Even if you're not a fan of "Star Wars," you know a lot about Yoda. This diminutive green Jedi warrior made a huge impact on pop culture with his debut in "The Empire Strikes Back" in 1980, with his sage wisdom and distinctive way of talking. He's one of the most recognizable characters in sci-fi, but it all could have been different if the producers behind the series had gone with a creepier original design. An interview with creature creator Stuart Freeborn during the production of "Empire" shows a prototype of the Yoda puppet that probably wouldn't have gone over well – or at least not as well as Yoda's final design. See for yourself whether or not this early Yoda design will give you nightmares.
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00:00Whether you're a Star Wars fan or not, everyone loves Yoda.
00:05Sure, people mostly tend to go Gaga for Grogu these days, but remember that once upon a
00:10time everyone called the Mandalorian's best character Baby Yoda, because this Star Wars
00:15species name is still a big mystery.
00:17That's a good point, you've given me a lot to think about.
00:20The original little green guy, voiced by the legendary Frank Oz, has made an appearance
00:24in all three of the Star Wars trilogies, and is one of the greatest creatures to ever wield
00:29the Force.
00:31During his design phase, however, there was a version of Yoda that wasn't as lovable as
00:36the final design ended up being.
00:38In a recently unearthed interview with creature creator Stuart Freeborn from July 1979, an
00:43original prototype puppet of Yoda was revealed, and he's one creepy-looking critter.
00:49The video that shows the prototype was found and posted by the Seventies Sci-Fi Boy YouTube
00:54channel in January 2022.
00:56The video shows both the animatronic head design we know and love, alongside the absolutely
01:01grotesque original version.
01:04The footage is a neat, if somewhat unsettling, look into the creation of one of pop culture's
01:08most popular puppets.
01:10A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.
01:17Freeborn's original design for Yoda might have been a little creepy, but he would eventually
01:21refine it into something unforgettable.
01:24The special effects makeup master was already well-known by the time he was hired to make
01:28movie magic for George Lucas.
01:31Directors would frequently come back to Freeborn, and he worked with some of the biggest names
01:34in genre cinema in the 1960s and 70s.
01:38Freeborn collaborated twice with director Stanley Kubrick, creating the ape-like ancestors
01:43for the Dawn of Man sequence in 2001 A Space Odyssey, and turning actor Peter Sellers into
01:48multiple characters for Doctor Strangelove.
01:52He also worked with Richard Donner repeatedly, making Christopher Reeve into the perfectly
01:56chiseled Kryptonian for Superman, and designing the devil's spawn Damian for The Omen.
02:02In the world of Star Wars, Freeborn was responsible for not only creating everyone's favorite
02:06little green guy, but also the designs of the Ewoks, Chewbacca, and Jabba the Hutt.
02:10Look Jabba, next time you want to talk to me, come see me yourself.
02:14While Yoda was only one of Freeborn's many creations, he was probably his most personal.
02:19The Empire Strikes Back director Irvin Kershner would comment on just how much Yoda looked
02:24like Freeborn, with similarly inquisitive and mischievous elfin features.
02:29Freeborn even copied the wrinkles on his own forehead, carving them into the clay figure
02:33of Yoda that served as the character's original design.
02:36According to Freeborn, the only part of Yoda that wasn't modeled after some part of himself
02:41was a character's upper lip.
02:43That was based on famed scientist Albert Einstein, so viewers might subconsciously assume Yoda's
02:48intelligence.
02:50Too bad most people only know Einstein with his trademark mustache, hiding his Yoda-like
02:54upper lip.
02:55The character of Yoda would go on to be one of the most famous and easily recognizable
02:59in the franchise, with his big ears and gentle eyes.
03:04Though the character dies in Star Wars Return of the Jedi, he would return for the prequel
03:08films in a younger form, and appear in the sequels as a Force ghost, making him one of
03:13the few characters to appear in all three trilogies.
03:17"...Master Yoda."
03:19"...Young Skywalker."
03:22For people with a fear of puppets, the original Yoda puppet might be one of the creepiest
03:26creations ever made.
03:28Even if you aren't frightened by fabric faces, this guy is just pretty unsettling.
03:33One eye of the Yoda prototype is squinting, as if the legendary Jedi is peering into the
03:37future, while the other is wide open, like he can also read everyone's thoughts.
03:42As Freeborn explains the character and the design, he continues moving his hand inside
03:47of the puppet's mouth ever so slightly, so it looks as if Yoda is sort of chatting along
03:51with him.
03:52"...He's quite a clever little fella, he's 400 years old, and of course he has the power
03:59of the Force."
04:00There are plenty of terrifying and adorable creatures in Star Wars, ranging from the sneaky
04:05Jawas to the slug-like Hutts, but original Yoda might be the most terrifying of them
04:11all.