20 Things You Somehow Missed In Toy Story
Toy Story continues to fascinate more than 25 years on.
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00:00 Cinema doesn't get much better than Toy Story, Pixar's groundbreaking computer-animated
00:05 film which effectively reinvented the animated medium whilst creating a beloved franchise
00:10 that endures to this very day.
00:12 And though most of us have probably watched Pixar's inaugural movie dozens, if not hundreds
00:16 of times over the years, there are still a few things that we may not have noticed.
00:20 We all know that Pixar loves to pack in the details, so there is a lot to see.
00:25 So, I'm Amy from WhatCulture, and here are 20 things you somehow missed in Toy Story.
00:31 20.
00:32 Andy's friends are all Andy clones
00:34 Given that Toy Story was the first completely computer-animated film, it's not really a
00:39 surprise that Pixar took a few shortcuts to lighten their workload.
00:42 This is unsettlingly noticeable early in the film when Andy's friends arrive at his house
00:46 for his birthday party, and when Sarge is watching proceedings through his binoculars.
00:51 After a brief moment, we can see that all of Andy's friends look exactly like him.
00:56 There are basic variations, you know, they're wearing different clothes and one of them
00:59 has darker skin than the rest, but the face and body models are completely identical.
01:04 Understandably, Pixar presumed nobody would ever notice, and didn't count on future audiences
01:08 being able to freeze-frame high-resolution versions of the film.
01:12 19.
01:13 Buzz has Disney written on him
01:15 In case you somehow forgot that Toy Story was a Disney movie, they placed a subtle reminder
01:20 on Buzz Lightyear's posterior that's noticeable in a couple of shots.
01:24 When Buzz and Woody squabble outside the gas station and Buzz walks away, the word "Disney"
01:28 can be seen printed on his backside, albeit faintly.
01:31 Then in Toy Story 2, the text was changed to include Pixar.
01:34 Strangely, though, this copyright stamp isn't actually included in legit retail versions
01:39 of the Buzz Lightyear doll.
01:40 Not sure why, seems like they missed a trick there.
01:43 18.
01:44 Mickey Mouse's cameo
01:45 A ton of Disney films, unsurprisingly, contain little references to their beloved mascot,
01:50 Mickey Mouse.
01:51 But did you know that Toy Story's one of them?
01:53 In Andy's bedroom, near the start of the movie, shortly after Buzz lands and we get
01:57 a nice wide shot of the room, on the right-hand side of the screen, a large, watch-shaped
02:01 Disney clock is seen hanging on the wall.
02:04 On closer inspection, the watch contains an image of Mickey Mouse, whose arms serve as
02:08 the clock's hands.
02:09 And better still, this design is actually used in real Mickey Mouse watches.
02:13 And trust me, there's no better piece of decor than a novelty clock.
02:17 17.
02:18 Everyone blinks one eye at a time
02:21 So here's something that's actually really subtle, but you will start to notice if you've
02:24 seen the movie enough times.
02:26 You'll see that all the toy characters actually blink one eye at a time.
02:30 Once you start noticing it, you won't be able to stop.
02:33 You'll have all your attention drawn to the fact that one eyelid just moves slightly faster
02:37 than the other one.
02:38 In the animation world, this is called offset blinking, and it's typically a trick employed
02:42 to depict a character who isn't so intelligent.
02:45 But in the case of Toy Story, it's been suggested that this may have been a technique to subconsciously
02:50 remind the audience that the characters are still toys.
02:53 If you don't believe me, slow the film down and it becomes unmissable.
02:56 16.
02:57 Virtual Realty Real Estate
03:00 As we know, Andy and his mother are of course preparing to move throughout the course of
03:03 the film.
03:04 So when we go outside and we see a "For Sale" sign, you may have noticed that it accredits
03:08 the estate agent that they're using as virtual realty.
03:11 You might think that's a rather odd name for a realty firm.
03:14 But then again, your next thought probably on noticing that that's the name would be
03:18 that it's clearly a reference to the fact that Toy Story is the first computer animated
03:21 movie and the first major sustained digital representation of real life to be put on the
03:26 big screen.
