Ewok

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Ewoks are a race of diminutive furry bipeds in the Star Wars universe. The first film appearance of an Ewok is in Return of the Jedi with the character of Wicket W. Warrick, played by Warwick Davis (who later appeared in Willow, the Narnia television miniseries, and the Harry Potter films).

Ewoks were later featured in several television spinoffs in the 80s: The Ewok Adventure (1984), Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985), and an animated children's show (1985-86).

Tropes and Topics

• cuddly and cute
• fierce and prickly
• as cannibals
• as a manipulative move on George Lucas' part to sell toys to children

Fan Response

Some fans have complained that the Ewoks are too cutesy and/or are clearly a marketing ploy. One zine fan wrote in 1984,

Lucas' condescension toward his audience and his characters is quite evident throughout Jedi, not to mention his obvious desire to reap merchandising profits. The moment I saw Wicket and the Ewoks, I said to myself, "George has gone into the Teddy Bear business now". Perhaps the best illustration of Lucas' contempt for his audience is his admonition to the Ewok designers in the early stages of their work that "They don't look cute enough. We have to make the audiences love these furry Teddy Bears who are being killed by the bad ol' Empire."

A fan in 1984 is upset about Ewoks, citing this reason:

Here is a can of worms: I found the Ewoks and their civilization (and the backhanded condescension of their presentation) somewhat racist on Lucas' part. On the recent PBS special, Lucas said that the Ewoks originated from an idea he had for a Vietnam film centered around the concept of a "weak," "primitive" people beating a mighty modern power. Gee. How enlightened of Lucas to replace the Vietnamese people with cuddly, carnivorous teddy bears. The Third World was portrayed in a very prejudiced way in RAIDERS as well. But that's nothing new in American films.

From a fan in about 1996:

Why do you guys hate Ewoks so much? I love 'em! They're cute and cuddly and...

You hit the nail on the head. Early sketches of the Ewoks show them with long fangs and long, sleek fur. Somewhere along the line someone from Marketing persuaded George to make them into cute, cuddly teddy bears so they could make a lot of money. The problem is that as cute, cuddly teddy bears, the ewoks are totally unconvincing. They manage to kill seasoned, armored troops posessing energy weapons, powered vehicles, and superior physical size by throwing rocks at them. There are several shots of the ewok Wicket that were obviously inserted for the sole purpose of marketing him. A prime example of this is the shot where ewoks are throwing bolas at the stormtroopers. Wicket hits himself in the head... and he does it so *cutely*. The Ewoks were a sellout.

(Side note - There are some Ewok lovers out there, so don't be afraid to admit it!  :) )

A 2013 article on MTV.com reported that "'Star Wars' Fans Still Love To Hate Ewoks 30 Years Later":

A prevailing theory among Ewok-haters is that the creatures were originally conceived as a sure way to appeal to small children and sell plush toys to their parents. But Eric Geller of TheForce.net disregards that assumption. "Call me naïve," Geller said, "I have a hard time believing that somebody who invests as much in storytelling as George Lucas would create something that is so fundamental to the movie...."

Example Ewok Fanfiction

• Yub Yub Commander by DireSquirrel. Buffy, Star Wars, Stargate SG-1 crossover fic. (2010- WIP)

Fanart

1980s

• 
  Mary Jean Holmes from Shadowstar #12, some commentary on Ewoks being cannibals and preparing perhaps some Wedge Antilles soup (1983)
• 
  art by Kathi Spivey, portrays Han, Leia, and Luke with Ewoks (possibly measuring them up for the stewpot!), from Kessel Run #4 (1984)
• 
  Carol Walske, for The Heart of Darkness (1984)
• 
  "Hey, y'know, suddenly I feel the Force within me!" -- Leah Rosenthal, from Southern Knights #1 (1985)
• 
  an Ewok lounges on the title page of the zine, Shadowstar #20, artist unknown (1986)
• 
  the cover of the zine, Metamorphosis (1988)

1990s

• 
  Z.P. Florian from Bright Center of the Universe #2 (1992)
• 
  a fabulously gruesome zine cover for Crossfire Zone #1, "Authentic Ewok, Origin: Endor, Pelt #025" (1993)
• 
  from The Force Whisperer (1997)
• 
  back cover of Imperium #7, reprinted in Echo Three #3, Rhydderch Wilson (1999)

2000s

• 
  art by John Michals (2011?)

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Resources

• Ewok at Wookieepedia