As the expression goes, a Baby Yoda by any other name… is still Baby Yoda. In the latest episode of The Mandalorian, “Chapter 13: The Jedi,” Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano reveals that the Child / Baby Yoda’s real name is Grogu. Dave Filoni, who wrote and directed the episode, told Vanity Fair that “the name has been around for a while. [Shworunner Jon Favreau] told me early on in season one what it would be, which made me start to think about how people could learn the name. This gave me the idea that Ahsoka, who is very compassionate, would be able to connect with the Child, and that without words they could probably communicate through memories and experiences. Through that connection, she learns the name and then tells Mando and the audience.”
It’s nice that Baby Yoda has an official (and American Dad-indebted?) name, and his cooing reaction to Mando saying “Grogu” was adorable. But, c’mon. If Disney expects anyone to call him anything other than Baby Yoda, they are sadly mistaken, as evidenced by reactions to the name reveal (hopefully it didn’t cause any wildfires) online.
me continuing to call him Baby Yoda even though his name is “apparently” Grogu pic.twitter.com/1D1rmbM6TN
— garrison pugh (@garrisonpugh) November 27, 2020
#TheMandalorian
John Favreau trying to rip the name “Baby Yoda” from my cold, dead hands: pic.twitter.com/g2zxhriYVb— Preeti Chhibber says Let’s Win in GA! (@runwithskizzers) November 27, 2020
His name is baby Yoda. Idgaf what they said.
— Marcel (@BasicallyIDoWrk) November 27, 2020
Me when the writers decided not to name him Baby Yoda #TheMandalorian #AhsokaTano pic.twitter.com/0ONunCK5IG
— Stephanie Green (@stephm_green) November 27, 2020
when they told us baby yoda’s real name pic.twitter.com/grXsUV0cFj
— Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) November 28, 2020
#Grogu will always be Baby Yoda to me pic.twitter.com/S4nJD6sF5Y
— StephanieAtHome (@UrNastyHippie) November 28, 2020
We finally know his name but I’m still gonna call him baby Yoda#Themandalorian pic.twitter.com/AiiWafyJei
— Gai-Lanne Pepper (@GaiLannePepper) November 28, 2020
people telling me baby yoda’s real name but he is still baby yoda to me. pic.twitter.com/xzKH0csll1
— sincerely, ivy marie. (@sincerelyivy_) November 29, 2020
So The Child’s real name is Grogu??? Yeah nah he’s still Baby Yoda to me #TheMandalorian pic.twitter.com/9uW3F9AzqP
— Brett (7-3) SZN (@Brett94921493) November 27, 2020
Disney really thinks it’s gonna win this one, huh? https://t.co/onjPnsGUgU pic.twitter.com/0UI2qaepdY
— 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℍ𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪 𝕠𝕗 ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕒 ℙ𝕠𝕕𝕔𝕒𝕤𝕥 (@THoC_Podcast) November 29, 2020
there was absolutely no point in giving baby yoda a real name no one’s going to call him that lmao
— sara clements (@mildredsfierce) November 27, 2020
There’s about a one percent chance that I will call Baby Yoda “Grogu” at any point in the future, which is still one percent higher than calling Mando “Din Djarin.”
(Via Vanity Fair)