30 Hidden Messages & References In Disney's 'Toy Story' Movies That You Might Have Missed
If you're a big fan of Toy Story, Disney, and everything in between, this is for you.
I'll be straight with you: I'm a huge 'Toy Story' fan. I was 5 when the first 'Toy Story' was released (1995), and my daughter turned four right after 'Toy Story 4' (2019) came out.
It was a full-circle moment for me to take her to the cinema dressed as Jessie on the day the film was released. I will never forget it.
The cool thing about Disney Pixar (the creators of the 'Toy Story' franchise) is that the films are full of really cool Easter eggs and secret references. The second cool thing about Pixar is that it comes with diehard Disney fans who can spot Easter eggs from miles away—and kindly share them online!
We've collected the best secret references from the entire franchise for you to check out below.
Mr. Potato Head's Voice
"In 'Toy Story 4,' Mr. Potato Head is voiced posthumously by Don Rickles (who passed away in 2017). The Pixar team mined through more than two decades of Rickles’ voice sessions and outtakes from other films, theme parks, toys, etc., to piece together the performance."
reddit.comThe Red String...
"In 'Toy Story 4' (2019), the red string that Andy used to repair his torn arm in 'Toy Story 2' is still visible."
8 months agoAndy's Walk...
"For 'Toy Story' (1995), the screenwriters taped shoes to a wooden board to help the creative team figure out how the army soldiers would walk and run."
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The Cobwebs...
In 'Toy Story 4' (2019), instead of creating all of the individual cobwebs by hand, Pixar created AI spiders that were programmed to spin the webs wherever they were needed.
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Sid the Garbage Man
"Sid from 'Toy Story' is the garbage man in 'Toy Story 3.'"
2 years ago
The Tim Allen Connection...
"'Toy Story' Easter egg: The tools that Sid uses are Binford tools. Binford is the company that sponsors the show 'Tool Time' within the show 'Home Improvement.' Tim Allen (the voice of Buzz Lightyear) was the star of that show."
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'Production Babies'
"Beginning with their first full-length feature, 'Toy Story' (1995), the credits for all Pixar movies include 'Production Babies.' These are the children born to anyone at Pixar during the making of the movie."
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"Up".
"In 'Toy Story 4' (2019), the bottle cap found by Bo Peep's sheep is a reference to the grape soda bottle cap pin in 'Up.'"
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Boo from 'Monsters, Inc.'
"In 'Toy Story 4' (2019), you can see Boo from 'Monsters, Inc.' playing games at the carnival."
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Boo's Jessie Doll
"In 'Monsters, Inc.' (2001), Boo had a Jessie figure from 'Toy Story.'"
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More 'Up' Connections...
"In 'Toy Story 3' (2010), while in Andy's room, you can see pinned on his board a postcard from Carl and Ellie from the film 'Up' (2009)."
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Andy's Writing...
"Andy's handwriting improves as he ages in 'Toy Story.'"
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'The Shining'
"The carpet at Sid’s house in 'Toy Story' (1995) was intentionally made to match the carpet at the Overlook Hotel in 'The Shining' (1980), one of many references to the horror film throughout the Pixar series."
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The Guy Who Cleans Up Woody...
"Geri from the famous Pixar short 'Geri’s Game' that played before 'A Bug's Life' (1998) is also the man who cleans up Woody to sell in 'Toy Story 2' (1999)."
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The 'Jurassic Park' Connection
"In 'Toy Story 2,' there is an Easter egg referencing the scene where the T-Rex chased the car in 'Jurassic Park.'"
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The 'Wall-E' Connection
"In 'Toy Story 3' (2010), the batteries used in Buzz Lightyear are made by 'Buy N Large'—the same company that made 'Wall-E.'"
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Mrs. Potato Head's Book...
"In 'Toy Story 2,' Mrs. Potato Head is seen reading 'A Bug's Life' in book form."
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Buzz is Aging... This One is Sad.
"In 'Toy Story 4' (2019), a closer look at Buzz Lightyear shows that his stickers are slowly starting to peel away."
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Virtual Reality
"'Toy Story' (1995) is the first feature-length film created entirely by CGI. Andy's home is listed for sale with virtual reality real estate."
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Andy's Books...
"In 'Toy Story,' all the books on Andy’s shelf are the titles of Pixar’s animated shorts."
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Offset Blinking...
"Most of the characters in 'Toy Story' (1995) blink their eyes one at a time. This is called 'offset blinking' and is usually used in animation to signal an out-of-place or silly character. In 'Toy Story,' it's likely used to remind the audience that the toys are still toys."
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Lotso Bear is in the Movie 'Up,' Too.
"Just a small one I found: the evil teddy bear from 'Toy Story 3' appears in the movie 'Up' during the scene where the house starts to fly."
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Utah Teapot.
"'Toy Story' (1995) is the first feature-length computer-animated film. When Buzz is out of his mind at the tea party, the teapot on the table is modeled after the famous Utah Teapot, one of the very first 3D computer graphics models from the 1970s."
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Lincoln.
"In 'Toy Story 2' (1999), Jessie, after meeting Woody, exclaims, 'Sweet mother of Abraham Lincoln!' This is a reference to Tom Hanks, the voice of Woody, being related to the president through Lincoln’s mother."
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Vulcan Salute.
"In 'Toy Story' (1995), when Buzz says farewell to Woody, he uses the Vulcan salute from the 'Star Trek' series."
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Molly's Magazine.
When Molly is reading an issue of 'Tween Zine' in 'Toy Story 3,' Darla from 'Finding Nemo' makes an appearance on the cover.
Another Nod to 'The Shining.'
"A little nod to 'The Shining' (1980): Room 237 is on the back of the garbage truck in 'Toy Story 3' (2010)."
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USA
"In 'Toy Story 2' (1999), the American flag is replaced by the globe in the rest of the world."
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Barbie & Ken
In 'Toy Story 3' (2010), Ken and Barbie’s designs are based on real-life toys from the Barbie toy line. Ken is based on the 1988 Animal Lovin' Ken toy, while Barbie is based on the 1983 Great Shape Barbie toy."
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Forky's Feet!
"In 'Toy Story 4,' Forky points his feet (sticks) toward Gabby's mirror to see the name written on the bottom of them."
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