Baby Yoda is the pop culture figure of the moment, dominating any and all conversations about The Mandalorian, the Disney+ Star Wars series in which it debuted, and conquering everything from Time Magazine to Best Movies of 2019 lists to Werner Herzog’s heart. Which is why it’s always surprising to remember that Baby Yoda isn’t really Baby Yoda. We don’t yet know the real name of Baby Yoda, but Jon Favreau and the directors behind The Mandalorian aren’t keen to reveal that name anytime soon.
Favreau, who executive produces the hit Disney+ series The Mandalorian, confirmed to USA Today during the Golden Globes that Baby Yoda isn’t actually a baby version of Yoda. Rather, Baby Yoda is just a placeholder name that caught on in pop culture. A species for this particular brand of adorable broth-drinking creature has yet been decided on either, so Favreau and the characters in the show have taken to calling it The Child — which admittedly isn’t as catchy a name as Baby Yoda, a nickname that is the “easiest, shortest, most hashtaggable way” to identify the character, though inaccurate, Favreau said.
But Favreau remained tight-lipped on what the name is, suggesting there are some spoilers associated with Baby Yoda’s real name, telling USA Today:
“Well, now you’re getting into spoilers. I can’t say. But there are a lot of theories about that.”
Taika Waititi, the director of this year’s Jojo Rabbit and one of the episodes in season 1 of The Mandalorian, added onto the intrigue behind Baby Yoda’s name, but also would not reveal it.
“He’s not named Baby Yoda!” Waititi told The New York Times reporter Kyle Buchanan. Buchanan added that there is a name yet to be revealed that Waititi refused to hint at. “I’ll wait for Favreau to give that away,” Waititi said.
Will we have to wait until the next season of The Mandalorian to find out Baby Yoda’s name? It’s still a long way until The Mandalorian season 2, which is set to premiere on Disney+ in fall 2020. But at least fans won’t have to wait as long for Baby Yoda toys — those begin shipping in May.
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