Pre-orders for Disney's Baby Yoda plush toys are now open

Disney has unveiled the cute 11-inch plush toy, which will be delivered in March 2020

Disney unveils the 11-inch Baby Yoda plush toy.

Disney has unwrapped its Christmas gift for this season: an 11-inch plush toy of the famous Star Wars character called Baby Yoda. Pre-orders for the plushare now open on ShopDisney.com, and cost $24.99 (Dh92). They are set to be delivered on March 1, 2020.

The adorable creature, known as 'The Child', first appeared in the new Star Wars series The Mandalorian, becoming the show's breakout star and a social media sensation, appearing in memes and fan art online. The 28cm toy is even kitted out in a faux suede coat with fuzzy trims, and its soft, squeezable filling makes it perfect for fans to cuddle with.

So with all this fanfare, why hadn’t Disney, as custom, released a full line of merchandise at the same time as the show’s premiere in November? It turns out this was a deliberate decision by Jon Favreau, the series’ writer and executive producer, who asked to wait to market ‘Baby Yoda’ to avoid spoilers leaking before audiences got to watch the show.

"By holding back on that one product, we knew that we may have had the disadvantage of not having toys available day and date, but what we got in exchange was an excitement surrounding the character because everybody felt like they discovered him together," Favreau said.

Disney anticipates a wide variety of products to be added to the character’s line of merchandise, including specialist apparel, which will be hitting the shelves in the coming months. As Disney says, “may the hugs be with you”.

Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+, with its eighth, and final, episode of the first season to make its premiere on Friday, December 27.