Yoda (Dagobah) — Star Wars The Black Series 40th Anniversary

Overview

Yoda at the ESB 40th Anniversary lineup as the Dagobah variant captures the Jedi Master at his most narratively pivotal configuration — Frank Oz’s Yoda during Luke’s apprenticeship sequences in the swamp planet’s wetland environment, the moment Star Wars introduced the wisest Jedi in the galaxy living in deliberate seclusion. Released April 2020 single-carded in Hasbro’s 40th The Empire Strikes Back Collection. Mainline non-exclusive at $19.99. 16-joint articulation — appropriate for the smaller-scale character. Six accessories: a lightsaber with removable green blade, a soft-goods Jedi robe, a belt, a cane, a snake, and a flute. The figure is a straight re-release of the Black Series Archive Yoda (figure id=20450) from 2019, packaged on a Kenner-inspired cardback for the ESB 40th commemorative release.

The 2019 Archive Re-Release

The Yoda body sculpt is the same body engineering Hasbro released in 2019 as a Black Series Archive line entry. The Black Series Archive sub-line was Hasbro’s premium-tier re-release programme that brought back classic Black Series sculpts in updated packaging with refreshed accessory configurations. The 2020 ESB 40th Anniversary version uses the Archive-line body sculpt, the Archive-line accessory loadout, and the Archive-line paint application — only the packaging changes from the Archive-line collector cardback to the Kenner-inspired commemorative cardback.

For collectors who own the 2019 Archive Yoda, the 2020 ESB 40th version is functionally a duplicate body sculpt with commemorative packaging. For collectors who missed the Archive release or who collect the complete ESB 40th Anniversary commemorative set, this Yoda is essential. The Archive sub-line had limited initial production; the broader 2020 mainline distribution makes the configuration more accessible for collectors who prefer standard retail acquisition.

The Six-Accessory Loadout

The accessory configuration is structurally generous for a $19.99 mainline release: lightsaber with removable green blade, soft-goods Jedi robe, belt, cane, snake, and flute. Six total components delivers exclusive-tier accessory density at standard mainline pricing.

The lightsaber configuration supports both the saber-deployed (with green blade attached, training-combat configuration) and saber-stowed (hilt-only, at-rest carrying configuration) display options. Yoda can hold the included lightsaber well with each hand. The green blade can be detached from the hilt, and that enables the figure to be displayed with an ignited and non-ignited saber.

The cane captures the screen-accurate walking-stick equipment that defines Yoda’s pre-revealed-Jedi-Master appearance — the moment Luke first encounters him on Dagobah, Yoda is using the cane as a deliberate misdirection prop to test Luke’s patience. The figure is able to grab the cane OK with each hand, supporting both the canonical leaning-on-cane display and the active-Jedi configurations.

The snake is a meaningful narrative-completion accessory. The included snake wraps well around Yoda’s neck and it makes a nice accessory for a Dagobah-inspired display. The snake captures the screen-accurate moment when Yoda is shown with the small Dagobah-native serpent draped around his shoulders during the early hut sequences — a small but specific source-material detail that adds depth beyond the standard Jedi-only accessory configurations.

The flute hanging around Yoda’s neck can be taken off the figure (the head needs to be popped off first — easy). The flute reference captures the screen-accurate Dagobah hut sequence where Yoda demonstrates his deliberate eccentricity to a sceptical Luke. Same removable-accessory engineering as the snake — both small narrative-completion details that distinguish this Yoda from generic Jedi-Master configurations.

The Soft-Goods Jedi Robe and Belt

Yoda’s soft-goods robe is easily removable and it fits well without feeling bulky. Same fabric-robe configuration that defines the better Black Series Jedi releases — appropriate fabric drape that captures the screen-accurate canonical visual reading without the bulk-vs-articulation compromise that affects many soft-goods configurations.

The belt is removable. Standard removable-equipment design — the belt sits as a separate sculpt component that can be detached cleanly for the no-belt configuration if collectors want a baseline display. The combined removable-robe-and-belt approach supports multiple costume configurations: full-canonical (robe and belt), undersuit-only (robe and belt removed), and intermediate variants depending on collector display preferences.

For collectors who want costume kitbashing flexibility, the Yoda figure is one of the more configuration-flexible Black Series Jedi releases — the dual-removable approach contrasts with the integrated-equipment patterns that affect many figures.

