Overview
- Local reporting found the Phantom Menace–themed Pepsi machine that long stood outside a Mt. Washington firehouse has been removed and replaced by a near-identical unit with hand-drawn artwork.
- The vending machine was installed in 1999 and grew into a local landmark that fans visited as a nostalgic piece of Star Wars promotion.
- Pepsi reportedly donated soda in 2022 to keep the machine stocked, signaling ongoing corporate support for its upkeep.
- The official Star Wars account publicly solicited tips about the machine's location and Lucasfilm PR representative Chris Coxall offered the studio's help in recovering it.
- No evidence or law-enforcement conclusion has been reported and a social media creator who expressed interest in taking the machine has not been linked to its disappearance.