Baby Yoda toy production could be derailed due to novel coronavirus

The manufacturer of the Star Wars Baby Yoda toys Hasbro has reportedly confirmed that its toy sets that were expected to hit the market by the end of this week, can be disrupted due to the coronavirus. According to industry expert Jim Silver, CEO of Toys, Tots, Pets and More, the supply can suffer acute shrinkage in the market in the near future, he confirmed on his official website.

Silver told the international media that he learned from the sources inside the Hasbro that the situation can change for worse. He said that if things weren’t normal by June and July there will be a severe shortage of the supply of the toys. Baby Yoda, also known as 'The Child', shot to fame in November following its debut of the Disney series The Mandalorian.

According to the reports, Disney chose not to manufacture the character toys as it was yet to make an appearance on the show. The Mandalorian's creators, however, thought of producing Baby Yoda toys in the month of November. But they feared toys made available before its premiere would disappoint the fans, so they withheld the production for a while. However, when the toys were launched in the market, it became super hit among the audience.

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Factories remain shut

But recently, Hasbro confirmed to the media reports saying that it is now facing a great challenge as factories remain shut and the manufacturing has been stalled due to the coronavirus. It said that the business has been shut for way longer than the company had anticipated.

Hasbro CFO Deborah Thomas confirmed to the investors and analysts in an email saying, “We are working to mitigate the impact of our manufacturing partner factories being closed longer than anticipated, as well as to reschedule the shipments we have not been able to make”. She further added that China’s coronavirus quarantines and travel restrictions led to a shortage of workers that assemble the toys in factories. There was no clear indication for when the business could pick-up, she said.

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