22 Old School Star Wars T-Shirts for Back to School and Beyond

Way back in the Dark Ages, when there were just three Star Wars movies, owning a Star Wars shirt was a pretty big deal. We all know that George Lucas was a genius when it came to merchandising. He makes bank with action figures, bed sheets and crossovers with fast food chains (to name a few). And yes, there were lots of Star Wars T-Shirts. But back then, most parents (especially mine) were frugal in what they allowed their children to buy/own when it came to Star Wars.

That’s not saying that I didn’t have almost every Star Wars action figure ever created. And most of the play sets. Hell, if my parents were smart, they would have bought stock in Kenner, since Christmas morning found our living room floor littered with action figure wrappings. (Yes, we took them out of the packages back then.)

C-3PO and R2-D2 were usually on the cover of my Mead notebook that I’d get for school. And I always had mixed feelings when by November, the cover would fall off from weeks of wear and tear. It did mean that I could now hang the Star Wars image on my bedroom wall, adding to all the posters and articles. But it also meant I no longer had something Star Wars on my when I went to school.

I’ve no doubt that there were Star Wars pens, pencils and backpacks back them, but those were never on my radar. I’m certain most of my writing utensils came from my father’s office. And when it came to backpacks, mom looked for deals for me and my sister.

So that was why it was a big deal when mom allowed me to get one Star Wars t-shirt every year when we went back to school shopping. It may not have fit with the usual plaid button down shirts, which was another reason these shirts were special. And back then, though there were bullies and people who rained on whatever parade you were marching in, most of my fellow classmates thought Star Wars shirts were cool.

I remember having the classic one of R2-D2 and C-3PO from the original Star Wars (granted, when Star Wars was re-released, it was renamed A New Hope, but was all still called it Star Wars). But my favorite was that other image of Han Solo and Chewbacca with the Millennium Falcon behind them. These shirts no longer exist today because I wore them until they disintegrated.

But now that I’m older, more mature and have my own stream of income… I have more Star Wars shirts than I can possibly count!!! As well as Star Wars sneakers, sheets, pillows and underwear! Take that, mom and dad!

And though I have Star Wars t-shirts spanning all the movies (well, except maybe the prequels), including The Last Jedi, I do like nothing more than shirts that look like they’re from the release of the original trilogy. So I rounded-up some of those for you here. Shirts from the old movies and new movies, but with something that makes them look retro. Including images from the toys, trading cards and classic Marvel comic books.

So unless your mom and dad won’t let you, I suggest you get as many as you want!