares, but fan-made artwork.
“There are some surprisingly wonderful Wookiees that have been made by the fans,” he said. “They say, ‘Thank you for what you’ve given me. Here’s what I want to give you.’ So we put it in the collection as a way to appreciate their fandom.”
At Dragon Con, Mayhew will likely be on the receiving end of more than Wookiee goodies. He’ll surely have to dodge some of the fan questions about the upcoming film.
Although the filmmakers continue shrouding the details of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in secrecy, we do know Mayhew will be reuniting on screen with the core stars of the original trilogy: Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill.
Back in May, Mayhew witnessed a crowd of 5,000 at “Star Wars” Celebration, an official fan convention in Anaheim, California, fill a room with tears and deafening