Gremlins creator Joe Dante has accused The Mandalorian creators of "shamelessly" copying his Mogwai design for Gizmo to create the show's scene-stealing character, Grogu.
As reported by Variety, Dante recently reflected on the enduring popularity of his 1984 horror-comedy Gremlins and its 1990 sequel, telling the San Francisco Chronicle that he pins the success of the franchise on Gizmo. He recognized that the same could be said for The Mandalorian's pint-sized star Baby Yoda, who he thinks is a blatant ripoff of the Mogwai.
"I think the longevity of [the film] is really key to this one character (Gizmo), who is essentially like a baby," Dante told the publication. "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."
When The Mandalorian debuted back in 2019, Baby Yoda was an instant hit. Everyone loved the little green fella who would eventually be called Grogu… but the team at Lucasfilm were not so sure in the beginning. Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau ferociously debated the character, looking over various concept designs before one puppet design emerged as the frontrunner.
The real animatronic Grogu used on-set was eventually put together in three months, and required three or four puppeteers to bring to life. The time and effort that went into creating the creature paid off as the character quickly became an indelible pop-culture phenomenon, starring in GIFs and memes across the internet, and spawning lots of merchandise.
Yoda's species can live to be at least 900 years old and with Grogu at a spritely 53, the little guy seems to be primed to be part of Star Wars for a long, long time. Favreau recently discussed the possibility of using Grogu as a keystone figure as stories continue decades and centuries into the franchise's timeline, admitting that it's something they've thought about.
Meanwhile, the Mogwai are set to make a comeback in an upcoming HBO Max animated show that will center around the creatures who run amok when their caretakers are careless. The series, which is officially titled Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, will serve as a prequel to the movies, telling the story of how 10-year-old Sam Wing first met Gizmo.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.