Baby Yoda

Origin

Baby Yoda is the nickname for the small green alien in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, and the meme built from his scenes. For a long time the show officially called him "The Child," but because he looks like an infant version of Star Wars Jedi Master Yoda, fans immediately started calling him Baby Yoda.

The character first appeared in the final scene of the first episode of The Mandalorian, released on November 12, 2019 alongside the launch of Disney+. In the story he is a 50-year-old member of Yoda's species. Creator Jon Favreau kept the character entirely out of pre-release marketing and merchandise to avoid spoilers, reportedly influenced by Donald Glover's advice about the value of surprise in pop culture. On set he was an animatronic puppet built by effects company Legacy Effects, with two technicians controlling the eyes, mouth and facial expressions.

Spread

The reaction exploded from the day of the premiere. Twitter user @pissvortext's tweet repeating "baby yoda canon baby yoda canon" passed 9,000 likes in two days, and a GIF post from @fakehappymeal that same morning drew 5,200 likes and 2,000 retweets. On Reddit, a related post reached 1,400 points and 560 comments in two days. Social media interactions hit 2.28 million in the first two weeks after launch, and The Guardian named him "2019's biggest new character," with Vulture, Collider, BuzzFeed and Newsweek also rushing to cover him.

Two scenes became the most-used memes: him holding a bowl in his tiny hands and sipping soup, and him fiddling with buttons and levers in a ship's cockpit, the latter often edited with different music. Because the character had been kept secret, there was no official merchandise at first, to fans' dismay. His popularity even reached space, with a Baby Yoda plush flying aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon.

The Name Grogu

His real name came much later. In "Chapter 13: The Jedi," the fifth episode of season 2, released on November 27, 2020, the Jedi Ahsoka Tano communicates with him through the Force and reveals that his name is Grogu. The episode also revealed that he was raised at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and rescued when the Jedi Order fell. Later, in the season 3 finale "Chapter 24: The Return," the Mandalorian formally adopts him and he receives the name Din Grogu. Even with an official name, the nickname Baby Yoda remains widely used online.

Usage

• The soup-sipping scene as a spectator reaction image, like "just sipping my tea" while watching drama unfold
• The button-mashing scene edited with music to express curiosity or mischief
• Expressing protective instincts toward something adorable: "must protect"

Sources

• Know Your Meme, "Baby Yoda" — the November 12, 2019 premiere and character reveal, his 50-year-old age, figures for tweets by @pissvortext and @fakehappymeal and the Reddit post, major media coverage
• Wikipedia, "Grogu" — Jon Favreau and the Legacy Effects puppet, the strategy of keeping him out of marketing and merchandise and Donald Glover's advice, 2.28 million interactions in two weeks, The Guardian's assessment, the soup and button memes, SpaceX's Crew Dragon, the season 3 adoption and the name Din Grogu
• Wikipedia, "Chapter 13: The Jedi" — release on November 27, 2020, the reveal of the name Grogu through Ahsoka Tano and his backstory