GoKawiilWe normally meet Hasbro at events like Toy Fair or Comic-Con, but for the $600 Ultimate Grogu that's set to go on sale to the public on Thursday, we got a private, early look at a prototype of the Star Wars child at its headquarters in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. This animatronic is filled with technology to bring the most realistic toy version of the character (nicknamed "Baby Yoda" by fans) to life, with all its personality we see in the Star Wars universe.
This Grogu has four motors and 14-different sensors, which are programmed to make it respond, toddle and coo as the character does in The Mandalorian. When Ultimate Grogu is switched on (he's powered by batteries or you can plug him in with a USB-C cable), he bounces on his feet, raises his arms as if he wants to be picked up, and reacts when you touch him.
Watch this: Ultimate Grogu First Look: How Hasbro Made a $600 Star Wars Animatronic 08:05
Mel Hershey, Hasbro's principal innovation and design engineer, said that there's a lot of tech, but this Grogu is a character item first and foremost.
"So the goal, honestly, was to make the tech feel invisible," Hershey said.
Hasbro's team that made Ultimate Grogu were able to reference the props used on the set of The Mandalorian and Grogu, getting details like the little hairs on its head. Tara Brown/CNET
A top engineering priority was perfecting his little toddle walk (you know the one). He's got a sensor in each cheek for when you want to touch his face and a lift sensor that responds when you pick it up -- we weren't allowed to touch or pick up this prototype, but we watched Hasbro's engineers make these interactions happen during the demonstration. The Grogu toy will also respond if you touch his hands or back, and if you double-tap his head, he'll reach his arm up as if he's using the force -- for the Star Wars uninitiated, that's the various mental powers that force-sensitive characters like our little green hero can wield. For instance, when an included cookie accessory is placed near Grogu, he may use the force to "make" that cookie vibrate.
The Ultimate Grogu also has two audio-sensing microphones that will direct him to turn left, right or center toward sounds, but Hasbro engineers called out that Grogu doesn't respond to any wake words like an Amazon Echo speaker, nor is it capable of listening to conversations. In many ways, the Ultimate Grogu is like the "ultimate Furby" -- and some of the folks who worked on Furby did work on this edition of Grogu.
While the Ultimate Grogu isn't able to talk with you, Hasbro's engineers pointed out that the collectible's 250 animations are meant to provide a type of gameplay experience where he's hyperreactive. For instance, aside from the cookie, an included grenade accessory might make Grogu nervous enough to use his force powers to deactivate its beeping.
When you double-tap Grogu's head, it will start "using the force" as indicated by it closing its eyes and waving one or both of its arms. An included cookie accessory might shake when it does this, too. Tara Brown/CNET
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