SilverWook said:
If Lucas had not seen the July 1975 issue of Analog magazine, it might have been a different story.
http://kitbashed.com/blog/chewbacca
And yes, that cover is where my handsome visage comes from. ;)
Hmm, the wookiee design comes from a story written by George R.R. Martin? Too bad that guy never went anywhere.