The Impossible Logic Of The Toy Story Franchise

Toy Story has wonky logic. That's just the way it is. And today, I'm going to walk through some of the questions that have drive me insane. All a bit tongue in cheek, so enjoy.

[@HermitKing731]

More things i question: How has no one in the entire world found out the toys are alive? The day care has cameras but no one has noticed the toys always moving when no one is around? When does a toy die? Is it immortal until it either decomposes or gets burned? If we dug up a toy from thousands of years ago is it still alive? If I bury a toy in a box will it still be alive for century's to come like some sort of horrible cruel prison? If I cut a toy to pieces at what point dos it stop existing? Why hasn't there been one crazy toy who decided to come out to the world about toys being alive? It would be so easy. Yet all of the toys unanimously agree to keep it a secret. Then there's the classic why does buzz stay still in front of Andy when he doesn't know he's a toy.

[@mattman15]

Sid knows about toys being alive, and I’m positive other humans figured it out.

[@HermitKing731]

@@mattman15 But no one will believe Sid. That was the whole point.

[@mattman15]

@@HermitKing731. It’s possible someone will believe Sid. That would definitely make a good Toy Story 5 plot.

[@SmartyPantsYT]

Man I should’ve talked to you before making this video 😅

[@johnseelinger9803]

I've also been wondering why toys don't let people know they're alive and they always freeze whenever people are around. With how people are wondering why Buzz froze when people were around when Buzz thought he was a real space ranger, I actually have a theory about that, and I'm kinda wondering if other people thought this, too. My theory is that deep down, Buzz already knew that he was a toy. Sometimes people have instincts having them do something and they don't always know why at first, but then figure it out later, and I guess that might have been the case with Buzz.

[@Hornet1054]

I think the plain and simple reason was they intended on having only 1 voice for the character which is ofc Morgan Freeman, but Disney despite being rich, couldn’t afford such a man like Morgan Freeman, so they just had to keep Bullseye quiet until they can afford to have Morgan Freeman. Let’s all just pretend Disney are a broke company so we can keep this theory I just made as a joke on the spot alive

[@moshikong3961]

Fun fact: according to one of the earlier drafts of Toy Story 2, Bullseye was going to be voiced, and the planned voice actor was Martin Short. There's a good video on it by Hemmas Studios.

[@betatoadstool]

Hearing Woody being called a filthy casual is frickin wild bro 💀

[@DruskyPup9954]

It cracked me up. “Woody! Ur being cringe mate!” That also killed me 😂

[@mgtwrestling123]

Who else has the Toy Story "you've got a friend in me" song downloaded on there phone?

[@MalachiXulu]

*their

[@mgtwrestling123]

@@MalachiXulu whatever

[@mgtwrestling123]

@@MalachiXulu whatever

[@Wario1382]

​@@MalachiXuluCry more

[@Superawsomesuperkai]

Not me

[@Blou1372]

I absolutely cracked up when you mentioned the horror you had to endure as kid when you saw the doll with robot legs in the Toy Story movie! I’m pretty sure EVERY KID got scared when seeing that! I still don’t know who thought it was a GOOD IDEA to add this horrible abomination in this movie!

[@AlaynaRarity]

The spider babydoll head toy left a traumatizing mark on my childhood. I wouldn’t watch Toy Story for YEARS because of that thing. I’m 21 now, still not over it.😂

[@mr.badboy8695]

I think the reason for bullseye and the sheep not being able to talk has something to do with their connection to other toys, like bullseye isn't just a horse he's woody's horse and the same thing goes for bo's sheep that connection makes them pets from when they're made opposed to the other animal toys

[@eternaldreams3333]

watching this vid while gettinf ready for school

[@digitalzealot7026]

Omg me too 😭

[@SkRoselle]

Good luck

[@magnetoonproductions9541]

The Incredibles has more lore and stuff to be expanded upon. We already have told enough Toy Story adventures. Besides, if they want to keep making Toy Story films, they might as well stop with these fake endings and treating each sequel like it’s the last.

[@twxlxght_st4r]

You should make a video on how UTTERLY TERRIBLE Officer Roger is! Take The season 2 episode captain hardrock, he is the main reason she is akumatized! Also in The episode Quilin he is also the reason and rufues to help un akumatize her! Real villian there if u ask me.

