Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda's Screen Used Facial Prosthetics

original movie prop

After the rebels have been brutally overpowered by the Empire on their newly established base, Luke Skywalker takes advanced Jedi training with Master Yoda, while his friends are pursued by Darth Vader as part of his plan to capture Luke. Yoda makes his first film appearance in The Empire Strikes Back when Luke Skywalker arrives on Dagobah to seek his guidance and Yoda does not initially identify himself. Luke is shocked when he finally realizes that this small elderly creature is the powerful Jedi Master he was seeking. Having a huge impact in the Star Wars franchise; the make-up artist Stuart Freeborn (make-up and special creature designer of the film), was an English motion picture make-up artist referred to as the "grandfather of modern make-up design" and is perhaps best known for his work on the original Star Wars trilogy, most notably the design and fabrication of Yoda basing Yoda's face on his own face and partly on Albert Einstein's. Originally obtained direct from Stuart Freeborn, this is Yoda’s screen used facial prosthetics from the 1980 masterpiece Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. These particular prosthetics were heavily used and truly amazing they even survived considering being handled for numerous scenes and various reasons on screen. A few prosthetics you see today are in far too good of condition compared to these to have even been used when you consider the material, usage and age. This little guy’s facial prosthetics have been set in this display to appear as they are on Stuart’s art table being worked up and prepared for its scenes of movie magic as a tribute to the make-up legend. Along with art brushes and sculpting tools, there’s even a coffee stain signifying Mr. Freeborn’s late nights of making the iconic film and character we now know today.