Dad Finds 35-Year-Old Star Wars Toy While Digging in Garden

A man from California was stunned when he was doing work in his yard and stumbled on a toy he lost 35 years earlier.

The business owner and father from Sonoma County, who wanted to be known by his online moniker Brandon Donkey, told Newsweek he was shocked to stumble across his old Emperor Palpatine Star Wars action figure.

Brandon lives in his parents' home, which he took on when they could no longer care for it. While replacing irrigation in the front yard, he found the toy he'd almost forgotten he had lost.

"I was doing yard work on the front hill of my home when I looked down and there he was looking back at me," Brandon told Newsweek.

"It took a second for me to register what I was looking at," he said. "Then a bunch of memories from childhood went through my head. I picked him up and took him into the house and gave him a wash."

Emperor Palpatine first appeared in the original Star Wars trilogy and was first seen on-screen in the 1980 movie Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back.

After stumbling across the long-lost toy, Brandon shared the discovery on Twitter where his tweet has been viewed over 14 million times.

While Brandon doesn't specifically remember losing his toy, he could see why it might have ended up in the ground.

"When we were kids that area was covered in thick, low shrubs," said Brandon. "My buddies and I carved tunnels through them and we would crawl around under the shrubs playing with our action figures."

In thousands of replies to the now-viral tweet, people were amazed that the man had found the toy that had been lost for decades.

"That's incredible! Not to mention the pricelessness. Dude, I'm a little jealous you got to come across that," said one commenter.

Another wrote: "Bet you felt a little thrill seeing that Star Wars figure after all that time. Nice little bonus for your hard work."

While in far from mint condition, Palpatine isn't worth much in terms of money, but his sentimental value is huge.

"I wouldn't sell him anyway," said Brandon. "I gave him a wash and put him on a bookshelf in the living room."

As well as sharing the joy that Brandon had found his childhood toy, many in the replies shared similar stories of stumbling on long-lost possessions.

"I posted the picture because I thought it was a fun story," Brandon said. "Thousands of people responded with similar stories or with tales of long-lost toys they wish they could find."