Din Grogu (/ˈɡroʊɡu/), colloquially referred to as Baby Yoda, is a character from the Star Wars Disney+ original television series The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.

[2][4][15] Until Chapter 13 (i.e. episode 5 of season 2) of The Mandalorian, Grogu was not identified by a proper name, being referred to by sympathetic characters as "the child", "the kid", or "the baby", and by the antagonists as "the asset", "the bounty", "the target", or "the donor".

He plans to leave Grogu in a village there under the care of a widow named Omera (Julia Jones), but after another bounty hunter tracks them down, he realizes the planet is not safe.

Greef proposes that the Mandalorian help him kill the Client and eliminate the Imperial presence from the planet, and in exchange, he and Grogu will be safe from any further reprisals from the Guild.

[39][40][41] The plan goes wrong and Kuiil is killed by Imperial Scout Troopers,[44][45] who briefly abduct Grogu before he is rescued by IG-11 at the start of the first-season finale, "Chapter 8: Redemption".

In "Chapter 12: The Siege", the Mandalorian and Grogu return to Nevarro for repairs to the Razor Crest, and reunite with Greef Karga and Cara Dune, who have since turned the planet around.

While the Mandalorian goes with Greef, Cara, and their Mythrol companion (Horatio Sanz) to destroy the last Imperial base on Nevarro in exchange for said repairs, Grogu is left at a local school, where he uses the Force to steal some cookies from another child.

[61] At Disney's first quarter 2024 earnings call, CEO Bob Iger announced that a new Star Wars movie was being developed "that brings the Mandalorian and Grogu to the big screen for the very first time.

[5] Jeanne Cavelos, former NASA astrophysicist and author of The Science of Star Wars, also believes Grogu demonstrates intelligence beyond his years, noting his awareness and empathy toward beings even when their faces or bodies are covered completely, as well as his ability to recognize injury in others and attempt to repair it.

In mid-2017, shortly after Favreau pitched The Mandalorian to Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, she suggested he meet with Dave Filoni, who had co-created several Star Wars animated series.

[67][87] Favreau encouraged the directors to test and push the boundaries of the Grogu puppet during filming, urging them to experiment and attempt to get the most realistic movements and mannerisms possible from the character.

"[93] Likewise, Giancarlo Esposito said he enjoyed interacting with the Grogu puppet during filming: "It melts my heart, because the reality is, this little baby does things that you could never imagine and when you look at those eyes and that little body, how can you not help but fall in love?

[80][97][98] Chow said directing the scene between Herzog and Grogu in "Chapter 3: The Sin" was "one of the weirdest" moments of her career,[67][88][99] because he had so much affection for the puppet and was interacting with it like it was a living being.

As examples, she cited Obi-Wan Kenobi serving as a mentor to the adolescent Anakin Skywalker, Princess Leia lamenting over her grown son Kylo Ren, or the absence of Rey's parents.

[119] Anthony Breznican of Vanity Fair has noted that none of the day-to-day difficulties of parenthood are portrayed in the series: "There is no shrill squawking from Baby Yoda, no tantrum, no spit-up, no uncontrollable shrieking that burrows into a parent’s psyche like a dentist’s drill shredding a soft, pink nerve.

"[67] Likewise, Vulture writer Kathryn VanArendonk said the show ignores or does not address many parenting details that make fatherhood difficult, such as what Grogu eats, when he goes to sleep, and whether he wears diapers.

[128][72][130] Peter Foy of Comic Book Resources wrote: "It doesn't exactly seem realistic that Disney would blow its merchandising potential with the little cutie by going all Damien (The Omen) in his storyline.

[73] Esquire writer Matt Miller noted that Yoda lied about his identity during his initial appearance in The Empire Strikes Back, posing as a simple-minded observer to Luke Skywalker before revealing himself to be a Jedi Master.

[11] However, the nickname is not used internally by the crew of The Mandalorian, and Disney CEO Bob Iger said he "got [his] wrist slapped" by Favreau for calling the character Baby Yoda in e-mail messages.

[4][75] Vulture writer Madison Malone Kircher described Grogu as an example of a character so popular that his fame nearly eclipsed that of his own franchise, comparing him to Baby Groot from the Guardians of the Galaxy films.

[4] Likewise, Robyn Bahr of The Hollywood Reporter said the positive response to Grogu, along with that of the show The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, demonstrate that audiences still desire puppetry, animatronics, and practical effects rather than only CGI.

[5] In an article in the magazine, writer Rebecca Keegan argued Grogu is the culmination of several shifts and trends in the entertainment industry over the decade prior to the release of The Mandalorian.

[67] Various celebrities have tweeted about the character, including Ariana Grande,[64] Elon Musk,[155] Dwayne Johnson, Russell Wilson, Alex Rodriguez,[151] and Donald Trump Jr.[156] Zach Vasquez of The Guardian wrote: "It's now practically impossible to scroll through any social media platform without being inundated with pics, videos, memes and gifs of the bug-eyed, big-eared tot.

[163][164] Various sports teams have created their own memes with Grogu, including Los Angeles Clippers, New York Islanders, Phoenix Suns, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco Giants, Sacramento Kings, Seattle Mariners, and Tennessee Volunteers football.

[170] Grogu was also parodied multiple times on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update segment by comedian Kyle Mooney, starting on the December 14, 2019 episode, in which he gossiped about the Mandalorian cast, talked about his future business ventures, and threatened Baby Groot.

[173] On February 20, the United States Army revealed that a M1 Abrams tank belonging to the 3rd Infantry Division of Fort Stewart in Georgia had been named after Grogu, with the words "BABY YODA" printed on the barrel of its gun.

Iger reiterated that Disney is a story-first company which has "never set out to tell a story simply because it can become a toy or a game or a consumer product of some sort",[177] and he described the wait to unveil Grogu as "worth it".

"[110] Due to the scarcity of licensed merchandise of Grogu, many unlicensed products featuring the character were created and sold through the Internet, including via websites like Etsy.

[194][195] In March 2020, an unofficial user-created mod for the video game Star Wars Battlefront II allowed the character BB-8 to be replaced with a playable version of Grogu.

[200] In 2021, Grogu's likeness was published in scientific literature, in a medical journal article titled, "Baby Yoda: Pareidolia and Patternicity in Sacral MRI and CT Scans".