The upcoming Star Wars film The Mandalorian and Grogu features a character named Rotta the Hutt, a muscular gladiator-esque warrior voiced by Emmy winner Jeremy Allen White. While this marks Rotta’s first appearance in live-action, longtime Star Wars fans are quite familiar with the son of Jabba. A much younger Rotta plays a key role in the animated Clone Wars movie; Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano embark on a mission to save the baby, who they affectionately nickname Stinky. Ahead of the adult Rotta’s big-screen debut, Hot Toys is going back to the Hutt’s roots with a new collectible figure … but there’s one problem with it.
On X, the account Sixth Scale Update shared images of a new 1/6 scale Ahsoka Tano figure modeled after the character’s appearance in the Clone Wars film (though, the likeness has been adapted with Ariana Greenblatt’s appearance as young Ahsoka in Ahsoka Season 1). It comes with a baby Rotta who can fit in Ahsoka’s backpack. The issue here is that Hot Toys’ interpretation undoes a notable Ahsoka retcon. Her costume has reverted back to its old design. Check out the post in the space below:
Hot Toys Brings Back Ahsoka’s Original Controversial Clone Wars Costume
When Ahsoka debuted in The Clone Wars, the character was seen sporting a tube top that barely covered her torso. This outfit was subject to backlash for a variety of reasons. For starters, it just seemed like an impractical thing to wear in battle, as it left Ahsoka more vulnerable to blaster fire and shrapnel. Additionally, it unnecessarily sexualized the character. When Ahsoka becomes Anakin’s Padawan in The Clone Wars, she is just 14 years old. For years, fans have wondered why Lucasfilm settled on this look for a character who’s meant to be so young. As the years went on, the studio seemed to realize the error of its ways.
Ahsoka’s costume evolved as The Clone Wars TV series went on, but Lucasfilm also made moves to retcon the tube top. On both the animated show Tales of the Jedi and the live-action Ahsoka Season 1, teenage Ahsoka’s costume was modified so it was desexualized, making it much more age-appropriate. Rather than use the new version, Hot Toys has brought back the original design, and reactions are mixed. On Instagram, one fan noted how the initial Clone Wars costume is “a bit awkward” and “looks majorly odd on the figure.”
Like any Hot Toys figure, the new Ahsoka and Stinky is meticulously crafted and boasts extraordinary attention to detail. As one might expect, Hot Toys did a great job of recreating Greenblatt’s likeness, and there’s a wide variety of accessories for different poses. However, it’s easy to see why some people find the Clone Wars outfit to be a bit off-putting. This Hot Toys figure is essentially a hybrid of animated and live-action Ahsoka from this particular period of her life, putting the animated costume on a photorealistic figure. If the tube top seemed strange as a cartoon, it’s going to seem even odder in this format.
It’s unknown why Hot Toys opted to go with the original Clone Wars costume design. The figure is modeled after Greenblatt, so the company clearly had access to recent materials from Lucasfilm. Perhaps the decision stemmed from a place of wanting to be as accurate to the movie as possible. Since Ahsoka wears the tube top in the Clone Wars film, Hot Toys felt that was the best way to go. It’ll be interesting to see if the figure’s design impacts anyone’s decision to purchase it. It’s worth mentioning that only 2,500 of these will be made, so — controversial costume or not — they should be coveted collectors’ items.
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