Disney+ introduced its most famous breakout star, Baby Yoda, on The Mandalorian when it launched on November 12, 2019. Turns out…the Baby Yoda puppet cost $5 million to make!
Such was the power of Baby Yoda’s cuteness that, when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker premiered on December 20 to conclude the Skywalker journey started in 1977, the baby remained the central focus of the Internet’s love and affection. He inspired trends, memes and viral videos like a true Star Wars legend.
But first, to acknowledge the elephant (er…alien?) in the room
Contrary to popular belief, Baby Yoda is not, in fact, Yoda – which is why his real name is…The Child. The original Yoda, pictured below, was already old when we first met him in the 1980 film Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
However, to this day, none of the films and subsequent media (shows, books, comics, etc) have revealed the name of his species, nor the name of his birth-planet.
The Mandalorian takes place after the original Star Wars films, making it impossible for this baby to be Yoda. It’s likely that director Jon Favreau will bestow a name upon The Child next season. In the process, we’ll likely learn about his origin and species. Until then, there’s still a certain joy in calling him “baby Yoda,” as “The Child” sounds so bland. Fun fact: he’s a 50-year-old baby. Now, don’t you wish you could age so slowly?
Concept art for Baby Yoda
So…Baby Yoda is worth how much, you say?
Actor Adam Pally claims that Baby Yoda is secretly a diva and that he spends too much time vaping. He and costar Jason Sudeikis reached new heights of infamy, nearly rivaling that of Jar Jar Binks (most hated Star Wars character of all time) for a scene in which they do the unmentionable: they punch the child.
Late in season one, Pally and Sudeikis play bike scouts who kidnap the baby for nefarious purposes and proceed to poke at him. When Baby Yoda bites Pally’s finger, Pally commits the cardinal sin of whacking him, prompting the baby to emit the cry heard around the world. Pally opened up about why this moment of his career was so stressful for him in an Entertainment Weekly interview:
“I remember the first take that I did when I punched him,” he said. “They called ‘Cut!’ and Jon, who was watching on a monitor in his office, he came down from this office and said, ‘I just want to let you know that this is the hero Yoda [the main prop used for close-ups] and it costs, like, $5 million. So while I want you to hit it, I just want you to know that.’ Because I think I took a big swing at it. And the next three takes I missed, because I was so nervous.”
Adam Pally, ew.com
Jason Sudeikis did not get away unscathed. Comedy troupe The Second City put out the following statement on Twitter, condemning his Bay-Yoda-punching behavior:
There you have it – the Baby Yoda puppet cost $5 million
In an interview with Variety, a reporter asked Jon Favreau about his decision to use practical effects on the show, as opposed to CGI. He talked about the tradition of Star Wars – puppetry, animatronics, and minimal CGI.
“Star Wars gives you the opportunity to tap into all these practical special effects. And so theres great puppetry, great animatronics, I think with Star Wars there’s an expectance of a certain look, and so I’m taking chances here that I wouldn’t take on a film that wasn’t this, but because fans are already invested in those technologies”
Jon Favreau, variety.com
It probably makes sense that the price tag for the Baby Yoda puppet was $5 million. It reportedly requires two technicians to operate – one for his eyes and mouth, and the other for various expressions.
Star Wars creator George Lucas holds his grandson for the first time
Actor Werner Herzog, who plays another character on The Mandalorian, urged the crew to use the puppet instead of resorting to CGI. He claimed it was “heartbreakingly beautiful” and admitted that the sight of it nearly made him cry.
Do you think season 2 will give Baby Yoda his own name so that we can stop calling him Baby Yoda for once?
Either way, if the Baby Yoda cookie displayed on this post (shared again below) made you as hungry as it did me, you can find more of artist Lotopauanka’s work on her Instagram here.
To see why France declared lightsaber dueling as a competitive sport, or what R2D2 would say if he spoke English, click here and here.
Until next time, my ScreenPlaya buddies, may you walk with giants, find your hidden treasures, and know in your hearts that you’re amazing.
