Baby Yoda toys inspired by the beloved character from The Mandalorian could arrive late thanks to delays brought on by the coronavirus outbreak. The character known only as The Child made his first surprise appearance at the end of the premiere episode of the Disney+ Star Wars show Mandalorian, and the world quickly fell in love with the little green creature affectionately named after the wise Jedi Yoda.
Though demand for Baby Yoda toys immediately reached an understandable fever pitch, Disney found itself in the unusual position of not having any merchandise ready to go at launch, thanks to the need for secrecy around the character himself. Season 1 of The Mandalorian has now come and gone and that demand doesn’t seem to have cooled at all, and recently Disney made many Baby Yoda-craving fans happy by revealing their full line of merchandise inspired by The Child. Of course, the announcement came as the company also cracked down on bootleg Baby Yoda merch that had already flooded the market.
Now it seems some fans may have to wait a little while longer for their official Baby Yoda toys to arrive. As reported by CNN, the outbreak of coronavirus in China has disrupted Hasbro’s chain of supply and could cause delays down the road. “If things aren’t normal by the time June and July roll around, there will be shortages on a litany of toys,” industry expert Jim Silver told CNN.
Silver said he expects a 5% to 10% decline in production as coronavirus hits the Chinese factories where Hasbro produces many of its toys. For their part, Hasbro told investors they are “working to mitigate the impact of our manufacturing partner factories being closed longer than anticipated.” Health measures enacted in China to combat the spread of coronavirus have caused many factories to close and also caused disruptions in the supply of raw materials.
Hasbro of course is not alone in feeling the effects of coronavirus. Just today, MGM announced they’ve delayed the worldwide release of the newest James Bond film No Time to Die all the way to November over concerns about the outbreak. Sonic the Hedgehog also postponed its China release over the same fears. Overall, an array of tech products is facing shortages as the virus continues to play havoc with manufacturers the world over.
All-in-all, a little delay in the release of a toy line is obviously a very minor part of what is becoming a major worldwide story. The entertainment industry will of course recover from whatever financial hit they take as a result of the virus, and folks will still get their toys and movies and gadgets. The Mandalorian fans craving Baby Yoda merchandise can rest assured they’ll get their very own Child eventually.
More: Here Are The Tech Products Facing Supply Issues Due To Coronavirus
Source: CNN
