(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Hasbro this week unveiled the first wave of official collectibles and toys based on the pop culture phenom known as Baby Yoda.
Retail expert Jan Rogers Kniffen on Friday discussed the merchandising opportunies on WBBM Newsradio's Noon Business Hour.
Baby Yoda -- officially known as "The Child" on the new Disney-Plus streaming series "The Mandalorian" that debuted earlier this year -- was famously kept under wraps until the first episode became available to the public. The creature was revealed at the end of Episode 1, as a futuristic bassinet opened, and hearts everywhere broke.
"I think it's going to be extraordinarily hot," Kniffen said of the coming merchandise. "I was watching the first episode of 'Mandalorian' with my 9-year-old daughter, and as soon as the egg opened, she said, 'Baby Yoda.' I thought, no matter what they call this thing, this thing's going to be Baby Yoda forever.
First up and available for pre-order: miniature figurines of Baby Yoda in various poses and a larger plush toy that "talks," or squeaks at least.
"I think they've got a huge winner, I think it will just go completely crazy, and it's a darn shame they can't get it out for Christmas," Kniffen said.
Baby Yoda is not actually Yoda, the ancient Jedi mystic of the original "Star Wars" series. He is believed to be of the same species, but a toddler version (if a creature that's 50 years old can be considered a toddler).