03:27 This one is so easy to spot if you're paying attention, but so many of us kind of drift
03:31 out and stop paying attention whilst watching movies, so this could have passed you by all
03:35 these years.
03:36 15.
03:37 Sid's House Has the Carpet from The Shining
03:40 Pixar have made it really clear over the years that their filmmakers have a love for Stanley
03:44 Kubrick, in particular for his film The Shining.
03:47 This is evidenced no better than in Toy Story, where the carpet in Sid's house is very clearly
03:51 styled on that of the Overlook Hotel's own iconic carpet design.
03:56 We get a prolonged look at it when Woody attempts to rescue Buzz from Sid's house, effectively
04:00 confirming just how completely deranged Sid is.
04:04 Keeping on the theme of Kubrick and Toy Story, the number 237 also appears several times
04:08 in Toy Story 3, in reference to the hotel's infamously cursed room number 237.
04:13 14.
04:14 There's Early Woody Concept Art on Andy's Bedroom Wall
04:18 The Mickey Mouse clock was not the only easter egg they put up on Andy's wall, though this
04:22 one arguably is harder to notice.
04:25 When Woody and Slinky Dog are on Andy's bed shortly after Buzz's arrival, you'll notice
04:29 in the background that there's a framed, sketched drawing on the wall, which actually
04:33 happens to be genuine early Woody concept art.
04:36 Woody and Buzz both went through prolonged redesigns during production, and it's just
04:40 as well given that a number of the proposed designs were, well, a little too creepy for
04:45 their own good.
04:46 And if you can believe it, there was actually a ventriloquist-style version of Woody.
04:50 That would have made for a very different movie.
04:52 13.
04:53 The Dark Marie Antoinette Joke
04:55 Here's a hilarious and slightly grim gag that you'll kick yourself for not getting over
05:00 the years.
05:01 When Buzz has his psychotic break and adopts his new tea-sipping moniker, Mrs Nesbitt,
05:05 he tells Woody, "One minute you're defending the whole galaxy, and suddenly you find yourself
05:09 sucking down Darjeeling with Marie Antoinette and her little sister."
05:12 Given that Buzz is having tea with one of Sid's sister's dolls, which has had its head
05:15 removed by Sid, this is evidently a nod to the fact that the Queen of France, Marie Antoinette,
05:20 was executed by beheading.
05:22 With dolls, though, it's a little less gruesome when you behead them.
05:24 You can kinda get away with it for a children's film.
05:27 12.
05:28 All the Animation Shortcuts
05:30 In addition to Andy's copy-and-paste clone friends, there are also a number of other
05:33 shortcuts employed to make the production the quickest and most efficient it could be.
05:38 Most prominently, none of the movie's human characters have long, flowing hair.
05:42 And this is because Pixar was still wrestling with the complex mechanics of hair physics
05:46 at the time.
05:47 This is the reason that Andy's mother has her hair tied up in a ponytail, and Sid's
05:51 sister Hannah has a short, solid bob, all just to save the animators having to figure
05:55 out a volumetric model for it.
05:57 There are other timesavers, like we don't see combat cars' explosive deaths because
06:01 Pixar considered animating an explosion, and then decided it was too taxing.
06:05 And another one is that there's no milk droplets when Woody dunks his burning head
06:08 into Sid's bowl of cereal, and this is once again for the same reason.
06:12 Projectiles, man, they're just difficult.
06:14 11.
06:15 Buzz's Wilhelm Scream
06:17 Once upon a time, the Wilhelm Scream was a sneaky little easter egg for sound engineers
06:21 to include in their films.
06:23 But the distinctive scream sound effect is so distinctive and ubiquitous these days that
06:27 its inclusion often proves more distracting and groan-worthy than funny.
06:31 You'd usually think of it as appearing in horror movies or action movies or something
06:36 along those lines, but actually, there is one in Toy Story.
06:39 The Toy Story Wilhelm Scream happens during one of the film's most pivotal moments,
06:44 when Buzz is knocked out of Andy's window courtesy of Woody.
06:47 The sound mix is busy enough that it's easily missed, especially if you're not watching
06:51 the film on a quality sound setup.
06:53 Though, once you do notice it, you'll likely never miss it again, for the real premium
06:57 experience make sure to listen in 3D surround sound, can you imagine?
