Cute, he is. Everything you need to know about Baby Yoda

There has been one image that has been filling up Twitter timelines and been the subject of the internet’s most creative memes in recent weeks.

It is that of Baby Yoda, a small, green, big-eared creature from the Disney + Star Wars spin-off series The Mandalorian.

The show is not even available in the UK yet but already the images of Baby Yoda, officially known as The Child, have captured the public imagination and cemented their place in pop culture.

Who is Baby Yoda?

An animatronic creation operated by a team of puppeteers, the character was revealed at the end of the show’s first episode.

He is not, in fact, a young version of the Yoda from the films but as soon as he emerged out of his floating crib, fans immediately began to speculate about his identity.

He was revealed to be the bounty that the mysterious Mandalorian of the title was hired to track down, dead or alive, but little else is known about him.

It was also disclosed that he is 50 years old, an infant compared to the 900 years adult Yoda was alive.

Why has he gone viral?

Baby Yoda was already a social media sensation before the fourth episode of the show dropped, but that is when the ante was upped.

The image of him sipping broth from an over-sized mug, reminiscent of the meme of Kermit The Frog sipping tea, was an internet sensation.

Is there merch?

The first batch of toys and gifts were announced just in time for Christmas shopping.

Now fans can enjoy cuddly toys, Funko Pop dolls, t-shirts, mugs, a puzzle, phone cases, puzzles, Lego figures and even baby clothes.

The Mandalorian will launch on Disney + in the UK in 2020.