The Earth collectively shuddered earlier this week when a Photoshop of Yoda with a caucasian skin tone went viral (though confusingly, the actual image was created seven years ago). It turned one of the most loveable characters in the Star Wars franchise into something horrible: bearing a disconcerting resemblance to a bald Donald Trump.
Now, perhaps inevitably, the same treatment has been given to the still wildly popular Baby Yoda, who debuted in The Mandalorian last year. The results are similarly horrifying, too, with creator Steven Paugh comparing him to Harry Potter’s Dobby.
It seems that the Yoda species’ unusual skin tone may be the single factor that prevents the design heading into the uncanny valley. Without it, the characters end up looking like horribly deformed and wrinkly infants. Whereas Baby Yoda’s big eyes usually convey an adorable sense of curiosity and childlike wonder, here he delivers a blank and unsettling stare. If he were like this in the show itself, the parts where he devours frogs whole may have suddenly seemed a lot more disturbing.
Fortunately, regular brand Baby Yoda (or, as Lucasfilm would prefer you call him, The Child) is definitely staying green. Ever since The Mandalorian premiered, audiences have gone nuts for the little guy. Disney and Lucasfilm appeared to be caught on the back foot by his popularity, too, failing to produce any merchandise of note for the holiday period (though a lot’s now in the pipeline).
And with the second season of The Mandalorian set to premiere this fall, don’t expect Baby Yoda to disappear anytime soon. In fact, word is that Disney wants to make him a key part of the Star Wars universe going forward. So, get ready to see a lot more of the character as the studio decides where they’re going to take the franchise in the 2020s.
