Movies

Don't Count On 'The Mandalorian' To Have Any "Baby Yoda" Merchandise Before Christmas

The Mandalorian Baby Yoda Merchandise
By Ethan Anderton

The Mandalorian is already big hit for Disney+, but there's one thing that fans are not happy about at all, and that's the total lack of merchandise for the character that fans are calling Baby Yoda.

Obviously, the little guy isn't actually Baby Yoda (though some speculate it could be a clone of the Jedi Master), but that's what fans have been forced to call it since the species that Yoda hails from has not been given a proper name. Sadly, fans may also be forced to make their own Baby Yoda merchandise this Christmas, because it doesn't look like The Mandalorian will have any Baby Yoda toys available before Christmas. And there's one specific reason for that.

Here's a red carpet interview with Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni about preserving the secret of Baby Yoda:

In case you can't watch the interview above for whatever reason, Jon Favreau said:

I have to thank Disney and Lucasfilm, because the way the cat usually gets out of the bag with that stuff is merchandising and toy catalogs and things like that. So they really back us up. We really wanted to have it be that you had to watch it yourself, so that every time you watch the show, there are new twists and secrets that come out. That requires a lot of restraint from the people who are footing the bill, saying they're gonna hold back on certain things so that the public doesn't know ahead of time. Part of that was holding back on some of the merchandise and holding back on some of the characters.

So there you have it. We don't have any Baby Yoda toys because Jon Favreau wanted to preserve the secret revealed at the end of the first episode of The Mandalorian. Of course, now the cat is out of the bag, and Star Wars social media channels are openly referencing the character, which has proven to be a little frustrating for overseas viewers who don't even have access to Disney+ yet.

Considering how far in advance Star Wars merchandising is usually developed before a movie is released, it's very likely that we won't see any merchandise featuring Baby Yoda until sometime next year, perhaps in the early spring. Considering the popularity of the character, there's a chance Disney could fast track some kind of plush toy to the market, but even that requires jumping through a lot of hoops in a short period of time. But while Disney may be missing out on some holiday cash from people who desperately want this little guy, people will still buy a Baby Yoda toy whenever it ends up getting released.

Of course, not having Star Wars toys when you want them the most isn't anything new to the franchise. Don't forget that the popularity of Star Wars was completely unexpected, and the only toys fans could get for Christmas after the movie came out was an empty box with the promise of toys that were being manufactured for the following year. As Favreau says, "Now you know what my generation went through."

Recommended