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The Star Wars vending machine at the intersection of Virginia Avenue and Shiloh Street in Mount Washington as seen Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022
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An old machine it is: Pittsburghers make pilgrimage to see ’90s relic on Mount Washington

Post-Gazette

An old machine it is: Pittsburghers make pilgrimage to see ’90s relic on Mount Washington

“Fear is the path to the Dark Side,” the Jedi master Yoda tells a young Anakin Skywalker in the first installment of the Star Wars prequels.

But for Pittsburghers seeking a path to this “Phantom Menace”-branded Pepsi vending machine, all it takes is a ride up the Monongahela Incline.

On the Mount Washington sidewalk near the intersection of Virginia Avenue and Shiloh Street, the promotion for the 1999 film has attracted visitors from across town who marvel at the relic — which is still operating today. 

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“At this point, I think people would have a riot if they did change the photo to make it newer,” said Jennifer Shields, 28, manager of love, Pittsburgh. Opened in 2017, the gift store is located directly across the street from the machine. 

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From its large front windows, Ms. Shields has a clear view of young Anakin Skywalker’s face plastered on the machine next to an oversized Pepsi bottle and Sebulba, a podracing alien clad in goggles. 

“It’s super old — it’s been there since that Star Wars movie came out as part of the advertisement,” Ms. Shields said. “My dad even remembers that vending machine.” 

According to Ms. Shields, who grew up on Mount Washington, people stop by to take photos with the machine every weekend, with more coming in the warmer months.

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Kathy Brannon, a waitress at nearby J&J’s Family Restaurant and Catering, said she sees people taking selfies with it all the time. Ms. Brannon has worked there for nearly 10 years. 

Partly thanks to the internet, curious fans are now discovering the machine through posts on social media sites like Reddit and Twitter.

“I Made A Holy Pilgrimage Tonight,” captions one photo posted to Reddit earlier this month. In the image, a man comes to his knees before the blue glow of the machine at nighttime, his hands held high overhead in prayer. 

“After some looking. I was able to find The Phantom Menace Pepsi vending machine,” posted another user alongside an image of himself offering a thumbs up next to it. The post got 446 comments alone, mostly from Pittsburghers chiming in that they, too, had heard stories of the mountaintop mecca. 

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Meanwhile, Twitter user @connortonight posted an image of the machine in June 2020 that would go viral, getting tens of thousands of shares and likes. 

When Pepsi installed the machine on Mount Washington over two decades ago, Tom Murphy was the city’s mayor, Kordell Stewart was the Steelers starting quarterback and — apart from “The Phantom Menace” — “The Sixth Sense” was the top grossing movie at the box office.

The fourth Star Wars movie to be released at the time, “Phantom Menace” was met with mixed reviews. Some critics lauded the film’s CGI effects, which were cutting-edge for their time; others, like Varietysaid it “lacks the magic” to win over new fans the way the original trilogy did years earlier. Either way, “The Phantom Menace” would go on to earn a little over $431 million in the U.S. alone. 

But given the vending machine’s age, how is it still in operation? As it turns out, the answer lies not with Pepsi, but right next door.

According to firefighters at the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire Station 27, the machine has been maintained and stocked by its members for years. After the machine broke and Pepsi stopped fixing it, the station took over.

The machine doesn’t take dollars anymore, despite having a slot for bills. Quarters still work, firefighters told the Post-Gazette. Just don’t put in the Susan B. Anthony dollar coins — those can cause jams. 

Customers won’t find popular Pepsi options like Mountain Dew, Mug Root Beer or Sierra Mist on the drink selection buttons, as Pepsi stopped stocking the machine when the station took over. 

For thirsty pilgrims, the Engine 27 crew stocks the machine with cold Faygo drinks, including its grape, lemon lime and cherry flavors — all for the price of 50 cents.

It’s a cheap price for pop these days and brings in about $150 a year for the station. It hardly covers the maintenance, a crew member said, but their lieutenant apparently loves the movies. 

Not all of the faithful are buying. 

“They don’t even buy pop. They sit in front of it and pose,” one firefighter said with a laugh. “It gets a lot of Star Wars fans.”

It’s mostly tame in the neighborhood, but the fire crew remembers one time when the machine caused a stir. Pittsburgh artist Baron Batch had painted a picture of the Mandalorian, another Star Wars character, and hung it next to the machine. A fan posted an image online, and within minutes the painting was taken. 

Jordon Knisely, 23, the Reddit user who bowed before the neon glow, said he’s a “casual” Star Wars fan, though he has seen all the movies. He first heard about the machine three years ago when he moved to the city, and went with friends. 

“We had talked about going up the incline to see it,” Mr. Knisely said. “It was more of a, ‘We like Star Wars, and there's this fun curiosity in the city.’ I just thought it was real funny that it was still being upkept.”

From an internet search, it appears the Mount Washington machine isn’t alone in the galaxy. Results show handfuls of “Phantom Menace”-branded Pepsi products still in circulation through re-sellers.

On Ebay, the plexiglass front panel of a different “Phantom Menace” vending machine is on sale for a cool $500 — still in factory packaging and machine not included.

And Pepsi’s marketing team didn’t stop there, with “Phantom Menace” Pepsi posters, aluminum pop cans, glassware, action figures and even a life-size cutout of Watto — a mean-tempered alien from the film — also available for purchase.

Jesse Bunch: jbunch@post-gazette.com.

First Published: February 18, 2022, 11:00 a.m.
Updated: February 18, 2022, 11:19 a.m.

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The Star Wars vending machine at the intersection of Virginia Avenue and Shiloh Street in Mount Washington as seen Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022  (Post-Gazette)
The Star Wars vending machine  (Jesse Bunch / Post-Gazette)
The Star Wars vending machine  (Post-Gazette)
The Star Wars vending machine  (Post-Gazette)
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