It’s been over a week since the big reveal and considering that Disney has said that spoilers are perfectly alright, it’s time to talk about Baby Yoda in “The Mandalorian.” Though we won’t get into the specifics of the plot of speculation of what the young alien might mean for the show, it’s clear that in such a short time, Baby Yoda has been a massive hit for Disney and Lucasfilm. And considering Christmas is right around the corner, we’re certain that Baby Yoda toys would fly off the shelves. But don’t rush out to your local store to buy them yet. They’re not going to be coming anytime soon.
Speaking to ET, “The Mandalorian” creator/writer/producer Jon Favreau explained that part of the way that he was able to keep the Baby Yoda reveal a big secret was to limit the number of people that know about the character. That means there was no way that Disney could mass-produce merchandise without giving it away. Therefore, no Baby Yoda toys this holiday season.
“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,” said Favreau. “So they really backed us up because 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.”
He continued, “But 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.”
As for all those people that are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to grab that Baby Yoda plushie, then you’ll have to be patient. That is the price you pay to have a secret maintained. And according to Favreau, it’s a reminder that the instant gratification in pop culture isn’t something that existed when he was a kid.
“Now you know what my generation went through because they didn’t have ‘Star Wars’ toys that first Christmas,” he explained. “I got a voucher for Christmas ‘77. There were commercials and I traded in the coupon and got them redeemed. So, that’s what it was like when I was a kid.”
Maybe parents can give their kids pictures of Baby Yoda with the promise of a toy? Yeah, that probably won’t go over very well. Everyone is just going to have to be patient.