Articulation and Scale

16 joints. Ball-jointed neck, ball-jointed shoulders, swivel joints above the elbows, swivel joints below the elbows, ball-jointed wrists, ball-jointed waist, ball-jointed hips, swivel thighs, ball-jointed ankles. Standard articulation count for the Yoda character class — appropriate to the smaller-scale figure body without being exceptional. The dual-axis arm articulation (separate joints above and below the elbows) provides functional flexibility for the cane-holding, lightsaber-wielding, and gesture-display poses that the character’s range demands.

Yoda’s height seems appropriate in comparison with other 6-inch Black Series figures. This is a meaningful catalogue note — many smaller-scale Star Wars characters in Hasbro’s Black Series catalogue suffer from scale-calibration issues (R2-D2 reads as undersized, for instance). The Yoda 2019-source-and-2020-rerelease body sculpt lands the canonical height differential cleanly, capturing the screen-accurate Yoda-vs-Luke scale relationship that defines the character’s specific physical presence.

The figure balances out well on display without falling over — appropriate Yoda-scale standing-stability engineering despite the smaller body footprint.

Distribution and the Dagobah Lineup

Standard mainline ESB 40th Anniversary release at $19.99 through wide retail channels — Target, Walmart, Amazon, hobby shops. The mainline distribution and the standard pricing make this Yoda accessible. Aftermarket pricing on the secondary market has remained reasonable due to the dual-release availability between this commemorative version and the 2019 Archive source.

For collectors building the complete ESB 40th Anniversary lineup, this Dagobah Yoda completes the canonical Dagobah swamp-planet trio — pairs specifically with Luke Skywalker (Dagobah) at #P4-40A-LD3 and R2-D2 (Dagobah) at #P4-40A-R24 for the screen-accurate Force-cave-and-Jedi-training sequences. The trio captures the complete Dagobah ensemble cleanly.

Other Yoda Figures

Yoda has been a consistent Hasbro release subject across multiple lines. Other notable releases include the Clone Wars version (figure id=25), the 30th Anniversary McQuarrie Concept Series (figure id=127), the standalone Clone Wars Master Yoda release (figure id=199), the Clone Wars Yoda And Jek 2-Pack Ambush version (figure id=271), the Power of the Force 2 standard release (figure id=493), and the Power of the Force 2 With Cane And Boiling Pot Dagobah-era release (figure id=496). The ESB 40th Anniversary Dagobah release joins this multi-decade catalogue as the dedicated 6-inch Black Series flagship Dagobah-era version.

Secondary Market

Single-carded mainline release on Kenner-style commemorative cardback, April 2020. Available at MSRP through standard retail and the secondary market with broad availability. Verify the lightsaber hilt, the removable green blade, the soft-goods Jedi robe, the belt, the cane, the snake, and the flute are all included. The smaller accessories (snake, flute, blade) are the most easily lost during transit.

Verdict

Yoda (Dagobah) at the 2020 ESB 40th Anniversary line is one of the standout figures in the entire commemorative lineup — the six-accessory loadout density delivers exclusive-tier value at standard mainline pricing, the snake and flute narrative-completion accessories add depth beyond the standard Jedi-only configurations, the soft-goods robe and removable belt support multiple costume configurations, the dual-grip cane and lightsaber engineering enables both at-rest and combat display options, and the canonical scale calibration captures the screen-accurate Yoda-vs-human-character height differential correctly.

The duplicate body sculpt vs the 2019 Archive source means collectors with the prior release are buying repeat tooling for the commemorative packaging variation. The straight re-release nature of the 2020 version means there’s no engineering improvement beyond the cardback configuration. The 16-joint articulation count is standard rather than exceptional, though appropriate to the smaller character class.

Buy this figure if you collect the ESB 40th Anniversary line as a complete set, if you build Dagobah swamp-planet dioramas requiring the canonical Luke-and-R2-D2 trio ensemble, if you appreciate exclusive-tier accessory loadouts at standard mainline pricing, if you missed the 2019 Black Series Archive Yoda at original release, or if the snake and flute narrative-completion accessories match your screen-accurate display preferences. The configuration-flexible removable robe and belt support the broadest costume display flexibility of any Black Series Yoda release.

The Dagobah Jedi Master with the six-accessory loadout including snake and flute. The figure with the removable soft-goods robe and the canonical scale calibration. The Yoda that completes the Dagobah trio with Luke and R2-D2 for the screen-accurate Jedi-training ensemble. Mainline distribution, April 2020.

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Part of Star Wars The Black Series | Phase 4 40th Anniversary Collection. Related: Luke Skywalker (Dagobah) P4-40A-LD3 | R2-D2 (ESB) P4-40A-R24 | Darth Vader (ESB) P4-40A-DV3.