The debut of the television series The Mandalorian in 2019 on Disney + sparked a renewed audience interest in the contemporary interpretation of the Star Wars franchise, welcoming nostalgic fans who grew up with Luke, Leia, Han Solo, and Darth Vader and embracing newer audiences alike. Vaulting to the top of the Nielsen ratings in season 2 (a feat accomplished thus far by only Netflix), the season 2 finale sparked 1.34 billion viewing minutes (equaling nearly 30 million viewers) from December 14-20, 2020. In 2023, 1.1 billion viewing minutes (about 26 million people) clicked on to Season 3’s third episode landing it in 3rd place for overall ratings with a 25% viewership jump (https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/the-mandalorian-1-billion-minutes-threshold-25-viewership-jump-shadow-and-bone-1235582995/).
Audiences are multi-generational with an average age of 37 years, cross genders (59% percent male/41% female in Season 3, a shift from Season 1 which skewed more heavily male to the tune of 79% - https://www.tvisioninsights.com/resources/mediapost-early-returns-show-disney-attracts-more-family-viewing-apple-tv-appeals-more-to-females#:~:text=Looking%20at%20new%2C%20highly%20promoted,Apple%20TV%2B's%20%E2%80%9CThe%20Morning%20Show.), and watch the antics of Mando and Grogu, as co-viewers (viewing with others) approximately 32% of the time.
The series’ influence transcends the screen into popular culture memes with Grogu (aka, “Baby Yoda”) front and center.
Linking Grogu’s adoration to other popular television programs – from reality housewives to Mean Girls to Friends - has squarely grounded him as a transcendent, time-bending being, albeit with much fan debate around his legitimate moniker:
Mashup of reality housewives and Grogu with veggies
Grogu would not fear Mean Girls... and nice synergistic plug for another Star Wars/Disney + franchise extension, Ahsoka
Popular Friends’ character, Joey, trying to learn French from Phoebe in the original episode morphed into a play on Grogu’s name
Time Magazine even ran an article in December 2020 on Grogu’s experiences with navigating the world as a tiny being (https://time.com/5764502/baby-yoda-problems/), picking up netizens videos and traffic on X formerly known as Twitter #babyyodaproblems
This allowed not only the spread of additional memes and video clips from creative fans, but a way for all audiences to explore a “new” world through the eyes of their favorite new friend.
Merchandising
Hasbro, maker of Star Wars toys, had a banner year in 2020, seeing a 70 percent increase in sales in part due to our little green guy (https://movieweb.com/star-wars-toys-sales-baby-yoda-2020). This was due, in part, to the concept of “eventizing”, or building/debuting a new toy at a specifically-timed moment linked to the streaming platform calendar. Grogu was kept a secret until he appeared in The Mandalorian, but the merchandise was ready to go to consumers timed to the first episode of his appearance on Disney + and creating a frenzy of demand.
Although an industry insider claims that, as of early 2023 Grogu and Star Wars merchandise has seen a decline in popularity (https://boundingintocomics.com/2022/12/16/alleged-star-wars-toy-insider-claims-baby-yoda-sales-in-decline-star-wars-merchandise-no-longer-considered-cream-of-the-crop/), the main purchasing power holds with “kidults”, who represent 60% of toy industry consumers and are responsible for one-fourth of all toy sales annually, around $9 billion worth, and are the biggest driver of growth throughout the industry, according to data from the NPD Group.
Whether driven by nostalgia, culture “currency” of hot new trends, or ongoing resonance with the Star Wars franchise, these factors contribute to the popularity of Grogu in the consumer and content-based space. What can and will Grogu and the SW franchise do to continue to hold the interest of fans for plushies and plotlines?
Time will tell!