With huge movie franchises like Star Wars, an estimable sum of sales ultimately comes from retail. That is why, despite the Mouse House failing to generate enough buzz for the last three movies in the Skywalker Saga at the box office, and even falling short of breaking even in the case of Solo: A Star Wars Story, the company is greatly profiting from the success of The Mandalorian and the cute little merchandising tool known to fans of the galaxy far, far away as Baby Yoda.
Indeed, it’s no news that The Child’s popularity has exceeded that of the brand’s as well. Ever since the premiere of the first season, the internet has been awestruck by Mando’s adorable sidekick. So much so, in fact, that even non-Star Wars fans would be quick to recognize him. And after more than a year, it seems that the Baby Yoda craze has yet to die down.
Of course, international toy manufacturer Hasbro is also raking it in at the moment. During the last fiscal year alone, the company’s sales for the Star Wars line saw a 70% increase, courtesy of Baby Yoda and the world’s unyielding obsession with the puppeteered character. Here’s what Hasbro’s CEO Brian Goldner had to say about the matter in a chat with CNBC:
“What’s been great for our business is that streaming content is now being enjoyed by so many people. It has really hit a tipping point. And that tipping point means that you have tens of millions of people watching a piece of content over a given early period of time that allows us to ‘eventize’.”
For now, the legendary Luke Skywalker has taken Baby Grogu under his care to train him in the ways of the Force. But considering the character’s popularity within The Mandalorian fandom and his worth to Disney, it’ll only be a matter of time before he returns to our screens and steals our hearts yet again.
Have you been one to contribute to these action figure and doll sales, though? Let us know in the comments below.
