Yahoo Finance Why 'Baby Yoda' could be 2020's hottest toy
Baby Yoda “Stuffed Toy,” “Funko” and “Doll”: Those are a few of the top searches on Google trends related to “Baby Yoda,” an intriguing new character in Disney’s (DIS) “The Mandalorian.”
But Baby Yoda plush dolls and bobbleheads won’t be this year’s hottest holiday gift. in fact, they won’t be available until the spring of 2020, though fans can pre-order them now. The toys reportedly weren’t made in advance because Disney wanted to avoid leaks about the character, a baby that exists in the “Star Wars” universe with the ability to use the Force.
One industry expert says the demand for Baby Yoda toys would have made it the hottest, must-have gift this holiday if it were actually available. “Anything Baby Yoda is probably going to be hot,” Ali Mierzejewski, editor-in-chief of The Toy Insider, tells Yahoo Finance.
If you think fans and kids will lose interest in Baby Yoda by the spring, think again.
“It’s got a look for toys,” Mierzejewski tells Yahoo Finance, “it’s got that sort of ability to make fun t-shirts, or even take off on the internet in a meme culture situation so I’m not surprised that everybody jumped on so quickly.”
The Baby Yoda toys available for pre-order include: the Mattel (MAT) 11’ vinyl head plush doll; the Funko (FNKO) pop doll in two sizes; and Baby Yoda jigsaw puzzle with poster from Buffalo Games available on Dec. 30.
However, other Baby Yoda apparel like T-Shirts and other items will be available before Christmas. A simple search on Amazon (AMZN) or (ETSY) will bring up Baby Yoda t-shirts, ugly sweaters, socks, even a crotchet alien toy “inspired by Baby Yoda.”
Some of the merchandise online is official, some is not. “When consumers are out there looking for products they should really be aware of third part sellers so any company that is not affiliated with the official toy manufacturer are potentially making knock-offs, or are buying the company’s supply and reselling them for higher price points,” Mierzejewski said.
Ines Ferre is markets reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @inesreports.
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