Artist's viral drawing reveals 'rival' to Baby Yoda: 'This is the best thing ever'
Baby Yoda has firmly held the No. 1 spot in our hearts for months now, but it looks like he’s finally got some competition.
That’s thanks to Leonardo Viti, a 3D designer who took his skills to Instagram in order to “babify” another beloved Star Wars character.
The result? Meet "Baby Jabba," the adorably childish version of Jabba the Hutt, the villainous crime boss first introduced in "Star Wars: A New Hope." The original Jabba is enormous, purposefully disgusting and notably evil, but his baby version is, honestly, irresistible.
A post shared by Leonardo Viti (@leovitiart) on Nov 28, 2019 at 4:45am PST
Viti first shared his creation late last year, just a few weeks after the Disney Plus series "The Mandalorian" introduced us to Baby Yoda. The tiny, animated Jabba has since become a viral sensation in his own right, finally taking Twitter by storm several weeks after Viti’s original post.
"I would lowkey die for baby jabba," one Twitter user wrote last weekend.
"Everyone! Baby Yoda is so 2019. 2020 is the year of Baby Jabba," another user claimed.
"This is the best thing ever," one of Viti’s Instagram followers wrote.
...I would lowkey die for baby jabba. https://t.co/SZ7eyhNXQD
— mahalia ❃ (@WolfHali24) January 20, 2020
Not to be forgotten, Baby Yoda still remains wildly popular online. The latest example: The mass hysteria that erupted when Disney finally announced on Jan. 21 that it was selling a plush toy version of the 50-year-old toddler.
That’s on top of the neverending stream of viral stories surrounding the character, including in December, when a rescued cat became a national phenomenon thanks to its Baby Yoda-esque ears.
In the following weeks, actress Laura Dern claimed to be dating the adored character, and the internet lost its mind over a photo of George Lucas cradling the creature’s live-action puppet.
But second place seemed like enough for Viti, who took to Instagram in December to thank his followers for their support. In addition to his gratitude, he also shared a 360-degree video of his creation.
"The little Jabba is really happy for all the love he received. Here is a short turntable video," Viti wrote.
The little Jabba is really happy for all the love he received 🙏 Here is a short turntable video 😊
A post shared by Leonardo Viti (@leovitiart) on Dec 2, 2019 at 4:59am PST
