Day #3: Phantom Menace Pop Cans

Twenty (24 if you were in the U.S.A) Star Wars character cans were released over the span of the summer of 1999. And what a fantastic summer it was.

For the curious: the ones not available in Canada were the 4 rightmost cans in the middle row. 

I was 10 and suddenly every mundane trip to the grocery store, gas station or food court had been transformed into a magical Star Wars themed treasure hunt. I diligently checked every pop can everywhere I went that entire summer to collect all 20. My parents were perfectly willing to shell out the dollar for a soda whenever I found one I didn't have yet and I was happy to go anywhere that might have a Star Wars pop can. It was a complete win-win. My summer ended triumphantly when I got the last one and twenty unopened pop cans were placed on my shelf with pride.

All was well and good until I woke up in the middle of the night several years after hearing a strange noise. After some investigation I discovered that the Shmi can had sprung a leak and was now gleefully spraying a tiny stream of diet pepsi across my bedroom. I leapt into action, grabbing the can and running to the bathroom where I put it in the tub and watched the pepsi escape. As I watched the pepsi shoot an impressive distance out of the tiny pinhole that had appeared I realized that I had no choice but to empty the rest of the cans. This pained my 14-year-old self, but I saw no other option. I gathered the remained of the cans and began to empty them down the drain.

My dad is the lightest sleeper in the world and evidently the sound of pop cans being opened was more than enough to wake him. He peered through the open bathroom door to see me in my pyjamas frantically opening can after can into the tub. He shook his head slightly and asked what I was doing, his curiosity and confusing far outweighing his annoyance at being woken up. I explained the tragic tale and he went back to bed, leaving me to rinse and dry my collection and return it carefully to the shelf as the sun began to rise.