Who’s the cutest little baby monster? 10 creature kiddos who captured our hearts

There’s a lot to talk about in the new trailer for Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, but what caught our eye was our first look at the new character fans have already started calling Mini Kong (as coined by Brian Tyree Henry’s Bernie Hayes). Not only does the tiny titan’s appearance signal that Legendary’s Monsterverse may be building up to a Son Of Kong movie, he’s also just a cute little guy. It got us thinking about other adorable movie monsters, from Godzilla’s many offspring and adopted children, to the newborn kaiju in Pacific Rim to all those furry flerkens running around the S.A.B.E.R. space station in The Marvels. So we decided to round up 10 of the best examples of sweet young terrors we could find. Don’t let their looks or their size fool you—they’re not as harmless as they may seem.

Minilla (Son Of Godzilla)

Minilla, also known in some English dubs as Minya, was the first of Godzilla’s many children (and probably the weirdest looking of all of them). He made his debut in 1967’s Son Of Godzilla, the eighth film in the franchise. He’s not actually related to the King of the Monsters, but the big guy generously adopts Minilla after he hatches from an egg on a mysterious island where a team of scientists are testing a system to control the weather. Godzilla chases away the scientists, as well as some giant mantis creatures who have taken an interest, and takes on the responsibility of caring for the young foundling himself, teaching him important Godzilla stuff, like breathing atomic heat. Minilla would go on to appear in three more films alongside his dad, two from the Shōwa era—Destroy All Monsters in 1968 and All Monsters Attack in 1969—and the final film of the Millennium era, Godzilla: Final Wars, marking Godzilla’s 50th anniversary in 2004. He’s also popped up in various TV shows and video games.

Godzooky (Godzilla: The Original Animated Series)

Godzilla’s second young companion, at one point referred to as his nephew, is probably more familiar to American fans than Japanese ones, especially those who grew up during the heyday of Saturday morning cartoons. Godzooky was created by Hanna-Barbera for the animated TV series Godzilla, which ran for two seasons on NBC from 1978 to 1981. The show is centered around the scientific crew of the Calico, a research vessel under the command of Capt. Carl Majors. With Godzilla as their powerful friend and protector, they travel the world and call on him whenever they get into trouble. Clumsy, timid Godzooky is there to provide some comic relief. He has small wings, but can’t fly very well, and hasn’t quite mastered breathing fire (as Godzilla does in this show, for some reason), but he does have the ability to summon his “uncle” over great distances, so he’s not totally useless.

Godzilla Junior (Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II)

In 1993’s Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla II, another Godzilla hatchling was added to the franchise’s mythology. Godzilla Junior, also known as Baby Godzilla or Little Godzilla, also seems to share a psychic bond with Godzilla himself. With his big eyes, round face, and chubby body he’s probably the cutest of the juvenile Godzillas. His was created specifically to appeal to a growing female audience of kaiju fans. After hatching in a lab he imprints on a female scientist, but the rest of the research team uses that link to find the elder Godzilla’s weakness and sets out to destroy him. It doesn’t work, of course. Godzilla Junior would return and mature over the course of the next two films, Godzilla Vs. Spacegodzilla and Godzilla Vs. Destoroyah.

Baby Godzilla (Godzilla)

Godzilla, the controversial big-budget American take on Godzilla directed by Roland Emmerich and released in 1998, is the first film to feature offspring that are confirmed to be Godzilla’s own. According to the lore established in the film (take it or leave it, as you will), the giant mutant lizard can produce asexually. Yep, he’s both daddy and mommy to a brood of more than 200 eggs in a nest discovered by Matthew Broderick’s Dr. Nick Tatopoulos (named for creature designer Patrick Tatopouls) under New York City’s Madison Square Garden. These babies aren’t so cute when they hatch, immediately going on a savage rampage, but the military takes care of them with a massive bomb. Or at least most of them. As we discover in the final moments of the film, a single egg has survived the blast, and emerges as the last of its kind.

