From Younglings to Jedi Masters

Whether it was sitting in a crowded movie theater in 1977 or popping The Phantom Menace into a DVD player in the early 2000s, every generation has its special introduction to the galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures is kids’ latest opening into the Star Wars universe. In the show, a group of younglings explore the galaxy and learn what it means to be a Jedi from Master Yoda. With a colorful cast of main characters including Kai Brightstar, Lys Solay, Nash Durango, and the fuzzy Nubs, this show provides kids as young as age 3 with a Star Wars saga to call their own.

Designed with preschoolers in mind, Young Jedi Adventures is many kids’ first exposure to the beloved franchise. Roberto Calderón, a Star Wars enthusiast and contributor to the Instagram page @StarWarsToyCollector, says his kids are too young to be interested in the Star Wars movies or shows, so Young Jedi Adventures was a great way to introduce them to the lore.

Calderón has three boys: 5-year-old twins and a 3 year old. While the twins aren’t as into the show, Young Jedi Adventures has become a bonding opportunity for Calderón and his 3-year-old son.

“It came out at the right time,” Calderón says. “It’s one of the things that he and I do while his brothers choose to do some iPad time. He and I will sit and watch it, and then it’s kind of a transition where if the bigger boys have an appointment, me and the little one, while we wait for them, there’s a little park nearby that has a forest — we’ve gone on Jedi adventures and run around through the park.”

Calderón likes that Young Jedi Adventures, which takes place during the High Republic era of the Star Wars timeline, also features characters that we have previously only seen in books and comic books, such as Loden Greatstorm and Bell Zettifar. As the show continues, Calderón hopes Young Jedi Adventures continues to explore existing characters and themes from Star Wars in a way young kids can understand. 

“I definitely want to see them add more characters,” Calderón says. “I would love to see more of Yoda, maybe even more of some of the other characters like Stellan Gios … Also, I hope there is a continuation of maybe more aspects and elements of the Force that they introduced in Clone Wars.”

Indie Galvan, an 8-year-old girl with Down Syndrome, has a Star Wars-themed Instagram account, @IndieSpeeder, that is run by her parents, Emily and Juan Galvan. Indie was already a big fan of Star Wars before Young Jedi Adventures came to be.

“Indie was born into Star Wars,” Emily Galvan says. “Juan and I both love it. We brought her home in a Star Wars onesie and would play the Star Wars lullaby music for her. From there, she just fell in love with it, Darth Vader being her first love. She would call him ‘papa’ when she first started talking.”

Emily Galvin says that Indie loves the new characters introduced in Young Jedi Adventures, especially Lys Solay, who Indie has cosplayed as before. 

“Indie says that Nubs is one of her favorites because he is cute and fuzzy,” Emily Galvan says. “She likes Lys, too, because she can talk to animals. Indie loves animals. She wants to be a zoologist one day.”

The show, which airs on Disney Junior and Disney+, has inspired epic collections of toys and other products, just as the Star Wars shows and movies that came before it. 

“For Young Jedi Adventures specifically, we were really aware — both in the series and in the product — to focus on the Star Wars themes that are most appropriate for those younger fans, like friendship, humor, exploration, and using their Jedi abilities to help others,” Gollaher says. “Likewise, we have a brighter, more playful packaging expression for this line. We really want it to clearly communicate that young-fan affinity in all aspects, from visuals to play patterns. We still draw on all those iconic Star Wars elements like droids, lightsabers, starships, and the Force, but make sure we’re providing a great play experience for younger kids.”

Hasbro, which purchased Kenner Toys — the original makers of Star Wars action figures and playsets — back in 1991, has a longstanding licensing deal with Lucasfilm that now extends to the Young Jedi Adventures brand. The iconic toymaker has launched a full series of toys based on the series, including plush, playsets, action figures, and, of course, role-play lightsabers. The centerpiece of Hasbro’s lineup is the Tenoo Jedi Temple playset, which features a training area where kids can re-create scenes from the show. 

“We really love the Tenoo Jedi Temple playset because it brings everything in the line together and is a central location from the show,” says Sam Smith, director for global design and innovation for Hasbro’s Star Wars team. “Here, the Jedi can come together, learn, train, and prepare for their next adventure. There are so many great features to discover in the set that preschoolers will enjoy.” 

And while the Younglings are all adorable in their little Jedi robes, there’s one character that is a clear, cute standout: Nubs. So naturally, the Hasbro team highlighted the fan-favorite with a special, 16.5-inch Fuzzy Force Nubs plush. 

“He’s adorable and extra snuggly for preschoolers who love carrying their favorite characters wherever they go,” Smith says. “He’s such a fun character on the show and kids instantly relate to him.”

In addition to Hasbro's offerings, fans can find a trio of plush from Mattel and preschool-friendly LEGO sets, such as the 124-piece Tenoo Jedi Temple and the 136-piece Crimson Firehawk.

As someone who often works with Star Wars toys and collectibles, Calderón says that he likes the durability of the Young Jedi Adventures toys, particularly Hasbro’s action figures.

“They’re not super poseable,“ Calderón says. “I tried getting them into the mission fleets and those things kind of fell apart and lost pieces — but as a parent, they’re fun because I’m not searching for pieces everywhere and they (the kids) like ’em. Nubs fits in well with The Black Series figures. Since I do toy photography as a hobby and also on behalf of @StarWarsToyCollector, sometimes Nubs has jumped in. My little one said, ‘Let’s make a Star Wars picture.’ We’ll bring him in and if he sees me setting up (a photo), Nubs will come join for a few.”

If kids have already got their hands on Young Jedi Adventures toys, there is still more they can discover from their favorite merch makers. Random House Children’s Books has published two Little Golden Books: Get Well, Nubs and The Jellyfruit Pursuit. 

Disney Store also has a collection of Young Jedi Adventures merchandise, including apparel, accessories, and more — the highlight of which is definitely the fuzzy Nubs Baseball Cap. 

In the future, Calderón hopes that Disney and the product manufacturers it works with will make more small Young Jedi Adventures playsets along with role-playing toys like costumes.

“The bigger boys wanted to be Kai (for Halloween)” Calderón says. “I mean, there was some off-brand stuff … there was some company that makes just dress-up items for kids, and they had a Jedi robe, and so we actually just got that for them. The little one decided to make his own character. He had his dinosaur costume and then he put the Jedi robe on top of that.”

Young Jedi Adventures gives parents an easy new avenue to introduce kids to the galaxy we’ve come to love for more than 40 years without some of the heavier themes featured in the movies and animated series like The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels. Plus, the show settles an age-old debate: Do you start with Episode IV or Episode I? Neither. You start with Young Jedi Adventures.