Merchandising has always been a big part of the Star Wars franchise, and one of the reasons that it has remained so popular and profitable for almost half a century. With every new addition to the canon, we meet an array of new characters and alien species with unique quirks and appearances – all of them waiting to be turned into an action figure, t-shirt or other piece of Star Wars collectible. One area of merchandising that has been given the boot since Disney took over is Star Wars themed new slots. So, if you’re looking for these original characters at some of these new slot sites, you may be out of luck.
Over the years we have been introduced to some strange and wonderful beings, but one thing that the creatives at Star Wars do best is turn up the cute factor. Here we take a look at six of our favourite Star Wars cuties.
Ewoks
When they were introduced in Return of the Jedi, the forest-dwelling Ewoks proved somewhat divisive. Ignoring the fact that these movies are designed to appeal to all ages, adult fans criticised the creatures as too cutesy and unserious. Of course Ewoks have become a legendary part of Star Wars lore in the years since, so it looks like the cute won in the end.
With the appearance of giant teddy bears, these fluffy natives of Endor may look like you could give them a cuddle. But like many creatures in the Star Wars universe, looks are deceiving. Fearless and deadly warriors, Ewoks used their surprisingly sophisticated combat technology to help the rebels win a decisive victory over the Empire.
BB-8 and R2-D2
We all know that a creature doesn’t have to technically be a living being to melt our hearts. The Star Wars creatives are especially good at injecting personality into so-called droids, with their burbled beeping speech and endearing movements. R2-D2 was a firm favourite from the very start, truly a main character rather than a background piece of metal.
Building from the popularity of the original droid, BB-8 was introduced in the 2015 movie The Force Awakens. Rather than making him computer generated, Disney created a working droid using pretty advanced technology. This was a great decision for the audience, who have never connected with a purely CG character (Jar Jar Binks, anyone?) and for the actors for whom BB-8 was a real object for them to interact with.
Wookies
Most of us have only ever met one Wookie, namely the furry giant that is Han Solo’s right hand man, Chewbacca. If the Ewoks resemble teddy bears, Chewy is more akin to Bigfoot, but that doesn’t make him any less adorable. His distinctive voice, something between a roar and a whine, and his gentle nature have endeared this character to every Star Wars fan.
Porgs
Similar to the Ewoks, some adult fans grumbled that the Porgs from The Last Jedi were too childish. These little bird-like creatures have huge, mournful eyes and fluffy bodies. Also like the Ewoks, their cute appearance belies a streak of mischief. However, the reason for their existence was born of necessity.
The Porgs inhabit the remote island where Luke Skywalker is living in a self-imposed exile. Filming took place on the Irish island of Skellig Michael, which is home to a large colony of protected puffins. Naturally the birds could not be physically removed, and erasing them digitally presented its own problems. As a solution, director Rian Johnson came up with the idea of the Porgs, which could replace all the puffins that wandered into shot.
Ortolans
First appearing in 1983’s Return of the Jedi, Ortolans are quite typical of the creature design from that era of Star Wars. Part elephant, part aardvark, and blue all over, these strange creatures put you in mind of a much-loved handmade cuddly toy. They have made a few appearances in the comics and animated entries in the Star Wars story, but we haven’t seen much of them in the main movies. Which is a shame, because they really are rather adorable.
Grogu
The cuteness of every other Star Wars creature pales in comparison to Grogu. More commonly known as Baby Yoda, this character belongs to the same alien race as the Jedi Grand Master but is considerably younger. This is not to say that he is young by human standards, and in fact he is supposed to be around 50 years old when we first meet him in The Mandalorian.
Grogu’s incredibly cute and vulnerable appearance made him an instant hit with fans, who also loved the parent-child dynamic between him and Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin. His little toddler waddle makes him appear defenceless, but we soon learn that Grogu can more than take care of himself when necessary.