{"id":558361,"date":"2026-04-01T14:32:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/558361\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T14:32:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:32:09","slug":"theyre-already-trying-to-baby-yoda-rocky-from-project-hail-mary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/558361\/","title":{"rendered":"They’re Already Trying to Baby Yoda Rocky From ‘Project Hail Mary’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Remember the Baby Yoda frenzy<\/a>? When people wanted anything,\u00a0everything Baby Yoda, but the mystery around the character meant it took ages<\/a> until we all started having a bit of a freakout about t-shirts and onesies<\/a> like it was extremely normal behavior? Well, Baby Yoda might be in theaters in a couple months<\/a>, but the frenzy is happening all over again\u2014it\u2019s just that it\u2019s not about Baby Yoda at all.<\/p>\n

Yes, TV\u2019s top baby has been outpaced by the hot new thing: a rock in a polyhedric bubble, thanks to\u00a0Project Hail Mary\u2018s roaring success, as Rocky fever is already beginning to rise with hopes for potential sequels<\/a>. But alongside fan-made attempts<\/a> to bring the cute critter home, we\u2019re already starting to see the little Eridian that could become the face of an adorably consumerist campaign faster than you can say \u201cBaby Yoda.\u201d Or even \u201cRocky,\u201d which has half the syllables.<\/p>\n

When the film was coming out, we got the now-inevitable popcorn buckets, and there was already the surprising Lego set<\/a>. But now, we\u2019re already moving on to the \u201cplush rapidly selling out online\u201d stage of the mania, too. This week an officially licensed 8\u2033 plush collector\u2019s figure<\/a> of Rocky went online at Amazon only to, of course, promptly immediately sell out ahead of expected shipping in the middle of next month. Can\u2019t get that? How about a plush keychain<\/a> from ToyNK instead, including some of the other Eridians? How about a t-shirt that says \u201cfist my bump\u201d<\/a>? Or a pin badge<\/a>?<\/p>\n

\"Project\u00a9 Amazon <\/p>\n

It\u2019s almost fascinating, or novel even, to watch one of these sensations happen in real time. Of course last year there was\u00a0KPop Demon Hunters, but the stratospheric success of that came so far out of the left field that merch-makers were left scrambling to acquire the license, and we\u2019re only really now starting to see the effects of it as toys begin rolling out<\/a> throughout the rest of this year (and presumably until the sequel drops<\/a>). At least from the get-go, someone behind\u00a0Project Hail Mary realized that people were going to go nutso over a five-legged rock-spider-friend and got their foot in the door quick.<\/p>\n

After all, it\u2019s not just toys; the character\u2019s appearing alongside Ryan Gosling in promotional reels for the film, doing everything from having a nap to declaring himself as buying as many tickets for the film as he can with \u201cRyan Gosling money!\u201d<\/a> The film made a tactical decision to show Rocky off early<\/a> on in the marketing, rather than keeping the alien encounter a secret at first like the book does\u2014and it\u2019s clearly starting to pay off for MGM.<\/p>\n

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel<\/a>, Star Wars<\/a>, and Star Trek<\/a> releases, what\u2019s next for the DC Universe on film and TV<\/a>, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who<\/a>.<\/p>\n