Banbury museum opens Star Wars memorabilia exhibition

An exhibition of Star Wars toys and cinema posters described as one of the finest collections in the UK has gone on display at a museum.

Banbury Museum's "May The Toys Be With You" display of Star Wars memorabilia opens on Saturday.

The museum said the exhibition was a celebration of the highly-collectable vintage toys and of the iconic art and design work.

Star Wars broke box office records when it was released in 1977.

It made $775m (£651m) but merchandising has gone on to earn even more than the film itself.

The museum said that from 1977 to 1985 an estimated 300m action figures have been sold, which "became the must-have playthings for an entire generation."

"From X-Wing Fighters to lightsabers, these fantastical designs have fired our imaginations and stamped their place on our cultural landscape," the museum said.

It said the exhibition promises to be an "unmissable opportunity" to view many rarely seen items.

The exhibition begins on Saturday 19 November and runs until March 2023.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk.