Published , by Sam Chandler
Published , by Sam Chandler
If those words mean nothing to you, then let me tell you a tale about two Star Wars characters. One of them is real, one of them is fake. One of them is a silly frog man, the other embodies the pure joy that only the hardcore Star Wars fans express when realizing their favorite, marginalized, little-known character is in the next Star Wars title. For me, Turgle is my Glup Shitto.
Now let’s get you caught up. Glup Shitto started as a Tumblr comment in 2020 that accelerated into a meme. A user called gomjabbar perfectly summarized what it’s like being a Star Wars outsider looking in at the rabid fanbase reacting to their favorite character appearing in a new bit of Star Wars content:
For the average consumer, the basics are probably pretty well known: Luke, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, and Obi-wan. But there exists a hardcore fanbase that knows sidelined characters, characters that might appear on-screen for half a frame. These fans will see their favorite character and be overjoyed that they’re present. What’s more, this character tends to have some wild name, hence, Glup Shitto.
I never understood how someone could be so enamored with, well, not even a minor character, a throwaway character that might as well be forgotten. I was happy to point and laugh, mocking them by saying "Glup Shitto." But my pride grew and I fell – fell in love with a little frog man called Turgle.
Turgle first appeared in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and the moment I laid eyes upon him, I knew he would be my favorite. I would forsake all others if only to feel his sticky little frog fingers reaching for my lightsaber one more time. No, seriously, he asked if he could hold my lightsaber and if I could teach him some moves.
Yes, Turgle! Yes! I will teach you all that I know. I will help you become the greatest Jedi the galaxy has known. You wanna be a Sith? Well then sign me up baby. The rule of two, just you and me.
What makes me love Turgle so? It’s a reasonable question. He might not look like much, but he’s got a heart of gold, which he may have stolen. He’s a gangly, flat-footed, bumbling frogman who is just so dang happy to see me. He’s energetic, extremely positive, and always ready to chat.
The next piece of Star Wars content that comes out, I’ll be scouring it for any sign of Turgle. And should I see him, I will exclaim with glee, tears streaming down my face, that I can’t believe they brought Turgle back, because Turgle, well he’s my pal, my good time boy. He’s my Glup Shitto.