Yoda Guy Movie Exhibit — Attraction in Philipsburg

What an incredible find on this tiny Caribbean island! This museum/art gallery is a must-see for Star Wars fans or anyone who is interested in movie making in general and creature creation/practical special effects and costuming specifically. It is chock full of original and replica pieces from proprietor Nick Maley's notable career in film, mostly from Star Wars but also such films as Men in Black, Krull, The Highlander, and more. For those who just find this place randomly, Nick is best known as one of the original creators of the Yoda puppet first used in The Empire Strikes Back among MANY other things.

The highlight of our visit was getting to spend some time with Nick himself and hear first-hand some of his captivating recollections of his time working on the original Star Wars trilogy. He welcomed us into the gallery and invited us to explore and ask him any questions we might have. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of movie-making and was so gracious as to spend lots of time with us personally showing us around the front of the museum which has many unique collectibles for display and also for sale. We were lucky to be there when only one other small group was there and it felt like we were getting a personalized tour. I left with a signed copy of Nick's book and two signed pieces of Star Wars memorabilia ready for framing.

The museum tour is self-directed and if you stop and watch all the videos and read all the very informative explanations posted at each display, you can probably see everything in about 90 minutes. But plan to spend at least that long here or you'll definitely miss some amazing details.

I can't recommend this place highly enough for Star Wars fans of all ages (although very small children may quickly lose interest in the static displays) as well as anyone who has even a passing interest in the magic and hard work that goes into creating the movies that mean so much to us. 10/10 would visit again and again!

Thank you, Nick & Gloria for creating and maintaining such a wonderful place. May the Force be with...

I just want to say first that we found this place on accident. While doing a sort of “amazing race” Esque adventure about Sint Maarten, we saw this and me being an avid Star Wars Superfan, I was ecstatic! It is inside the coolest little nugget of a shop and it was one of the best, let’s say, museums that I have ever visited! Inside there is an entire wrap around exhibit featuring so many of the staples artifacts and enigmatic masterpieces from the blockbuster movie making franchise! There was everything from the original drawings of yoda and the seven dwarfs, to real life face molds of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the entire earth Vader suit! It was chock full of so much information from movies and behind the scenes like highlander, STARWARS, life force, and all the classic sci fi favorites! While I was there, besides the museum there was a shop containing some of the original script pieces, photos, drawings, and signed papers from people like the actors darth Vader, princess leayah, boba fet, nick maley, and even a chewbaka and so much more. I apologize for not knowing all the actors and spelling. I even got to meet a celebrity, nick maley the amazing director of the museum and creator of the yoda masterpiece and so so SO many more movies and characters, and I didn’t even have to go to an atrocious convention! I purchased a drawing and a board piece signed by darth Vader and nick. I will keep them hung up until the cows come home!!! Thanks to nick and his sweet wife Gloria for there help and especially nicks advice, never follow the average person and don’t do what everyone else does! I won’t! The experience was wonderful and I hope one day I will revisit! Don’t worry Mr. maley, I will forever be the yoda guy ambassador with the pin you gave me! I strongly recommend visiting hear and for all the have one negative thought about this place, next one you go don’t just look at the pictures and read...

Nick is such a great guy! My girl and I spent almost two hours wandering back and forth through the exhibits while Nick was working to produce even more amazing art pieces. Before I get back to him, the space is amazing. Did you know Patrick Steward was in a movie with space vampires, zombies, and boobs? Me either, but Nick has the props! There is so much more here than Star Wars. I mean, he has a Krull weapon-thing. Wow. So much nostalgia, and so much to focus on. But more important than the objects to attract us is his story. His charitable work and experiences sponsoring a child in hardship through to her medical degree, and his continued work to position her in the world all while inspiring young people to explore their talent... Yoda would be proud. It's such an honor to meet Nick, not only because of how he most likely inspired your imagination in childhood, but also just to hear about what inspires him to keep this up. I wish we could have afforded to buy some of his artwork, but I was not going to low-ball any price negotiation with him once we understood where he uses this money. We bought 4 books and got some signed for my kids. Oh, by the way, he wrote a great book. We had no idea when going to Sint Maarten that anything like this even existed or that someone like Nick, with all of his historic contributions to our culture, would be so accessible and kind to a couple of tourists. If you are on this island, it's small, you totally have time to take the drive to see him. He's in a bustling area, so you will have a blast there. Or, if you'd enjoy a personal encounter with a great guy who has always been a part of your life but you never knew... You should go to Sint Maarten. They also have...