The Baby Yoda phenomenon is so strong, even Disney CEO Bob Iger was told off by The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau for calling The Child “Baby Yoda.” It’s been a Star Wars heavy couple of months. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has released to mixed reviews, and the debate will continue on whether it was a fitting conclusion to the Skywalker saga. However, unlike J.J. Abrams' new film, one of the more universally accepted and beloved parts of the Star Wars universe has become The Mandalorian character The Child, or Baby Yoda as the internet loves to refer to the character as.
Since the debut of Baby Yoda in The Mandalorian series premiere on Disney+, the character has gone on to become a phenomenon, captivating the internet with its adorable expressions, and the hilarious memes and videos fans have made of the character. Even Disney CEO Iger acknowledged Baby Yoda's popularity exceeded their expectations “by a wide margin,” and since it was kept a secret for the benefit of the story, merchandise for Baby Yoda has been slow. Most of the toys will be available in the spring of 2020, but that hasn’t stopped pre-orders for toys like the Funko Pop!, leading to it becoming Amazon’s #1 toy. The name Baby Yoda has been a popular way of referring to the character because of its obvious resemblance to Yoda, but saying that to the creator of the show was not the best move for Disney’s CEO.
In an interview on The Star Wars Show, Iger said: “We don’t refer to The Child or The Asset the way the world is referring to The Child and The Asset, as Baby Yoda. That’s a no, no.” According to Iger, he was “chastised” for referring to The Child as Baby Yoda. “In my early emails to Jon Favreau, I referenced in my emails, ‘Baby Yoda.’ It just seemed easy, and I got my wrist slapped by Jon like a few times: 'It’s not Baby Yoda!'" Considering the level of secrecy surrounding Baby Yoda, and the fact Favreau left it as a surprise, his insistence on the character not being called Baby Yoda is not surprising.
Iger would then go onto say Baby Yoda's design and lack of dialogue makes the character so “intriguing” to viewers. The air of mystery adds to the character's appeal, and the fact we don’t know its real name. He also joked that he needs extra security because he knows the character's real name, and people might try to give him some sort of "truth serum."
The tale of Baby Yoda and the theories behind its name, origins, and even its popularity seem to be never ending. Every week or day, we have a new story, but as Iger pointed out, The Mandalorian series has a very intriguing character, and humorous stories like Favreau telling off Iger for using the internet nickname is a welcome addition to the popular tale of Star Wars' new superstar.
Source: The Star Wars Show