The Mandalorian proved to be one of the most hotly anticipated works of original content on the Disney+ streaming service, and only a handful of episodes into its first season the show has reinvigorated Star Wars just in time for the holiday season. But Disney didn't let a focus on profits get in the way of spoiling The Mandalorian's storytelling.
The first episode of The Mandalorian concluded with a creative twist that propelled the plot of the show: Its main character, the mysterious Mandalorian, discovered the bounty he was sent to collect was actually an infant of the same race as famed Jedi Master Yoda. Each episode provides new screen grabs for meme fodder as "Baby Yoda's" popularity has skyrocketed.
Disney makes a great deal of profit off merchandising its intellectual property, and the Star Wars franchise is no stranger to cashing in on cute characters to sell as children's toys, knickknacks and plush dolls. When the sequel movies introduced the little droid BB-8 there were dolls and gadgets and even waffle irons selling like hot cakes before The Force Awakens even premiered. However, the situation with Baby Yoda is a little different.
Baby Yoda was hidden from most of the press leading up to the The Mandalorian's release, ensuring the big surprise in the first episode would stay that way. Many aspects of the character remain a mystery, in stark contrast to characters whose casting and descriptions were released months before the show came out. To keep Baby Yoda a secret, Disney refrained from developing merchandise around the character. Something that comes as a particular shock given the show was released just weeks before the holiday season, a time when potential merchandising dollars are ripe for the taking.
Etsy and eBay have already stepped into the void to sweep up some of those dollars with bootleg products, but as of yet there is no officially licensed items for Baby Yoda from Disney to put under the Christmas tree. And it's possible that Disney could be missing out on a trend that is already peaking. If the memes exhaust fans of Baby Yoda and cause them to lose interest in the character, Disney's restraint could come at an immense cost.
While the company may not be thrilled about competitors cashing in on their IP, it has shown its capable of prioritizing storytelling over the bottom line. While the House of Mouse has been criticized in the past for profit-mongering and IP protection, its actions in this case go a small way in showing an effort to preserve creators' artistic vision and the fan experience of the properties it releases.
The situation does somewhat reflect the controversy surrounding merchandising for The Force Awakens where the lack of Rey products was criticized in comparison to the products available for her male counterparts. At the time Disney and Hasbro defended their decision based on concerns about spoilers and the protection of creative vision. Yet, while that reasoning previously landed flat it actually works with Baby Yoda.
It came as no great shock that Rey discovered her Force powers during The Force Awakens, whereas fans didn't anticipate the appearance of Baby Yoda. As a result, instead of sexist overtones, the reason for the lack of Baby Yoda merchandise feels a lot more sincere. There's always the possibility that this will all turn to Disney's profitable advantage somewhere down the line, but as of now, credit should be given to the company where it's due.