Joe Dante claims ‘Baby Yoda’ look was stolen from his film Gremlins

The director of Gremlins, Joe Dante, claims that the look of 'Baby Yoda' from the show The Mandalorian was stolen from a character in his film. Baby Yoda was introduced in the first season of the Star Wars spin-off series The Mandalorian and quickly became a fan favourite.

The Gremlins director thinks the Mandalorian character is a “shameless, out-and-out copy” but has no plans of suing the creators of the show. The character of Baby Yoda is itself inspired by the widely popular Yoda from the original Star Wars film which released in 1977.

The adorable character was brought to life through a clever combination of CGI and animatronics. Even though the character got a name, Grogu, by the second season, he is still affectionately called ‘Baby Yoda’ for his resemblance to Yoda.

Joe Dante accuses Lucasfilm of stealing Baby Yoda’s look from Gizmo, the main character from his 1984 film Gremlins. Both Grogu and Gizmo are short, furry, baby-like creatures with pointy ears, caught in the middle of a larger adventure.