Let’s face it – Baby Yoda is the best thing that came out of The Mandalorian. Maybe even out of Disney+. The 50-year old “Baby Yoda”, as the internet has dubbed the character, has taken over our Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook feeds ever since The Mandalorian premiered in November.
- 6 Stages of Baby Yoda
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Baby Yoda is perfection – change my mind. Referred on the show as “the Child”, the infant is able to use the Force, eat frogs, and sip tea (actually, it was soup). Even the Mandalorian can’t resist the pure, wholesome cuteness of Baby Yoda.
- Baby Yoda and His Soup
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Baby Yoda’s charm is undeniable – as one reviewer states, “[Baby Yoda] clearly appeals not just to Star Wars fans, but a bigger demographic: lovers of all things tiny, baby, wholesome, and adorable”. To many, Baby Yoda is the aspect of The Mandalorian that keeps viewers returning to the show every week (episodes are released weekly); the character is more than just a merch tie-in – he brings moments of levity and softness to a show about a solitary bounty hunter. As the show progresses further, the mystery surrounding Baby Yoda is slowly unraveled. Why is the Empire hunting him? How is he being tracked? Can I adopt him?
- “You keep smiling at your phone, what are you looking at?”
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Additionally, Baby Yoda adds an aspect of humanity to the show’s titular character (by episode 4, Mando has gone full Dad), who is now fully committed to protecting Baby Yoda from fob-carrying bounty hunters and the Empire itself.
- Disney Crossover
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Many have recognized that Baby Yoda is not Star Wars’ first attempt at bringing an element of cuteness into the universe. Pretty much everyone loved R2-D2 from the original trilogy, and there were mixed opinions on the teddy bear-like Ewoks (yub-nub!) from Return of the Jedi. In the current trilogy, we were introduced to BB-8, the roly-poly companion of Poe Dameron. And of course, the Porgs, who appeared everywhere in The Last Jedi (roasted on a spit by Chewbacca, infesting the Millennium Falcon) and were marketed heavily, found a group of dedicated fans and haters. Baby Yoda may be the first Star Wars character who manages to be lovable and cute without being annoying.
- Distracted Boyfriend
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The undeniable cuteness of Baby Yoda hasn’t gone unnoticed by celebrities either. Here’s Deborah Chow, the director of episode 3, explaining to Vanity Fair how one of the show’s supporting actors Werner Herzog has grown very attached to the youngster: “I had a day with one of the weirdest moments I’ve ever had directing. I was directing Werner with the puppet, and Werner had just fallen in love with the baby. Werner, I think, had forgotten it wasn’t actually a live creature, and started sort of…directing the baby.” She continued: “Werner is talking to the baby as if it was a real thing. And I’m trying to direct Werner, and I’m just like, How did I get here? How did my life end up like this?”
- Regular Babies vs. Baby Yoda
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In an interview with Variety, Elisabeth Moss (Handmaid’s Tale, Mad Men) said Baby Yoda “united the country in a way that is very necessary”.
- Instagram vs. Reality
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And of course, this article from Forbes became very popular last week, which revealed that Baby Yoda was so popular online that he “has averaged more social interactions per story than the 2020 Democratic candidates”.
- Best part of #ImpeachmentHearing I am.
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Here are some more memes that definitely will give you Baby Yoda fever:
- They’re Both 50??
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- RIP Kermit
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So, I think we all agree that we would die to protect Baby Yoda, right?