Golden Globes 2020: 'Mandalorian' creator Jon Favreau explains why Baby Yoda is NOT Yoda

LOS ANGELES — There's nothing hotter in the universe than Baby Yoda from the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian."

But not everyone knows that Baby Yoda is not the child version of legendary "Star Wars" character Yoda.

Jon Favreau, "Mandalorian" creator, head writer and showrunner, set the record straight exclusively to USA TODAY.

"The series timeline takes place after 'Return of the Jedi,'" explained Favreau. "And fans of the original trilogy will remember that Yoda not only passes away but actually disappears. So Yoda exists as a Force Ghost."

While not the same character, Baby Yoda has earned the cute moniker "because there's no name for the Yoda species," said Favreau. "It's the easiest, shortest, most hashtagable way to identify that character, which is identified in the episode as 'The Child.' "

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But is "The Child" related to Yoda? Favreau wouldn't answer that question. "Well, now you're getting into spoilers. I can't say. But there are a lot of theories about that," he said.

As for the lack of Baby Yoda toys on the market, Favreau says they're coming, but Disney had to keep the secret for as long as possible.

"Disney was nice enough to hold back the secret and the designs of the Baby Yoda character, which means that there weren't toys available immediately. However, there are shirts and cool things like that that are available," said Favreau."But I've seen the designs on the Baby Yoda dolls and toys and they're really cool."

"So it's been a wonderful experience all around."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Golden Globes: Baby Yoda is NOT Yoda says 'Mandalorian' creator