Following hot on the heels of Rise of Skywalker hype, an image of Yoda with human skin became one of 2020’s first memes - now Baby Yoda is reclaiming his place as the most-memeable Star Wars character with his own human skin photoshop. The Mandalorian might be on hiatus with Baby Yoda and his guardian setting out to find The Child’s homeworld but there’s no shortage of buzz (and theories) surrounding the adorable little hero. The new fan-art is just the latest in a virtual avalanche of fan-backed creativity.
Despite the show and character’s popularity, Disney dropped the ball on Baby Yoda merchandise (uncharacteristically for the normally money-hungry and opportunistic Mouse House) resulting in loads of fan-created artwork, stuffed animals, and wearables. Baby Yoda was always going to be a fan-favorite and whether or not you believe Disney held back on merchandise to preserve the character’s surprise introduction, there’s no denying the lack of official products helped foster the wellspring of fan art, memes, and physical products that attempted to fill the void.
Now, thanks to CBR Managing Editor, Steve Paugh, we’re getting a look at what the Mandalorian’s force-powered sidekick looks like with human skin rather than his iconic green pigment. The result, as Paugh points out, is eerily similar to what a young Dobby the House Elf might have looked like. Is it too early to dub this Baby Dobby? Check out Steve’s photoshop below:
Harry Potter fans might disagree with Paugh (no green eyes and a different slope to the ears) but there are certainly notable similarities with Hermione’s favorite House Elf (not to mention their simplistic attire) - especially if we suspend a little disbelief and imagine what Dobby might have looked like long before the events of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
The Baby Yoda photoshop is only the latest in a long line of hilarious and/or awe-inspiring fan-edits that take fictional characters and make them more “human.” The most notable being when artist Miguel Velasquez reimagined the Simpsons cast as actual people or, staying in the galaxy far, far away, what Ahsoka Tano might look like in live-action.
Where the human skin “old” Yoda fan art was more detailed (complete with liver spots) and will, for some, be hard to unsee, Paugh’s edit of Baby Yoda is at the very least a fun addition to the character’s ever-expanding library of running jokes, memes, and smile-inducing viral posts. Of course, it’s hard to imagine the internet will stop here - especially considering the “old” human skin Yoda and now Baby Yoda were based on just one in a wide range of human skin pigments.
Next: What Is Baby Yoda’s Real Name?
The Mandalorian season 2 premieres Fall 2020 on Disney+.
