In preparation for the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu movie, Hasbro is releasing a new, nearly nine-pound Star Wars collectible.
According to People, it is a 14.6-inch-tall replica of the stand-in props used for Grogu (otherwise known as Baby Yoda). The fully interactive collectible has more than 250 animations and sound combinations. He is able to babble, blink, burp, and walk with the help of four built-in motors.
Mel Hershey, a principal innovation and design engineer at Hasbro, said, "We packed [Grogu] full of tech, but we don't want it to really seem like a tech-forward item. It's the real character coming off the screen into your house.”
Claire Goolsby, an electrical engineer at Hasbro who worked on the collectible, revealed her favorite reaction. “You give him a little push, and he reacts, whether it's like a little squeal or a little scream. You startle him. It brings me so much joy.”
Grogu also comes with a cookie. Hershey said, “If you feed him, he reacts by being able to chomp and nom on his cookie. If you feed him too much, he's going to start acting like he's full. You may get a little burp.”
He added, “Grogu will try to get the cookie with the Force when he knows his cookie is around.”
When Grogu reaches for the cookie, it will shake and move. He can also walk around in Explore Mode. However, he works well for cosplayers when put into Grab & Go mode.
“We know people are really going to love to probably carry this around, so we made a mode that is more tuned for something that would be more of a cosplay experience,” Hershey said. “So you're able to have him not wander off, and he'll perform better in situations where it may be increasingly loud or noisy.”
Although the price is high, Adam Biehl, head of Disney action brands at Hasbro, told People, “This is very high-end. We're treating it like a very high-end collectible. We're pricing it for what we think the value is to the consumer.”
The Mandalorian and Grogu will be in theaters on May 22.
