Rare floating pram toy of The Child to be auctioned off for charity

The Child, aka Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, has seen an explosion of merchandise since the little Jedi-in-training was first revealed during season 1 of The Mandalorian. While there was a delay in merchandise between the season 1 opener and when products would finally hit shelves, since 2020, we’ve seen nothing but lots and lots of Baby Yoda items fill shops both online and in store.

Of course, you can get anything from The Child shoes to even a purse fully designed to look like Baby Yoda. But nothing beats the toys. There have been Funko Pops! galore. There’s even a cool Baby Yoda LEGO set. And now, one of the most elusive Baby Yoda toys you can get is currently up for auction. If you’re in the business of getting rare Star Wars collectibles, you may want to get your wallet ready.

According to StarWars.com, toy company Mattel is currently holding an auction for The Child in Floating Pram toy on eBay. As of this writing, the toy has surpassed $5,000 in bids, and there’s still more time to go. The auction officially closes on March 5, so that gives bidders about a week to put in bids for the toy. (That is, of course, if you’re willing to shell out a couple grand for this one-of-a-kind toy.)

In the end, though, the money raised will go to a good cause. The final price of the auction will all go to ProjectArt, a program that Star Wars describes as one that “supports the arts for underserved K-12 students by promoting teaching and learning through visual arts.” So, if you’ve been meaning to give back through charity, this is the way!

Unique Grogu floating pram toy

The toy itself is uniquely special, and it’s no wonder the masterpiece of a toy is a rarity. The toy was created by Mattel designer Michael Kadile, who really went to work on making sure it was constructed as accurately as possible.

The name of the toy is no lie. This pram actually floats/hovers above the stand. And Kadile says that trick is done by using a strong electromagnetic levitation system to ensure the pram is able to be suspended in air. Kadile described the process of creating the toy to Star Wars, saying:

"After watching The Mandalorian several times, screen capturing scenes and studying every angle, the first step was to recreate a 3D digital replica with the talented Mattel Sculptural Department. After the sculpt was perfected, we printed out massive molds to build a life-size pram.After several versions of the molds, I then began to experiment with the process of building the pram. I was able to document the process so that the build could be replicated, if necessary. Finally, we painted static models of the pram to best replicate how it looks in the series. To finish the look, we added some stellar work from the Mattel Soft Goods team with custom ornamental blankets and the project was a hit!"

If you get priced out of the Grogu toy auction (and I’m sure most of us will), never fear. There will always be more Mandalorian merchandise out there (and for a lot cheaper)!