The Mandalorian’s Baby Yoda Prop Cost 5 Million Dollars

2019 was a mixed bag. Like most years, there were ups and downs, no matter which realm you explore. Politics? Sports? Pop culture? They were all full of peaks and pits.
But if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s Baby Yoda.
The undisputed breakout character of 2019, Baby Yoda stole hearts and elevated mudhorns on TV screens everywhere as the scene-stealing sidekick on Disney+’s The Mandalorian, and he and his show helped Star Wars salvage an otherwise iffy year (I’m looking at you, Rise of Skywalker!).
The adorable green muppet emerged this fall at the end of the premiere episode of the new show about the be-helmeted bounty hunter, and he immediately became the Meme King of 2019. He was such a sensation, and so quickly, that Disney was caught flat-footed by his popularity. People were clamoring for Baby Yoda merch for the holiday season and were left with overpriced abominations like whatever this thing is supposed to be.
That bootleg doll will run you an insane $600 Imperial credits, but that’s nothing compared to the real thing. In the aftermath of the season finale, guest star Adam Pally (Happy Endings) told Entertainment Weekly (via io9) about his and Jason Sudeikis’s fun cameos as incompetent stormtroopers who interact with Baby Yoda, and even get a little physical with the little guy.
“I remember the first take that I did when I punched him,” Pally recalled. “They called ‘Cut!’ and Jon, who was watching on a monitor in his office, he came down from this office and said, ‘I just want to let you know that this is the hero Yoda [the main prop used for close-ups] and it costs, like, $5 million. So while I want you to hit it, I just want you to know that.’ Because I think I took a big swing at it. And the next three takes I missed, because I was so nervous.”
Five million! I would be nervous too, especially since Disney+’s flagship show is heavily reliant on that priceless puppet.
Now that we know this, it’s no wonder they didn’t make any plush dolls for Christmas, they were out of money! Suddenly that bootleg abomination doesn’t sound so bad at an easy $600!