Ever since his adorable first appearance in the Mandalorian, Baby Yoda has rightfully shot to global internet stardom. Introduced at the end of the Disney+ series’ first episode, The Child, as he is officially known, was a complete surprise to long-term Star Wars fans.
However, to many children of the Soviet Union, Baby Yoda brought about Déjà vu. That’s because a similarly cute mini creature with airplane ears once graced the TV screens of the USSR. That character was Cheburashka.
The similarities between Baby Yoda and Cheburashka are undeniably uncanny. Here’s a number of side-by-side shots to prove it to you.
First off, they simply look uncannily similar
They share the same eating style
Boxes seem to be both their cradles
They both share strong, inter-species relationships with larger friends – Gena and Din Djarin
At the core of the Soviet series is a friendship between Cheburashka and a friendly crocodile named Gena. In fact, as one Reddit user, oman-ra, pointed out, there is reasonable grounds to believe that Baby Yoda is Cheburashka and Gena’s child.
And those friends provide them with loving protection
I’m not the only one talking about the similarities between Baby Yoda and Cheburashka. Social media is abuzz with comparisons. Here are just a few of them.
????BABY????YODA????IS????JUST????CAPITALIST????CHEBURASKA???? pic.twitter.com/VjBEiIZUoQ
— Maximilian Hess (@zakavkaza) December 28, 2019
If reading this has inspired you to revisit the Cheburashka series or watch it for the first time, you can check it out here.
The Cheburashka series consists of four stop-motion animation episodes created between 1969-1983. A creation of prolific children’s author, Eduard Uspensky, Cheburashka is an “animal unknown to science.” He accidentally comes to Moscow from his tropical home, transported in a crate of oranges. From there, family friendly episodes of cuteness follow. It’s a wonderful show well worth the watch.