Baby Otachi (Pacific Rim)

Pacific Rim, Guillermo del Toro’s homage to Japanese mecha and kaiju films, had its own version of a baby monster. The interdimensional creatures in the film, literally called Kaiju, are giant sea monsters with telepathic powers. At one point in the film, after the death of a Kaiju called Otachi, Kaiju researcher Dr. Newt Geiszler (Charlie Day) and black market dealer Hannibal Chau (Ron Perlman) discover that Otachi is pregnant. They don’t have long to sit with that revelation before the offspring bursts out and attacks the crew attempting to harvest the Kaiju’s organs. The frenzied baby eventually chokes on its own umbilical cord, but still manages to make a meal out of Hannibal before dying. Some kids are just born bad.

Baby Groot (Guardians Of The Galaxy)

First he was Groot, then he was Baby Groot. The young version of the tree-like humanoid alien saved the day at the climax of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 1. For a while it looked like he might have made the ultimate sacrifice in protecting the Guardians as their ship crash-landed on Xandar. But after Rocket manages to save a cutting from the original Groot and replants it, Groot is reborn. According to writer-director James Gunn the new incarnation is not the original Groot but a separate individual, more like a son than a clone. We got our first taste of Baby Groot’s mischievous personality in a post-credits scene that shows him dancing to music while Drax’s back is turned. When Drax turns around, he freezes. Baby Groot returned in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, which features the majority of his screen time in the films. By the time we get to Vol. 3, he’s already grown into his surly teenage form. The baby version of the character was so popular that he got his own spinoff series of shorts on Disney+ called—what else?—I Am Groot.

Wuba (Monster Hunt)

The Chinese fantasy comedy Monster Hunt is a real trip. It’s definitely worth seeking out if you haven’t seen it, but be prepared for a wild, and sometimes nonsensical, ride. The film became a sensation when it was first released in China in 2015, breaking box office records and winning over legions of fans. The CGI-heavy film is set in an alternate version of ancient China where a tenuous peace between monsters and humans is interrupted by a civil war in the realm of the monsters that causes the pregnant queen to flee. The baby is later accidentally transferred to a human man, who gives birth to a creature he names Wuba and vows to protect from humans and monsters alike. It’s hard to explain Wuba’s winning charm, but it’s almost like he was created in a lab to appeal to your most basic protective instincts. Which, considering he’s a fully animated CGI character, is kind of true.

Grogu (The Mandalorian)

There’s no way we were going to leave The Mandalorian’s Baby Yoda, er, sorry, Grogu out of any list of cute creatures. It’s hard to believe he’s only been with us since 2019. This frog-munching, broth-sipping, Force-wielding “bad baby” is one of the best additions to the Star Wars galaxy in years. From the moment he first appeared on screen, he captured our hearts, and Din Djarin’s too. We’re willing to follow this little guy anywhere he goes, even if it means having to watch The Book Of Boba Fett. We’re looking forward to finding out more about him and his mysterious origins in the upcoming feature film The Mandalorian & Grogu.

Mini Stay Puft Marshmallow Men (Ghostbusters: Afterlife)

There’s something delightful about seeing a tiny version of a giant monster, and even though the original Mr. Stay Puft from Ghostbusters wasn’t really that scary (that was sort of the point), it was fun to return to the concept in the recent sequel Ghostbusters: Afterlife. As the minions of Gozer, they’re nasty little troublemakers out to cause chaos with their deceptions and sabotage. One might be easy to squish on its own, but a swarm of them can be formidable. They’re rumored to be making a return appearance in the next film, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.

Flerken kittens (The Marvels)

After Goose became a breakout fan-favorite character in Captain Marvel it was inevitable that we’d be seeing more flerkens in The Marvels. But we didn’t expect to see that many. They may look like ordinary cats, but they’re actually quite dangerous aliens that can devour practically anything with their mouth tentacles. That proves to be quite useful when Nick Fury and the rest of the S.A.B.E.R. staff have to evacuate quickly. In one of the most ridiculous (or funny, depending on your sense of humor) sequences in the film, Nick, Carol Danvers, and company have to run around the station literally herding them while Barbra Streisand sings “Memory” from the musical Cats. We can’t wait for Andrew Lloyd Webber to write the sequel, Flerkens.