Disney Is Reportedly Shutting Down Etsy Vendors Who Are Selling Unofficial Baby Yoda Toys
The force is no longer with Etsy vendors trying to sell their versions of Baby Yoda merchandise.
According to a recent report in The Verge, Disney has begun issuing takedown notices for items related to The Mandalorian‘s breakout character since the company has trademark jurisdiction over terms like “Star Wars,” “The Mandalorian,” “Baby Yoda” and “Yoda.”
Many independent vendors who used these keywords have had their listings deleted following complaints from Disney for using their intellectual property, the outlet reported. Disney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Since Baby Yoda went viral late last year, the demand and sales for related merchandise has been strong. One seller had “over 2,000 views and 300 favorites” and another used to get at least “100 to 200” views a day, according to The Verge.
In an effort to keep selling their items, some vendors have begun listing their products under different names—like “The Baby Child” or “Baby Alien”—or switching to less specific descriptions. While these posts haven’t been removed over copyrights, the sellers admitted that the listings do not receive as much traffic as they once did.
RELATED: You’ll Soon Be Able to Bring Home Your Own Baby Yoda at Build-a-Bear Workshop
RELATED: ‘Baby Yoda’ Toys Officially Available for Pre-Order — But Won’t Make It in Time for the Holidays
For fans looking to bring Baby Yoda home, the wait for official merchandise is almost over. Disney will be releasing a series of The Mandalorian figurines in Spring 2020, which are available for pre-order now on ShopDisney.com.
The toys include a 11-inch plush toy from Mattel, with a sculpted vinyl head and soft body filled with beans, dressed in the character’s signature fabric robes. Retailing for $24.99, the final item—which may vary slightly from the illustrated image online—will drop April 1.
Funko Pop! also has two vinyl bobble head figures coming, in two different sizes. The 3.75-inch version retails for $12.99, with a ship date of May 13. The other is a $29.99 “supersized” 10-inch version, expected to ship on June 3. Both feature the character standing on a Star Wars title plate.
Build-a-Bear also announced Tuesday that a stuffed version of Baby Yoda will be available for purchase in the coming weeks.
Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian‘s creator, head writer, and showrunner, has taken some of the blame for the delay in official merchandise.
“I have to thank Disney and LucasFilm because the way the cat usually gets out of the bag for that stuff is merchandizing and toy catalogs and things like that. So they really backed us up because we really wanted it to be that you had to watch it yourself, so that every time you watched the show, there are new twists and secrets that come out,” he told Entertainment Tonight at the show’s premiere in November 2019.
“That requires a lot of restraint from the people who are footing the bill, saying that they’re going to hold back on certain things so that the public doesn’t know ahead of time. Part of that was holding back on some of the merchandising and holding back on some of the characters.”