07:01 10.
07:02 Penn Jillette Narrates the Buzz Lightyear Commercial
07:05 Who can forget the incredible moment when Buzz finally comes to terms with the fact
07:09 that he's actually a toy?
07:10 Buzz sees a TV commercial for himself, which makes it abundantly clear he's not a real
07:15 boy.
07:16 The hilariously over-the-top parody of toy commercials also includes a surprise celebrity
07:20 cameo, with the wacky narration being provided by none other than the legendary magician
07:25 Penn Jillette.
07:26 In a recent interview, Jillette claims that he was one of the first, if not the first,
07:30 people to be cast.
07:31 He can't have been that invested and excited about the project, though, because at this
07:34 point he also thought the movie's name was Toy Store.
07:38 Close enough.
07:39 9.
07:40 That Home Improvement Easter Egg
07:42 Sid's bedroom is full of tools that he uses to create his Frankenstein-esque toy combinations,
07:48 and eagle-eyed viewers might notice that his toolbox is of the Binford brand.
07:52 This might seem like a totally random, whatever, made-up name, but it's actually a reference
07:57 to Tim Allen's hit sitcom Home Improvement, where Binford Tools was the sponsor for Tool
08:01 Time, a TV show hosted by Allen's protagonist, Tim Taylor.
08:05 To place a cherry on top of that subtle nod, the logo is even exactly the same as it is
08:09 on the show.
08:10 Nice.
08:11 8.
08:12 The Three-Eyed Aliens Are Pizza Planet Branded
08:16 Who could ever forget the movie's iconic three-eyed aliens?
08:19 The high-pitched, adorable creatures are first encountered inside Pizza Planet's giant
08:24 prize machine, though you might have missed an extremely obvious detail about their design.
08:28 Though at the cursory glance, their costume is nothing more than a generic space-faring
08:33 suit, the emblem on the left side is actually the Pizza Planet logo itself, with a ring
08:37 circling what looks like a planetary body but is actually a pizza, toppings and all.
08:41 It's kind of meaningless in the scale of things.
08:43 I mean, all it does is tell us that actually, there was thought behind these toys.
08:47 These are branded toys, not the generic type that just get thrown into the machine.
08:51 It makes them extra special.
08:53 7.
08:54 Sid is Probably a Military Brat
08:56 We know that Sid is a deeply troubled boy, but there are several suggestions that he
09:00 might also be a military brat, and has received some undue influence from his mother or father's
09:05 time in the service.
09:06 For starters, when Woody hides in the milk crate in Sid's room, inside it is a manual
09:11 called TM-31-210, Improvised Interrogation Techniques, which we can safely assume Sid
09:17 has studied extensively, given that we see him both interrogating and torturing toys
09:21 throughout the film.
09:22 When I think about it now, maybe this movie was darker than I gave it credit for.
09:27 The other big indication that Sid is being raised in a military household is the fact
09:30 that his dog is named Scud, most likely a reference to the Scud missiles which were
09:34 famously used by Iraq during the Gulf War.
09:37 Given that Toy Story was released just a few years after the Gulf War ended, it's not
09:41 completely crazy to assume that the characters of his parents may have served.
09:46 6.
09:47 The Quintins of To Infinity and Beyond
09:49 No single line of dialogue is more iconic in the Toy Story franchise than Buzz Lightyear's
09:54 infamous quip "To Infinity and Beyond".
09:57 The quote actually originates from Pixar's favourite filmmaker, Stanley Kubrick, namely
10:01 his sci-fi masterpiece 2001 A Space Odyssey.
10:05 The film's delirious final sequence is introduced with the title "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite",
10:10 which evidently served as the influence for what's become one of the most popular movie
10:14 quotes of the last 25 years.
10:16 Sidebar, do you think Kubrick ever actually got to see Toy Story before he died, and if
10:20 so, what do you think he made of it?
10:22 5.
10:23 How Woody Knows Morse Code
10:24 In Sid's room, Woody and Buzz meet the various toys that Sid has tortured and mutilated,
10:29 including Babyface, who's comprised of a doll's head (presumably belonging to Sid's
10:33 sister at one point) that's been attached to a spider-like metal body.
