“Baby Yoda,” a breakout star from “The Mandalorian,” will soon have merchandise available from several toy makers. (Photo: Disney+)
TAMPA, Fla. - This is not a drill, Star Wars fans: Baby Yoda toys are reportedly coming soon to Build-A-Bear Workshop!
Fans of the popular Disney Plus show "The Mandalorian" have been scrambling for any merchandise they can find featuring "The Child."
Business Insider reports the Baby Yoda stuffed animal will be available in the next few months, according to Build-A-Bear CEO Sharon Price John.
"I'm excited to share we will be one of the first companies to provide the digital and internet phenomenon who is trending higher than all the presidential candidates combined," John said during a presentation on Tuesday at an investment conference in Orlando, Florida, according to Business Insider. "We now will have The Child, also known as Baby Yoda."
Related: Baby Yoda toys can be pre-ordered, but you won’t get your hands on one for several months
A plush Baby Yoda from Mattel was made available for pre-order in early December, though fans wouldn't receive them until at least April. And a Baby Yoda bobble head by toy maker Funko isn't expected to be available until May.
The Child character became an instant hit with “The Mandalorian” fans after appearing for the first time at the end of the series’ premiere episode, which creator Jon Favreau specifically kept a secret. Favreau wanted the character to be a surprise, so Disney agreed to wait to produce merchandise of The Child until after the first episode was released.
“I have to thank Disney and Lucasfilm, because the way the cat usually gets out of the bag with that stuff is merchandising and toy catalogs and things like that,” Favreau told Entertainment Tonight. “So they really back us up. We really wanted to have it be that you had to watch it yourself, so that every time you watch the show, there are new twists and secrets that come out... Part of that was holding back on some of the merchandise and holding back on some of the characters.”