Why We Should be Talking About Baby Yoda

So if you haven't seen the memes, the GIFs, the fan art and the numerous Instagram accounts dedicated to the Mandolarian and more specifically the shows star, the gem that is baby Yoda where have you been? Seriously? He's kind of a big deal.

Recently Disney teased us all with its new Disney Plus show the Mandalorian.

DEFINITION: Mandalorians are fictional people associated with the planet Mandalore in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas.

As a little background for those of you who haven't watched, the story of the Mandalorian sets itself in the Star Wars universe but brings a whole new cast and story about the miscellaneous adventures of a guy in a mask (a Mandolarian) and a very cute baby Yoda that yes, I am aware isn't actually Yoda but instead a version of his species from a different time.

Now, I may offend a lot of people when I say this but at the ripe age of 22 I have yet to see Star Wars and have managed to avoid both the older films and newer blockbusters. Despite this even I got roped into watching the Mandalorian and sharing my love for its characters all over social media. The simple reason behind this sudden change of mind being the cuteness of baby Yoda and his sippy cup.

I am aware this sounds ridiculous and looks as though i'm just jumping on the bandwagon but this did make me think, Bravo Disney you really are one step closer to taking over the World. I have, alongside many others been unintentionally assisting Disney by advertising a show that ordinarily I would have zero interest in just because of the cuteness factor. This is genius marketing, they have managed to make a character that brings new interest to the star wars brand from arguably their lowest demographic (seriously... I hate space stuff) while still keeping current fans entertained.

By now we've all heard about some major animation flops this year with the likes of blockbuster Cats getting endlessly criticised and Sonic the hedgehog undergoing a swift and drastic makeover. Disney's decision to strip their show back and use old school puppetry shows even further how ahead of the game the brand have been on this one. They have managed to achieve a huge creative effect while bringing in some nostalgia from older Star Wars audiences who may be more custom to animatronics.

As a UK viewer I was initially confused as to why DisneyPlus has not been made available here yet... Especially knowing the fan base of this new show is largely based in this country and so presumably as I did, a whole host of people are now streaming this show illegally. As with every decision made by Disney I presume this in itself was carefully decided, getting masses of people who though may not be directly streaming your services talking about it and encouraging others to stream the show presumably just in time for the UK launch in Spring.

Disney's only downfall if any, is in fact underestimating the demand for baby Yoda merchandise at Christmas, I looked everywhere for a doll but sadly no release yet. I have heard some is available in the new Star Wars Land in America though so I guess they win again because i'm going to go book my flight.

Attracting a new younger audience by putting something cute in isn't a new concept but damn Disney your designers have done well here.

So have you seen the show? Do you think Disney got lucky or was this a well planned and anticipated marketing strategy? Let me know on social media!