Disney to Etsy: Sell unofficial Baby Yoda merch you may not
By Ariba Bhuvad
Baby Yoda, the scene-stealing alien from The Mandalorian, has become an internet phenomenon. And why wouldn’t he? (If it’s a he.) Have you seen how cute this guy is? If only we could take him home.
In order to keep Baby Yoda a secret, Disney opted not to make merchandise ahead of time. In the meantime, fans have been filling the gap with their own creations on places like Etsy, but with official merch finally here, Disney is cracking down. According to The Verge, the company is enforcing copyright laws on anyone trying to sell any unlicensed Baby Yoda merch.
It’s no surprise that Disney is protecting its assets like this; the Mouse is notorious for keeping a tight grip on its intellectual property. At this point, what this means is that any Etsy shops attempting to sell Baby Yoda merchandise are having their listings removed. Sales, predictably, have dropped.
Some places, like the Etsy shop Your Stuff Memories, have adjusted by removing any words that directly relate to Disney or Star Wars. For example, that shop’s Baby Yoda plush toy (which is sold out, by the way) not as “Baby Yoda” but rather under a variety of tags, including, “The Baby, baby alien plush, star plushie, alien toy, star battle, galaxy wars, yodoll.”
I like “Yodoll,” myself.
Is Disney in the wrong here? Should they just let these Etsy shops do their thing without creating a fuss? I vote yes — it’s not like this is really going to take a bite out of Disney’s profits — but what do you think?
Speaking of adorable baby versions of Star Wars characters, what if the universe introduced more? Artist Leonardo Viti has given us a glimpse at what a Baby Jabba the Hutt would look like. Warning: It’s adorable AF.
Who knew a Baby Jabba could be so cute? With all these Star Wars movies coming out, could they just do one with all baby versions of their characters? Baby Chewie? Baby Greedo? Baby Admiral Ackbar? Perhaps Disney+ could tackle this idea? Please?
Disney, we’re looking to you to make this fan art a reality.
Next. See the Game of Thrones cast on the red carpet at the SAG Awards. dark
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Watch Game of Thrones for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels
h/t AV Club, Comicbook.com