Creator Claims He Swapped Pittsburgh’s Famous Star Wars Vending Machine

A vending machine that became an unlikely Pittsburgh attraction has disappeared from outside a fire station, leaving behind a roughly painted replacement and a trail of unanswered questions. The machine, located on Virginia Avenue in the Mount Washington neighborhood, was branded with imagery from “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.” According to Boing Boing, it had stood outside the station for decades and gained a reputation as an ironic local landmark. Pepsi reportedly donated $10,000 to the firefighters who maintained and stocked it as public interest grew. Residents initially suspected the original machine had been vandalized. They later noticed that the replacement had different controls. Axios visited the location to check that the apparent disappearance was not an artificially generated hoax, while KDKA also reported on the machine’s absence. Hannah Wood, who said she witnessed a crew moving what she believed was the replacement into position, described the machine as a nostalgic part of the community despite not being a major Star Wars fan. The mystery took a more direct turn when Braeden Days, described as an influencer, posted a video claiming responsibility. Days said he had removed the original vending machine and substituted the replica. He had previously posted about wanting to take it, according to the report. Days also claimed that the machine had been broken for about three years. He said he would return it after someone explained where the reported $10,000 Pepsi donation had gone. The source material does not establish whether his account has been independently confirmed or whether the original machine has been recovered. The disappearance drew attention beyond Pittsburgh. The official Star Wars account on X asked people to share information about the machine’s whereabouts, and Lucasfilm’s Chris Coxall also sought help in getting it returned. Local calls for assistance included joking suggestions that Pittsburgh-connected celebrities and “yinzer legends” should form a search team. For now, the fate of the original machine—and the status of the reported donation—remains unresolved.