10:36 At one point, Babyface taps a message to the other toys, who then emerge and gather around
10:41 Andy.
10:42 But how would Woody, a cowboy toy, have any idea what was going on?
10:46 Well, actually, there's a perfect bit of foreshadowing earlier in the film, where if
10:49 you are eagle-eyed enough, you may have been able to put two and two together.
10:53 In Andy's room, if you're paying attention, you may see a poster in the background.
10:57 The poster in question is a Buzz Lightyear-branded Morse Code alphabet.
11:01 If you're spending all day every day inside that bedroom without anything to do, I guess
11:05 it's fairly reasonable to assume you would teach yourself Morse Code.
11:08 4.
11:09 Julie McBarfle Has Cooties
11:11 This is very difficult to spot on earlier home video releases, but it gets much easier
11:15 to see on the Blu-ray and recently the 4K UHD edition.
11:19 If you look closely, the bag which Sid uses to bring Woody, Buzz and the aliens home from
11:23 Pizza Planet has a scrawling on the side which reads "Julie McBarfle Has Cooties".
11:28 This is a reference to Julie M. McDonald, who worked on the film as a camera and editorial
11:33 manager, and who asked the animators to include a reference to her somewhere in the film.
11:37 Maybe she was thinking of a cute homage in some way, I don't know, like having an animated
11:41 her in the background?
11:42 Maybe a bit of art on a wall?
11:45 Maybe this isn't exactly what she had in mind, but you know, we'll take what we can
11:49 get.
11:50 3.
11:51 One of Sid's Creations Is Literally A Hooker
11:54 Once again, this is a kids movie, so there's only so much you can do in the way of dirty
11:59 or off-colour jokes, so this?
12:01 This is really sneaky.
12:03 Sid's collection of mutant toys sure are fascinating, but one of the designs also serves as by far
12:09 the movie's dirtiest and maybe cleverest joke.
12:12 One of the mutants is referred to as "Legs" by Woody, comprised of a pair of doll legs
12:16 attached to a fishing rod.
12:18 However, Sharp fans eventually realised that Legs was, in the most literal and figurative
12:23 sense, a hooker.
12:25 Between her suggestive, scantily-clad lower body and her literal hook for an upper body,
12:30 the components are all there, we just had to put the equation together.
12:33 Say what you want about Sid, but clearly that kid had some kind of slightly smart, very
12:38 twisted creativity.
12:39 2.
12:40 Ham Cheated At Battleship
12:42 About midway through the film, we see Ham and Mr Potato Head playing battleship, but
12:47 if you pay attention, you'll notice that something is amiss.
12:50 We can see that Mr Potato Head's side of the board is almost entirely filled with misspins,
12:55 and that's because Ham has been blatantly cheating by not declaring any of his ships
13:00 as hit.
13:01 Of course, it's ridiculous that Mr Potato Head wouldn't realise this, which is probably
13:04 why Ham is even playing against him in the first place.
13:07 Ever the villain he was, that Dr Porkchop.
13:09 1.
13:10 Molly Is Listening To Hakuna Matata
13:13 In the film's urgent final chase sequence, we catch a brief glimpse of Andy's mum and
13:17 sister in the car.
13:19 His sister appears to be happily singing along to a song as she watches Woody and Buzz trying
13:23 to catch up.
13:25 What song is that, you may ask?
13:26 Well, it's Hakuna Matata from The Lion King.
13:29 This one's harder to spot than you might think, because the sound is rather low down in the
13:32 mix, and it's only featured for just a few short seconds.
13:36 It may be just as well, because anything more would distract the audience from Woody and
13:40 Buzz's frantic race to reach the car, but by any measure, it's still a subtle and very
13:44 nice little added detail.
13:46 And with that, we've reached the end of this list of 20 Things You Somehow Missed In Toy
13:50 Story.
13:51 If you've got any more other little easter eggs and details that you would have put on
13:54 this list, then let us know in the comments down below.
13:57 And remember to check out WhatCulture.com for more lists and articles like this every
14:01 single day.
14:02 As always, I've been Amy from WhatCulture, and I'll catch you next time.