Today in Dancing-Baby-Groot News: Dave Bautista Re-Enacts Scene, New Toy Coming

Gwynne Watkins

Dancing baby Groot appears for only 40 seconds at the very end of Guardians of the Galaxy. But that’s all the time it took for the animated tree creature (voiced by Vin Diesel in its gnarlier, grown-up incarnation) to become the breakout character from this summer’s blockbuster. This weekend, Guardians stars Dave Bautista and Michael Rooker paid homage to the little guy by re-enacting his scene for cheering crowds at Wizard World Chicago Comic Con. The wrestler-turned-actor played his own character, Drax, while Rooker (who played blue-skinned Yondu in the film) stood in a flower pot and rocked out to the Jackson 5. Here’s the clip from YouTube user Blake Garris, who described it with the hashtag #grooting.

Here’s another way to groot (since it’s apparently a verb now): Pick up the first official dancing Groot toy. Marvel announced on Saturday via Twitter that a bobble-head version of baby Groot would soon be available through Funko’s POP Vinyl toy line. The sale date will reportedly be announced this week. Alternately, crafty Groot-heads can DIY the character. Here are fan tutorials for making a dancing baby Groot cake and a clay sculpture.

image

As of this weekend, Guardians of the Galaxy is officially the highest-grossing movie of the summer in North America: its $250 million-plus take surpassing Transformers: Age of Extinction (which maintains the lead in global ticket sales). By the end of the week, it certain to surpass Captain America: The Winter Soldier to becomes 2014’s domestic box-office leader. Now that’s a good reason for Groot to do some dancing.

Want to see Guardians of the Galaxy? Visit our Showtimes page to get tickets.