Star Wars vending machine returns to Pittsburgh fire station
A Jedi may not have returned, but a beloved vending machine has.
The popular Star Wars Pepsi vending machine, which has sat outside the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire Station 27 on Pittsburgh's Mt. Washington, has returned to its original spot after vanishing over the summer, according to a social media post from Pittsburgh Public Safety.
A painted replica replaced the original machine. Sources at the time of the machine's disappearance told KDKA-TV that the vending machine wasn't stolen or sold, but taken as part of a publicity stunt.
"The Star Wars Pepsi vending machine and the Terrible Towel are one and the same, all right?" Mt. Washington neighbor Stephen Crnkovich said when KDKA-TV spoke with him in August. "You just don't mess with them."
A content creator on TikTok was accused of taking the machine and had made previous comments about wanting to take it. KDKA-TV reached out to public safety officials and the content creator in August but did not receive confirmation at that time.
Back in 2022, Pepsi donated $10,000 to the fire station and restocked it with a year's worth of pop.
"Star Wars: Episode I" came out in 1999. The promotional vending machine has sat along Virginia Avenue for almost 30 years, developing a cult following and becoming a tourist attraction for fans of a galaxy far, far away.
