George Lucas Gave Yoda The Most Ridiculous Parents
Even though Disney eventually gave him the awful name “Grogu,” countless Star Wars fans still refer to the little green guy in The Mandalorian as “Baby Yoda.” Disney is still slow-rolling the reveals about where this cutesy critter came from, and that ongoing mystery brought us back to a classic Star Wars question: just who are Yoda’s parents? At one point, George Lucas gave us the most ridiculous answer: Yoda’s parents are actually Kermit and Miss Piggy.
Yoda Vs. Dooku
This delightfully insane claim actually dates back to the making of Attack of the Clones. When the DVD came out, it included several bonus features, including a behind-the-scenes documentary named From Puppets to Pixels.
This was the first movie where Yoda was digital instead of a puppet, and the short documentary focuses on George Lucas and animator Rob Coleman trying to figure out how the digital Yoda should move (which was particularly important because this film’s climax involved Yoda bouncing around at high speeds while fighting Count Dooku).
Equal Parts Frog And Pig
How, though, did a discussion about Yoda’s movements lead to this joking revelation about his parents? While speaking to Coleman, Lucas said of Yoda “I would think of him more like a frog.”
Continuing, Lucas said that Yoda should have “big thighs” and “huge thighs,” which makes it sound a bit more like Lucas is describing his internet search history (we get it, George, they save lives) rather than one of the most iconic Star Wars characters.
To really drive the point about Yoda’s thighs home, Lucas told Coleman that the Jedi Master needed to have “Kermit thighs.” Suddenly struck by his own weird sense of humor, Lucas claimed “We’re going to blend Kermit the Frog with Miss Piggy.”
This was, of course, when he jokingly decided to reveal the identity of Yoda’s parents: “This is actually the illegitimate child of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.”
The Animators Enjoyed The Revelation
As you might imagine, Coleman’s team starts laughing at the idea that Yoda’s parents were actually Jim Henson’s two most famous Muppets.
“We’ve never discussed this before, and don’t let it get out,” Lucas adds, to more laughter. Understandably, Coleman didn’t know quite what to say about this bonkers revelation, and he could only mutter “Oh man” while burying his head and laughing along with his team.
It’s Not Canon… Yet
Mercifully, the Star Wars creator’s joke about Yoda’s parents didn’t become part of the franchise canon, but it’s very likely that George Lucas was trying to honor franchise history.
As most old-school fans know, Muppets creator Jim Henson helped bring the original Yoda puppet to life, and the puppet was voiced by Frank Oz. Incidentally, Henson voiced Kermit and Oz voiced Miss Piggy, so the claim that these two are Yoda’s parents is true…from a certain point of view.
Yoda’s Real Parents Can Stay A Mystery
So far, Yoda’s actual parents haven’t been revealed, and we’re hoping that’s a door that Disney never bothers opening. After all, one of the biggest problems of Star Wars is that we only focus on famous characters and their families, which is why we’ve had three different trilogies revolving around Skywalker drama.
We don’t want the franchise to answer the question of who Yoda’s mom and dad are, but we’d settle for the Jedi Master himself answering this question: did you and Yaddle ever have a thing, and would it be weird if we asked her out?
