Random C-3PO Questions.

[SeanB13]

I know there are some experts on this effeminate, but incredibly cool looking Protocol Droid here. Hopefully you guys can shed some light on these two questions that have bugged me for awhile about him.​

Is this true?​

I know this is a bit silly, but I'm serious about wanting to know what the hell is going on in this picture.​

C-3P Oh. . . . . .

Claim: A Star Wars trading card was altered to depict the droid C-3PO with an oversized phallic.​

Status: Undetermined.​

Origins: The second-most notorious obscene trading card in history (after the infamous Fleer ''**** face'' baseball card) is the C-3PO card from Topps' 1978 Star Wars set. Card #207 (fourth series).​

What we appear to have here is an image created by the combination of a natural part of our robot friend's nether regions and something extra added through methods unknown. The result is a decidedly well-endowed droid.​

Just how did this image end up on a trading card? As usual, legend places the blame on a disgruntled artist, just as in the examples of the infamous cover from Disney's The Little Mermaid video and the notorious Renuzit air freshener can.​

According to the official Star Wars web site: It appears that the extra appendage is not the work of an artist, but rather a trick of timing and light. The untouched archive photo shows the image just as it appears on the card. The current theory is that at the exact instant the photo was snapped, a piece fell off the Threepio costume, and just happened to line up in such a way as to suggest a bawdy image.​

The original contact sheets from the photo-shoot attests to this. They are not retouched in any way, yet still contain the same image.​

Whatever the real explanation is, the 'mischievous airbrush artist' scenario simply doesn't fit.​

Intentional or not, the depiction of a well-hung C-3PO was realistic enough that Topps later replaced the card with an air-brushed one featuring a tamer rendering, creating a new version that turned out to be scarcer than the original.​

What part of the costume could that even be???​

snopes.com: C-3P Trading Card​

 

[Brinn 71]

It seems to me the the chromed 3P0 pants Daniels is wearing may be buckling? It looks like the left leg is riding low as well, or being pushed down by the trunks? Could it be a fold from his trunks protruding there?

 

[hankey01]

Is it true that, "C3PO was named after a post office which is located at reference C3 on a map of Lucas' hometown.'"?

 

[pandatrooper]

Yes, one of the reasons they hired Anthony Daniels was he was trained as a mime artist.

The first suit took 2 hours to put on according to the Making of SW book. They hadn't fully completed the costume and only had one test fitting before tunisia. Once in Tunisia, it reportedly took 2 hours to put on.

If you look at those shorts, they are made from some kind of flexible foil like fabric. They are used in scenes where he had to sit, like on the back of the landspeeder or in Ben's house. Not sure about the "appendage" though!

 

[Ghost Host]

I know for a fact that some or all of the 3po trunks were vacuformed plastic... not sure about the "foil-like fabric" though.

 

[Brinn 71]

Hey GH!

I believe you can see when 3P0 is sitting on the landspeeder back he has some foil wrapped around his trunk area, but the trunks are vacuum formed plastic the rest of the time. I don't think he could sit in them, so they could have split them for the speeder sitting shots and had the foil to cover that?

 

[Brinn 71]

Here's a couple of screen caps of the foil like stuff:

 

[steveo]

as far as I know, the card in question was basically a photoshop deal, but obviously before photoshop, done by the artist as a joke.

 

[mrbungle]

i agree, piece falling,...........yeah right.

on the screen captures, it looks like a blob of clay and tin foil spary painted on 3po as he is sitting.

 

[Agent RayBans]

Here's a couple of screen caps of the foil like stuff:

Has it been pointed out before that it looks like hes wearing his thigh upside down?

 

[Hammer3246]

I doubt he's wearing them. It's pretty obvious the guy would never be able to sit in that suit. However, good eye.

 

[defstartrooper]

as far as I know, the card in question was basically a photoshop deal, but obviously before photoshop, done by the artist as a joke.

It's not a photoshop or otherwise manipulated image.

From the opening post.

According to the official Star Wars web site: It appears that the extra appendage is not the work of an artist, but rather a trick of timing and light. The untouched archive photo shows the image just as it appears on the card. The current theory is that at the exact instant the photo was snapped, a piece fell off the Threepio costume, and just happened to line up in such a way as to suggest a bawdy image.

The original contact sheets from the photo-shoot attests to this. They are not retouched in any way, yet still contain the same image.