Jedi Council

Interesting facts about Yoda

• Yoda was a legendary Jedi Master and stronger than most in his connection with the Force. Small in size but wise and powerful, he trained Jedi for over 800 years, playing integral roles in the Clone Wars, the instruction of Luke Skywalker, and unlocking the path to immortality.
• Yoda is 66cm tall and 17kg in weight. Designing Yoda was a painstaking and risky venture for all those involved. The world of fantasy filmmaking was quite different in the late 70s, and the notion of having a supporting character with significant screen time played by a puppet was unheard of. Unlike the successful Muppets, Yoda was to be seen as a living, breathing alien creature, and not a whimsical creation. Furthermore, the character was meant to deliver ancient philosophies and timeless wisdom. Would it work? In the early story development of Yoda, the initial descriptions varied from a large alien being to a tiny one. The diminutive direction ultimately won out, and Empire's concept artists developed illustrations of gnome-like and elfin creatures. In the story treatment, Yoda's full name was Minch Yoda, and in the first draft, he was known only as Minch. Once the design was settled, Yoda was realized by make up and creatures supervisor Stuart Freeborn, who designed the alien as an intricately detailed puppet. Yoda was brought to life by the vocal and puppeteering performance of Frank Oz, a veteran collaborator of Jim Henson.