Director Says Baby Yoda Was 'Copied' From Another Character

Uh-oh…our beloved Baby Yoda (Grogu) is getting called out.

The introduction of Baby Yoda in The Mandalorian sparked a craze no one could have predicted. There’s Baby Yoda spirit jerseys, ears, plushes, bags…basically everything! And now, Baby Yoda is making waves once again, but it’s for an entirely different reason.

According to San Francisco Chronicle, Gremlins director, Joe Dante shared that he believes Baby Yoda is based on his film’s character, Gizmo.

After mentioning the longevity of a character like Gizmo, he goes on to say “Which brings me, of course, to the subject of Baby Yoda, who is completely stolen and is just out-and-out copied. Shamelessly, I would think.”

Now, there are some similarities — they’re tiny, have ears that protrude, they speak in coos, and they’re dedicated to protecting their father figures. With that being said, The Mandalorian showrunners have already cited E.T. and Paper Moon as the inspiration for Baby Yoda, according to CNN.