The Baby Yoda Drought of 2019

We love Baby Yoda so much, we’re willing to ignore that he’s basically a ripoff of Gizmo from Gremlins. But what we’re not willing to do is buy him. Why? Because he’s too expensive. This is a problem that seems to plague the entire Star Wars universe, as figurines of the adorable li’l Jedi have been harder and harder to find since their initial appearance in The Mandalorian on Disney+. This isn’t because of a lack of demand, but rather because it takes about a year to bring plastic toys to market after a movie premieres. And when it comes to a cute stuffed animal, it can take even longer than that.

There have been several attempts to address this gap, including a squishy Yoda that’s set to hit stores this spring, as well as a talking plush toy that’s also due out in 2020. But neither has managed to tap into the same level of affection that’s fueled the unauthorized, black market Baby Yoda merch on sites like Etsy and eBay.

The unauthorized merchandise has been largely responsible for the Great Baby Yoda Drought of 2019, which some have compared to the Great Toy Yoda drought of 1977 that occurred in the fall and winter after The Empire Strikes Back premiered. Then, there were no new Star Wars toys to be bought until spring of 1978, because toy licensee Kenner only jumped on the Yoda bandwagon about a month or two prior to the movie’s release and didn’t have time to produce enough plastic Yodas to meet consumer demand.

And yet, that didn’t stop people from hopping on the unauthorized merch train to create their own versions of the cutest droid in the galaxy. In fact, as of this writing, there are 2,828 items listed on Etsy under the search term “Baby Yoda,” ranging from crocheted dolls to poseable figures.

But the most popular of these non-Disney-fied versions appears to be a life-size Baby Yoda figure that’s currently up for pre-order on the Sideshow website for $350. The Child, as he’s more formally known, stands at 16.5 inches tall and is meticulously detailed to replicate the look of the character as seen in The Mandalorian.

The pre-order includes a removable satchel inspired by the one Grogu carried in season two of The Mandalorian, as well as a set of swiveling hips so that the Yoda can stand on his own without needing to be propped up with other objects or the floor. The official figure is scheduled to ship between August and October this year. And it’s not the only Baby Yoda merch on the way: Hasbro revealed earlier this year that it’s working on a 6.5-inch and 2.2-inch version of the character that can talk when kids squeeze it. (It’ll also recite some of his favorite lines from the show.) But if those are too expensive for you, this one from Funko might work just as well.