Grogu and Mandalorian begin meet and greets in Disneyland

Grogu — known to his adoring fans around the world as “baby Yoda” — and the Mandalorian will make their long-awaited landing in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Park beginning Nov. 18, 2022.

By Blake Taylor

The two characters, who have something of a father/son relationship in their hit streaming show, will be a welcome addition for fans. Mando, whose full character name is Din Djarin, will appear in the park in his full Mandalorian ensemble. His helmet will be on as he carries Grogu in a satchel that will remain on his person.

Their appearances will only happen in Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland in California. While Galaxy’s Edge also exists in Florida at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney has not announced any plans for the duo to meet on the east coast.

Jon Favreau — who serves as creator, director, executive producer, and writer of “The Mandalorian” on Disney+ — first announced the characters were being developed for the park during D23 Expo earlier this year. Mando and Grogu then walked onstage in front of the crowd of thousands of uproarious convention attendees. On Nov. 17, Disney Parks took to social media with the surprise that the pair will start meeting tomorrow, Nov. 18. 

Grogu and Din follow the introduction of Boba Fett and Fennec Shand to Galaxy’s Edge last summer. Guests can also find Rey, Kylo Ren, Chewbacca, and Stormtroopers throughout the land.

When it first opened in 2019, Galaxy’s Edge was firmly fixated on its specific point within the Star Wars timeline, settled between the events of “The Last Jedi” and “The Rise of Skywalker,” episodes eight and nine in the film canon. By adding characters whose appearances within the series came earlier in the overarching fictional story, Disney is showing flexibility in its previous approach. Again, though, this shift is only in California for the time being.

If tradition follows with other character greetings in Galaxy’s Edge, it’s possible that Grogu and Mando will roam freely, available for casual photographs with guests. Characters on Batuu, the planet on which Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is situated, are also known to wave from distanced platforms. No characters in Galaxy’s Edge currently have a formal queue in the sense of other high-profile meet & greets elsewhere in the parks, such as the princesses in Royal Hall at the Magic Kingdom.