Following the first episode of Disney+'s The Mandalorian, every Star Wars fan instantly fell in love with "The Child," a character most would come to call "Baby Yoda" since the adorable creature is the same species as the famed Jedi Master. Naturally, with the holiday season just around the corner, many of those same fans were eager to add Baby Yoda to their collections but were disappointed to learn that, despite the arrival of official merchandise, there were no toys. However, according to The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau, there's a reasonable explanation for this apparent oversight.
"I think that part of what people really value is to be surprised and delighted, and I think that's becoming all too rare," Favreau told THR when asked about upholding the secrecy surrounding Baby Yoda. "It's very difficult to keep secrets about projects you're working on. By holding back on that one product, we knew that we may have had the disadvantage of not having toys available day and date, but what we got in exchange was an excitement surrounding the character, because everybody felt like they discovered him together. That emulated more what my experience growing up was like."
"Yeah, they understood the value of it," he added, noting that Disney was fully onboard with the decision to delay the release of merchandise. "I felt that if we really wanted to connect with the Star Wars fans, we had to let them discover the story as it was unfolding. The marketing team and the leadership were all supportive of what my instincts were, and I think it paid off really well because now people are excited to tune in every week to see what happens."
While fans won't be able to get their Baby Yoda toys for the holidays, Funko Pop! figures and an 11-inch plush of "The Child" are currently available for pre-order, with the items expected to ship in spring 2020.
Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito, Emily Swallow, Omid Abtahi, Werner Herzog and Nick Nolte. New episodes arrive every Friday on Disney+.