TIME magazine named Disney CEO Bob Iger its Businessperson of the Year for 2019. Iger, whose net worth is $690 million according to Forbes, has helmed the most magical company on earth since 2005.
Iger’s success is due in no small part for his progressive maneuvering of Disney through changing times and technology. Under his guidance, Disney has acquired Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and 21st Century Fox. His official biography also lists the opening of China’s own Disney World, Shanghai Disney Resort, as a crowning achievement. However, his most recent accomplishment is the launch of Disney Plus in November 2019.
Disney Plus nabbed over a million subscribers after its launch day on Nov. 12. One of the biggest draws of the new streaming service was its original Star Wars program, “The Mandalorian.” That show’s secret weapon? Baby Yoda, the diminutive version of the iconic Yoda.
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“As soon as those ears popped up from under the blanket, and the eyes, I knew,” Iger told TIME in his Businessperson of the Year profile. TIME notes that “The Mandalorian” basically carried the Disney Plus launch, and until the day of, Baby Yoda was kept secret. It paid off in droves. It took no time at all for the internet to do its thing and turn Baby Yoda into one of the most popular memes of the year. Iger even “sent friends his favorite, a mash-up of cosmological narratives featuring the Pope holding Baby Yoda like a communion wafer,” reported TIME.
There’s also an unofficial Baby Yoda Twitter account with 174 thousand followers.
Touch things I will. Baby I am. pic.twitter.com/FIalLFNE58
— Baby Yoda (@BabyYodaBaby) November 29, 2019
Although his profile noted Iger wanted to hold off on Baby Yoda-related merchandise, it’s already popping up everywhere, including a doll on Etsy for $300, reported CNET. And despite its life of just one month, Disney Plus managed to become Google's top search trend of 2019. Disney Plus is forecasted to draw in 20 million subscriber's by 2019’s end.
You can check this guide on how to watch “The Mandalorian” using Roku TV, Fire TV and more mediums.