Jabba the Hutt is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He is a large, slug-like crime lord of the Hutt species. Jabba first appeared in the 1983 film Return of the Jedi, in which he is portrayed by a one-ton puppet operated by several puppeteers. In 1997, he appeared in the Special Edition of the original Star Wars film, which had been retitled Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope. Jabba made his third film appearance in the 1999 prequel film The Phantom Menace. Jabba is voiced by Larry Ward in Return of the Jedi, and Ben Burtt in A New Hope Special Edition and The Phantom Menace. In the end credits of The Phantom Menace, Jabba is also credited as playing "himself".