Baby Yoda, also known as The Child, is a fictional character who appears on The Mandalorian. The character quickly became an online meme after appearing on the season's premiere. ^{[1] [2] [27]}

"Thank you for bringing peace to my valley.

And good luck with the Child."

―Kuiil, to the Mandalorian ^[16]

"The Child" was a male Force-sensitive being that belonged to the same species as Jedi Master Yoda.

The Child was born around 41 BBY, and was held at a compound run by Nikto mercenaries on Arvala-7 during the New Republic Era.

While still an infant at the age of fifty years old, he was sought by an Imperial who hired a Mandalorian bounty hunter to retrieve him.^[16]

The bounty hunter known as "the Mandalorian" was dispatched by "the Client" and Imperial Dr. Pershing to capture the Child, preferably alive. The assassin droid IG-11 was dispatched to terminate him. After working together to storm the compound the infant was being held in, the Mandalorian destroyed IG-11 before the droid was able to assassinate the Child. ^[16]

Shortly after, the Mandalorian took the Child back to his ship, only to find it being scavenged by Jawas. The Mandalorian attacked their sandcrawler for the scavenged parts, but failed. Eventually, the Mandalorian got the assistance of Kuiil to try to convince the Jawas to give back the parts peacefully. The Jawas wanted a mudhorn's egg in return for the parts. The Mandalorian fought the mudhorn, only surviving by the Child using the Force to lift the beast into the air long enough for the Mandalorian to get up and kill it. After using The Force, the Child fell asleep. When the Child eventually woke back up, the ship had been repaired and they had left the planet. ^[16]

Upon returning, the Mandalorian gave the Child to the Client.

However, shortly before leaving the planet to carry out a new bounty, the Mandalorian, having a change of heart, returned to rescue the Child.

Shortly after the Mandalorian stormed the facility where the Child was left, a skirmish ensued between the Bounty Hunters' Guild and the Tribe, resulting in the Mandalorian escaping from the Bounty Hunters' Guild with the Child.

^[16]

Baby Yoda is 50 years old.

Big Yoda died in Return of the Jedi. Right at the end. The Mandalorian takes place between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. The timeline is clear: Yoda is the illicit love child of Yoda and Yaddle, who was a member of the Jedi Council circa The PhanPhantom tom Menace. ^[1]

On December 3, 2019, U.S. politician Ted Cruz tweeted a photo of Baby Yoda in response to a Twitter prediction that he would kill the meme. ^[17]

Nitz Bluv who covers the National Basketball Association for The Athletic, predicted the downfall Baby Yoda. ^[17]

Duncan Smith, who covers the Detroit Pistons for Forbes, placed his bet a few hours later in a reply to Bluv’s tweet. ^[17]

“It’s going to be Ted Cruz and I’m furious just thinking about it,” wrote Smith.

^[17]

Despite not being tagged in the tweet, Senator Cruz picked up on the prediction, and tweeted an uncaptioned photo of Baby Yoda in response to Smith’s message.

^[17]

Many users felt that he had killed the meme.

^[17]

Baby Yoda went through multiple iterations of design, starting with the co-creator of several Star Wars animated series' Dave Filoni. He had originally scribbled a drawing on a cocktail napkin and later Industrial Light & Magic c's Christian Alzmann finalized the drawing, giving him the makeshift outfit that's so recognizable.

With the extreme popularity of Baby Yoda, Disney announced on November 21, 2019, that "The Child" apparel and accessories will be available through various retailers.

The retailers include Amazon.com, Target, Macy's, Kohl's, Hot Topic, Zazzle, and Box Lunch before Christmas. ^[1]