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The character, officially called The Child, but
which has been dubbed Baby Yoda by fans, is the breakout star of
the "Star Wars"-themed show on the Disney+ subscription
streaming service.
Fans have clamored for toys and merchandise since the service's
debut in November. But Baby Yoda toys were not available before
the premier season of "The Mandalorian" because the creators
wanted to maintain the show's secrecy, executive producer Dave
Filoni said in an interview in New York.
Toys from other shows including "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" will
also go on sale next month.
Disney partnered with toy makers Hasbro Inc, Funko Inc and
Mattel Inc to make board games, figures and costumes.
Pre-sales of some of the products began last year and customers
are expected to receive their orders starting next month.
Paul Southern, senior vice president of franchise for the "Star
Wars" consumer products division for Lucasfilm, said during a
panel that he and his product development team were on a tighter
deadline to create products, despite missing the holiday
shopping season, which caused much controversy with fans.
"We had to re-engineer the way that we go to market," Southern
said.
Southern said that Disney+ has completely changed how the
company releases products.
"Disney+ is a different paradigm," Southern said. "People are
going to see products on shelves on a 365-day basis."
Southern said that having content and shows constantly available
to consumers keeps viewers interested in products year-round.
The second season of "The Mandalorian" is set for release in
October and the final season of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars"
premieres on Feb. 21.
(Reporting by Arriana McLymore; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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