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VIDEO: May the Fourth be with you: passing Star Wars to new generations

Langley toy store owner has vast collection of memorabilia

May the fourth be with you!

The pun-based holiday (may the force be with you, get it?) has made the fourth of May into an unofficial holiday for Star Wars fans around the world, including those in Langley.

There are few bigger Star Wars fans than Matthew Purdy, owner of Toy Traders on the Langley Bypass.

He remembers the first time he saw a Star Wars movie.

“I was six, and I saw Empire Strikes Back,” Purdy said. “It blew my mind.”

He was raised in Yukon Territory, so the scenes of giant robotic AT-AT walkers striding across the frozen planet of Hoth seemed to him like they could happen in his back yard.

Star Wars has been around for 46 years as of this year.

Purdy just saw the 40th anniversary re-release of Return of the Jedi on the big screen with friends and some of their children.

Watching the kids eyes light up was great, he said.

“When you become a parent, you get to share Star Wars with your children.”

He’s introducing his own five-year-old to Star Wars a little bit at a time now.

One of the big events taking place this year for May 4th is the unveiling of a Hollywood Walk of Fame star for the late Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia.

READ MORE: This May the Fourth, Carrie Fisher gets Walk of Fame star


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Matthew Claxton

About the Author: Matthew Claxton

Raised in Langley, as a journalist today I focus on local politics, crime and homelessness.
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