Baby Yoda’s lack of merchandise might be costing Disney millions. The latest Disney/Star Wars character to cause a sensation has been a major focal point for several weeks now, all thanks to the new Disney+ series, The Mandalorian.
Though the public has only been aware of the character since the new series saw the Mandalorian rescue a very unique child from certain death, the Star Wars universe will likely never be the same again. Yoda has always maintained a certain level of fascination among Star Wars fans, but the endearing pint-sized Jedi Knight has had few chances since his death in 1983’s Return of the Jedi to delight fans. And while the Yoda that we are now seeing in The Mandalorian couldn’t possibly be the Yoda that Star Wars fans have come to know and love, people are no less taken with him. In fact, the popularity of this new Baby Yoda has obviously increased demand for merchandise – particularly with Christmas on its way, but Disney has already made it clear that the vast majority of their official Mandalorian merchandise will not arrive until well into the new year.
Of course, these figures can’t be taken as fact, but even as a rough guideline to what sort of revenue Disney is possibly missing out on, it’s clear that Baby Yoda’s merchandising potential is quite large. Previous reports have indicated that Disney avoided creating Baby Yoda merchandise out of respect for The Mandalorian creator and writer Jon Favreau’s desire not to spoil the twists involved in the hit series. While this decision has obviously been appreciated by Favreau and fans alike, there are more than a fair share of Baby Yoda enthusiasts who wish they could purchase merchandise without waiting until 2020. At the same time, however, although Disney wasn’t certain how much of a hit either The Mandalorian or Baby Yoda would be, we are talking about the biggest entertainment corporation in the world, here. Every move Disney makes is calculated and considered in advance, and missing out on even $2.7 million in sales is hardly going to have disastrous results for the Mouse House.
Another point to consider in this issue is that although Disney may be missing out on upwards of $2.7 million in Baby Yoda merchandise at present, the demand for this product will likely have reached fever pitch by the new year, meaning that holding back on delivering it could very well result in enormous sales once the merchandise actually becomes available. As previously noted, Disney has never had any problems making financial sense, and although Baby Yoda’s popularity may have taken them by surprise, we can hardly expect this momentum to pass without Disney profiting from it.
Next: Star Was Theory: Baby Yoda Is The Last Of His Species
Source: Jungle Scout
