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February 25, 2020

Baby Yoda Merch Finally Rolling Out

By  Theresa Hegel

I’ve already gone on record with my love of all things Baby Yoda – or if you want to get all technical and boring, “The Child.”

The cuddly alien was the breakout star of The Mandalorian, the Disney+ Star Wars drama that released to massive hype last fall. Disney successfully surprised fans by keeping the diminutive character under wraps, but after the shocking reveal, the big-eared baby broke the internet, becoming the star of countless memes and subject of tons of unlicensed Etsy merch.

But official Baby Yoda merch was few and far between – the price Disney paid for honoring Mandalorian director Jon Favreau’s request to keep the character spoiler-free. During that crucial holiday-shopping season after the show premiered, there was little that Star Wars fans could put under the tree – other than an IOU for TBD toys. Not exactly satisfying.

The first round of hastily rolled out merch was also a let down (for me, at least).

But I did enjoy seeing how the promo industry embraced the trend at recent ASI trade shows.

Fast-forward to February, and a ton of adorable Baby Yoda baubles are in the works – from Lego sets and board games to plushies and pajamas. There are Baby Yoda backpacks and speakers – the sound emanating from holes poked in his little, bald head. The full lineup was revealed at Toy Fair 2020 in New York, and it’s a lot. Maybe almost too much?

Baby Yoda merchandise

The Child merchandise is now available on Shop Disney, though some of the preorder items have already sold out.

It left me wondering whether the novelty of the new character has worn off. Then, I spent 15 minutes watching videos of the animatronic Baby Yoda made by Hasbro, so what do I know?

The 10-inch doll, which will feature over 25 sound and motion combinations, was already sold out less than a day after becoming available on Disney’s e-commerce site. Even if it does become available to preorder, the doll isn’t expected to ship until December of this year. Other Baby Yoda items are still just as sought over. Funko announced recently that its upcoming Baby Yoda figure broke pre-order sales records at the company.

Clearly, the Force is still strong with The Child.

Theresa Hegel

Executive Editor, Digital Content

Theresa Hegel covers strategy for ASI Media, with a focus on apparel, digital technology and business operations and management. She's won multiple regional and national awards for her writing and reporting.