The Mandalorian breakout star Grogu is perhaps best known by his “Baby Yoda” nickname, but that’s just fine with series creator Jon Favreau. When the Yoda-like infant was first introduced in the show’s pilot episode, he wasn’t given a name, quickly spawning the Baby Yoda moniker from fans. He’d be referred to as “the Child” or “the Asset” before he was finally named in a season 2 episode when it was revealed that Baby Yoda’s real name is Grogu.
Some Star Wars purists might now insist that the character always be referred to as Grogu, but for those unable to make the switch, Favreau completely understands. Speaking about the character on Good Morning America, Favreau said that it’s okay for fans to still call him Baby Yoda, and in fact, it’s still used as a nickname on the Mandalorian set.
“I had written [Grogu] in the script from very early on, and we finally revealed it in the show,” Favreau explains. “But of course, everybody knows Grogu as Baby Yoda. Which, by the way, is fine with all of us. We still call him Baby Yoda too, but he prefers to be called Grogu, if you notice in the show. He perks up a lot when you say his name.”
Grogu, or Baby Yoda if you will, immediately stole the show when he debuted at the start of The Mandalorian. Because Favreau wanted his introduction to be a surprise, Disney hadn’t produced any official merchandise featuring the character to sell in conjunction with the show’s premiere. Unofficial Baby Yoda merchandise would become a hot seller during last year’s holiday season as a result, but this year, everything from toys and action figures to Christmas tree toppers can be found.
“The Christmas tree thing, that’s a bit of a new one, but I love that,” Favreau said. “I think it’s because when we first showed Baby Yoda… there was no merchandise for the whole first year. So people had to have ingenuity. So on Etsy, online, on social media, you would see people making their own Baby Yoda stuff. So this kind of keeps in that tradition.”
Also on Good Morning America, Favreau officially announced The Book of Boba Fett, a new Star Wars series teased at the end of The Mandalorian. He also confirmed that the spinoff will be separate from season 3 of The Mandalorian, which will resume as a separate entity. Additionally, other projects related to The Mandalorian are also in the works at Disney+, including an Ahsoka series and Rangers of the New Republic.
People are still buzzing about the shocking reveal that came at the end of the season 2 finale of The Mandalorian. This opens the door for speculation about another spinoff series following a younger Luke Skywalker, perhaps with Sebastian Stan in the role. In any case, there will be tons of Star Wars content for fans of the franchise to look forward to, both on the big and small screens. Every episode of The Mandalorian is currently streaming on Disney+. This news stems from Good Morning America.
