In 2004 Katie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Katie loved Star Wars and loved the color pink. When her health declined to the point she couldn’t get out of bed, she said she wished she had a droid to watch over her like R2-D2 watched over a sleeping Padmé in Attack of the Clones.”
―Albin Johnson
R2-KT, the “Droid With the Heart of Gold,” was created by the R2-D2 Builders Club in 2005 as a tribute to Katie Johnson, the seven-year-old daughter of Albin Johnson, the founder of the 501st Legion costuming group. Katie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 2004, and Albin (who was doing 501st charity work at the time), began to receive support from around the Star Warscommunity. Garrisons of the 501st Legion started independent fundraisers, and when Star Wars creator George Lucas visited Japan on a promotional tour for Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, the Japanese Garrison told him of Katie’s condition. In response, Lucas filmed her a “get well” video.
As Katie’s declining health struck her bedridden, the girl wished she had a droid to watch over her, like R2-D2 watched over Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. When Jerry Greene of the R2 Builders heard about the Johnsons’ story, he and his fellow builders organized a campaign to collect parts and assemble an R2 unit for Katie. In a few months, they constructed a custom, fully functional droid which they painted pink and named “R2-KT.” According to Albin, Katie kept the droid by her bedside through her final days.
R2-KT has since been used to visit children’s hospitals and spread awareness of pediatric illness by attending Star Warsevents. The droid has also been the focus of various fundraisers; in 2007, Hasbro Inc. produced an R2-KT action figure, raising $100,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and in 2015, Mattel sold a Celebration Anaheim–exclusive R2-KT Hot Wheels collectible, donating the proceeds to Star Wars: Force for Change. With the 501st Legion, R2-KT has raised millions of dollars for charity.
