As wild fires continue to rage in the western United States, those fighting the fires have found an unlikely companion join them on the frontlines – the internet’s favorite sidekick, Baby Yoda. This journey began in mid-September but has picked up traction online recently, with Nerdist reporting on it yesterday, as Baby Yoda made his way to a new fire department in Colorado on Monday.
When shopping with his grandmother, a 5-year-old Oregon resident named Carver spotted the last Baby Yoda toy in left on the shelf and had a brilliant idea. Though merchandise of breakout Mandalorian character Baby Yoda, also known as The Child, has become a hot commodity for children and adults alike, Carver didn’t want this toy for himself. “Thank you firefighters. Here is a friend for you in case you get lonely,” Carver wrote on a note he attached to The Mandalorian toy, dropping it off in a supply box for Grayback Forestry Inc. firefighters in Oregon, via Nerdist.
Anna Del Savio, a reporter for Spotlight News in Oregon, shared a photo of Carver and a video of a firefighter reading the note the 5-year-old left on the toy on September 18 on Twitter. In the tweet featuring the video of the firefighter, the Lionshead and Holiday Farm fires are cited as locations where Baby Yoda was able to lend his special gifts. Since then, The Child has traveled with fire departments across the western United States in journey that can now be tracked in the Facebook group “Baby Yoda Fights Fires”.
Baby Yoda has been an indisputable source of light since The Mandalorian’s 2019 premiere on Disney+. According to Nerdist, a site with a dedicate “Baby Yoda Archives” section, “the adorable green little guy has already done the seemingly impossible and united a fractured Star Wars fanbase.” Now Baby Yoda’s continuing to use The Force for good in his off-screen adventures with various fire departments.
On Monday night, Baby Yoda completed his journey to Larimer County, Colorado where he plans to accompany firefighters to the Cameron Peak Fire, via CBS Denver. Colorado firefighters were excited to welcome The Child, as his travels have become an uplifting internet sensation. “Anybody that holds that Baby Yoda and looks in those big eyes knows that eventually this is all going to pass and be OK,” Carver’s grandmother, Sasha Tinning, spoke to CBS Denver on Monday.
A fire department is the perfect home for this adorable Star Wars companion who, as fans have seen, has proven adept at putting out some metaphorical fires for the stoic protagonist of The Mandalorian. This team-up suggests that it may not be such a coincidence that Star Wars Day and Firefighter Appreciation Day both occur yearly on May 4.
At the end of October, Baby Yoda will continue his on-screen adventures alongside the Mandalorian when the Emmy-winning Star Wars series makes its return to Disney+. In the meantime, Baby Yoda can be found keeping firefighters company on the frontlines of forest fires across the United States on the Facebook page “Baby Yoda Fights Fires”.