Page 91 - Star Wars Insider #194

WORLDWIDE

Photos by Shelby Kariya

Lisa elected to infuse her
BUILDING A BANTHA creation with terrestrial design
components, in addition to other
Honoring the elephant behind the iconic creature Star Wars elements. “I chose to
exaggerate the bantha’s facial
irst impressions last, and Star to craft a bantha costume in honor features, and in doing so I realized
Wars: A New Hope (1977) of the film’s unsung animal star. the similarities of aesthetics,

F certainly made a lifelong A complex project that took symbolism, history and interplay
impact on artist, carpenter, and more than 250 hours to complete, with Chinese Lion Dancing,” she
cosplayer Lisa Mei Ling Fong. “As a the costume is an engineering reveals. “My Mardji the Bantha

little kid, the first images of A New marvel. “The bantha is mounted on a costume then became a puppet,
Hope that I could remember always rollator walker and built up with a and evolved into a hybrid bantha
mesmerized me,” proclaims Lisa. PVC pipe framing,” relates the and Chinese lion I nicknamed
“I could barely understand why creator. “Her head is chicken wire, “Banthalion” (BAN-THA-LEE-UN);
the Sand People hurt Luke, but I hardware cloth, tapered half-dome an homage to my own Chinese
was fascinated by the that huge, strips of foam, paper maché, kilz cultural heritage.”
horned animal they rode.” When primer, Montana ‘Sand’ spray paint, With her partner Adam and
the Oakland native discovered that highlights of various acrylic paint cousins, Shelby and Katrina, to assist

Mardji, the elephant inside the colors, plus di erent fabrics for skin her, Lisa debuted Mardji the Bantha
bantha costume, had been brought and fake fur.” A moveable mouth, at Star Wars Celebration Chicago,
in from the nearby California-based blinking eyes, and roll-out tongue where the costume was an absolute
Marine World Africa U.S.A, the round out the ensemble, allowing success. “We stopped repeatedly for
dedicated artist knew she wanted Lisa to interact with others. pictures, videos were taken, and I
felt a lot of joy from people’s
laughter when Mardji’s tongue rolled
out,” she smiles. A chance encounter
with a group of children and their
parents even presented her with an
opportunity for a brief lesson in
construction. “I showed a handful of
the kids how Mardji is mounted on a
rollator,” says the carpenter. “I loved
trying to answer so many of their
curious questions, and ended by
telling them, ‘Go build things!’”

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