50 Fun Facts About Yoda

In which film did Yoda first appear?

He was created to replace Obi-Wan as Luke's mentor after Lucas decided to kill Kenobi off.

Who puppeteered and voiced Yoda in the original trilogy?

Oz has now played the part across more than four decades.

On which swamp planet does Yoda live in exile?

Luke arrives there at the urging of Obi-Wan's Force spirit.

At what age does Yoda die in Return of the Jedi?

His body vanishes as he becomes one with the Force.

What first name did the frog-like character originally carry before it was dropped?

Lucas wanted an Eastern-sounding name because he pictured a little Dalai Lama.

Lucas envisioned Yoda as a little version of which spiritual figure?

That is why he wanted the character to have an Eastern-sounding name.

Kasdan said Yoda was based on Shimada, the leader in which Kurosawa film?

Shimada, the wise leader of the seven, was the model.

Which visual effects art director sketched hundreds of versions of Yoda?

Johnston went on to direct The Rocketeer and Captain America: The First Avenger.

The final design was described as a leprechaun, a troll and what?

Lucas wanted Yoda to be the exact opposite of what audiences expected in a master.

Which make-up artist built the Yoda puppet with Wendy Froud?

He had also created Chewbacca and the cantina aliens.

Whose features, along with Freeborn's own, inspired Yoda's face?

Freeborn hoped the scientist's features would make the character look intelligent.

Which Muppets creator was first asked to perform Yoda but was busy?

He recommended Frank Oz, who also became a creative consultant on the character.

In the original 1999 Phantom Menace, how many shots used a CGI Yoda?

The puppet was replaced by a digital Yoda in the 2011 Blu-ray and 2012 3D release.

Which was the first film in which Yoda is entirely computer-generated?

The digital character could finally do things the puppet could not, like fight with a lightsaber.

In which year did the Phantom Menace Blu-ray swap the puppet for a digital Yoda?

The 3D theatrical release the following year used the same digital version.

Which director brought back a puppet Yoda, from the original mould, for The Last Jedi?

He felt CGI would not be true to the Yoda that Luke knew on Dagobah.

Who voices Yoda in The Clone Wars animated film and series?

Kane also voiced Yoda in the 2003 Cartoon Network Clone Wars.

Which actor voiced Yoda in the radio dramatizations of Empire and Jedi?

The radio Empire aired in 1983 and Return of the Jedi followed in 1996.

When Obi-Wan calls Luke their last hope, Yoda says there is another. Who is it?

Obi-Wan's spirit later helps Luke work out that the other is his twin sister.

Yoda flees Kashyyyk during Order 66 with Chewbacca and which other Wookiee?

They get him to Coruscant, where he and Obi-Wan break into the Jedi Temple.

Where does Yoda duel Darth Sidious in Revenge of the Sith?

Neither can win, and Yoda is forced to retreat and go into hiding.

Whom does Yoda duel at the climax of Episode II?

The 78-year-old Christopher Lee needed a stunt double for the acrobatics.

Before turning to the Sith, what had Dooku been to Yoda?

Dooku later went on to train Qui-Gon Jinn before leaving the Order.

In The Last Jedi, what does Yoda's lightning bolt set ablaze?

He tells Luke the texts held nothing Rey does not already have; she has quietly taken them.

In The Clone Wars season six, whose voice sets Yoda off on a spirit quest?

He learns he has been chosen to keep his consciousness after death as a Force spirit.

Which ancient Sith Lord appears to Yoda as an illusion during his spirit trials?

His final test is resisting a lure to the dark side from Sidious and Dooku.

In Rebels, Yoda speaks telepathically to Kanan Jarrus and which apprentice?

The episode is called Path of the Jedi; Yoda reappears to him in a vision in season two.

In Tales of the Jedi, Yoda silently attends the funeral of which Jedi Master?

He appears in two episodes of the miniseries but has no dialogue.

Yoda fronted a 2012 UK advertising campaign for which company?

The commercials aired only in the United Kingdom.

Weird Al Yankovic's song Yoda parodies which Kinks hit?

It took about five years to get permission from both George Lucas and Ray Davies.

On which Weird Al album was Yoda finally released in 1985?

Ray Davies said he had simply never been asked for permission.

Empire magazine ranked Yoda the most beloved Star Wars character after which pair?

Observer's Brandon Katz has called him an icon of cinema.

Which Muppet is also performed by Yoda's puppeteer?

He also performed Fozzie Bear, Animal, Cookie Monster, Bert and Grover.

Which 1986 musical film did Yoda's puppeteer direct?

Its giant plant needed up to 60 puppeteers at full size.

Where did the teenage Frank Oz first meet his future Muppets boss?

He worked there with the Vagabond Puppets before joining Henson at 19.

How old is Grogu, of Yoda's species, when The Mandalorian begins?

The species matures so slowly that he is still an infant at that age.

Roughly how much did the Grogu puppet reportedly cost to make?

Two technicians operate it, one on the eyes and mouth and one on the rest of the face.

Recordings of which two animals helped create Grogu's voice?

Favreau then had the animal sounds scaled back in favour of real infant vocals.

Before his name was revealed, what was Grogu officially called in subtitles?

Villains called him the asset, the bounty, the target or the donor.

At the Jedi Temple on which planet was Grogu raised during the Clone Wars?

Chapter 13 revealed both his name and his past.

To which planet does Yoda send the infant Leia?

Luke goes to Tatooine, to be raised by Owen and Beru Lars.

In the 2008 Clone Wars film, Yoda assigns which apprentice to Anakin?

He hopes the responsibility will make Anakin mature.

On which forest moon does Yoda's Force spirit appear in the final scene of Return of the Jedi?

He stands with the spirits of Obi-Wan and Anakin during the Ewok celebration.

How many years before Episode V is The Phantom Menace set?

Yoda is already Grandmaster but not yet Master of the High Council.

In the prequels, what title does Yoda hold at the top of the Jedi Order?

By Attack of the Clones he is also Master of the High Council.

What did Lucas originally intend a performer other than Oz to do?

He decided Oz was the best performer for the whole role.

Who wrote the 2004 Legends novel Yoda: Dark Rendezvous?

In it Yoda sends an impersonator to negotiate a treaty with Dooku.

Yoda makes a silent cameo in the finale of which 2024 series?

That show is set about a century before The Phantom Menace.

In the 2003 Cartoon Network Clone Wars, Yoda senses a Force disturbance on which planet?

He mind-tricks Captain Typho into diverting there and saves two Jedi.

What is the official name of Yoda's species?

Lucas wanted Yoda to keep a sense of mystery, so it stays unnamed even for Grogu.