'Gremlins' creator Joe Dante says Baby Yoda ‘out-and-out copied’ Gizmo
According to Gremlins and Gremlins 2 director Joe Dante, a certain fan-favorite character from The Mandalorian took a lot from Gizmo, the furry little Mogwai with big ears who would spawn demon critters from his back if he got wet or ate past Midnight.
“I think the longevity of [the Gremlin films] is really key to this one character [Gizmo], who is essentially like a baby,” Dante said in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle to promote the theatrical viewings of the Gremlin movies at the Castro Theatre this weekend. “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.”
Dante isn’t the first person to point out the uncanny resemblances. In 2019, when we first met Baby Yoda/Grogu on Disney+'s first Star Wars series, the internet was quick to point out how similar the two were. Even Grogu’s adopted dad Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) got strong Gizmo vibes off of the lil’ guy when he first saw photos of Grogu on set. "I saw Baby Yoda in those pictures and I remember thinking, 'Okay, bye, Gizmo.' [I thought,] 'People are going to lose their minds over that,'" admitted the actor.
Grogu will undoubtedly be coming back to our screens in the next season of The Mandalorian, and it looks like we’ll be getting some more Mogwai action as well — HBO Max is putting out an animated series this fall titled Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, which will feature the voices of Ming-Na Wen (The Book of Boba Fett), BD Wong (Jurassic World Dominion), and James Hong (Everything Everywhere All at Once).
Looking for some more sci-fi or horror comedy? Check out shows like Resident Alien, Chucky, Eureka and more streaming now on Peacock.