[@Adam-326]

I feel like the reason why Bullseye can’t talk may be related to why Buzz thought he was an actual space ranger. It may be because of the lore of their respective universes. In Woody’s Roundup, he can’t talk because he’s supposed to be a normal horse. The other toys don’t have lore, like Slinky or are intended to represent talking animals like the Penguin. Then again, the Monkey also doesn’t talk, and neither do most of Sid’s toys, so I’m not really sure what’s going on there. Maybe, Woody forgot his lore because he’d been out for so long (wasn’t he originally owned by Andy’s dad). Isn’t he also a really rare version of the toy, so maybe the lore wasn’t that well established at the time (I’m just spitballing here). Jesse and Stinky Pete were also exposed to the show at various points, so they may have been able to piece it together. It does seem like the environment that the toys live in influences their behavior in some way. Heck, maybe that’s why Woody was so adamant that Buzz accept that he’s a toy. He probably had an awakening at some point (toy version of atheism, perhaps?). I guess you could say that, the main religion is serving humans, then others are related to the lore of the characters themselves, and in the absence of both, they might make up their own, like the Aliens. There’s probably also some inbuilt impulse to “go limp” when humans approach, for some reason (I say that because Buzz did it in the first film, when he really wouldn’t have a reason to, given that he didn’t think that he was a toy).

[@siroreo717]

Maybe the Woody lore was made after the toy was released? Like the toy was released and because of its popularity it got given a show for advertisement. Perhaps Jesse and Bullseye didn't know until they saw that they were in a collection. Maybe its manufacture date. Like all Woody toys made after the advertisement have built-in backstory.

[@imaginefun13]

I think a toy becomes sentient when it is played with, with enough "belief" or something like that. For example, a sand shovel likely would not become sentient up until a kid decides to pretend it's a person in their sand castle. And maybe the sand bucket would never become sentient, because it is never used to be "alive."

[@theArbeenarrator]

To answer your question in 8:32 The toys come to life by the children’s imagination, so if they imagine the toys a certain way that is the reality.

[@LillyWhiteFairy]

Not true. We see toys in 2 that are very much alive and yet have never been played with.

[@granienasniadanie8322]

I think that bull's eye and Boo's sheep can't talk because they are animals that are sidekicks too other toys and toys like Porky or REx are stand alone animal toys so they can talk.

[@m1.r0_bot]

I bet the horse is just traumatized . . . he seen things . . . and we should not question it 😂

[@DaquanHarris-qv1zc]

Disgusting 🫣 bullseye hasn't seen everything yet he hasn't seen Jessie naked yet 🙄 probably woody but not Jessie

[@amandajohnson7797]

I love that you briefly showed motherboard from cyberchase not many remember that show. So I tap my hat to you for knowing that show. 👏👏👏

[@ComradeRagdoll]

Your Critical Thinking and your Thoughts are Actually Very Valid, and I think I [Once] Had the Exact Same Questions like you as well [I Don’t Know when Exactly], Thanks for Letting me know that I’m not the Only One to Notice those InConsistencies and Illogics in the Toy Story Films!

[@clutchmorecity]

Mabey, his voice box broke, or he is a nock off one or since he is old. As in the narrative of the character, the voice box just dies other time. Or he is the very original horse that Andy managed to get.

[@OpticalSorcerer]

I just want "The Incredibles 3." I think Toy Story has told it's important stories, and Pixar eants to keep using it to renew interest in the company.

[@laurenmireles]

I don’t think they’ll make Incredibles 3 any time soon. Or at all for that matter . Despite Incredibles 2’s comercial success, i don’t think it’s a good idea if they made another sequel. The story for the 2nd movie was pretty bad and was just a straight up copy from the original. Don’t get me wrong, I would love an Incredibles 3 as well. But if they’re gonna mess up the story then they might as well not do it.

[@OpticalSorcerer]

@@laurenmireles I enjoyed it more than the first, NGL, but I think dislike for it may be due to it being moved up a year ahead of schedule.

[@laurenmireles]

@@OpticalSorcerer Well it wasn’t a bad movie, but it was a bad sequel. It had potential to be a good sequel. It’s probably due to the fact that The Incredibles was supposed to be a stand-alone. Brad Bird didn’t plan on making a sequel for it, let alone a franchise. The story was bad, the villain sucked, they literally ruined Bob’s character, & everything else was just the first movie with slight changes.

[@OpticalSorcerer]

@@laurenmireles I'll bite: can you go into more detail for this? I enjoyed the modern vibe for Screenslayer, but my issue is that we never get more detail on the prejudice concerning superheroes; it's only mentioned briefly in both films. If we got more detail, I think it'd make her explanation more emotional. I also enjoyed seeing Bob as a housedad, but I hate how they go the usual route of making the stay-at-home dad incompetent, but I get that this is a sudden transition for him. I enjoyed the fact that they kept Bob's hubris, but still pushed forward by letting Elastigirl take the lead.

[@laurenmireles]

@@OpticalSorcerer go into detail in what?

[@Drave_Jr.]

It could be, toys based off of characters that didn't speak don't speak. Original toys (Which in Universe, most of them are unless otherwise stated) and speaking character toys can talk. Toys are based on perception. Forky was seen as a toy, and so developed sentience. Sid's abominations are seen effectively as toys by him, so they become that new entity based off the current body. Also explains how the repairing works, and Mr Potato Head to Mr Tortilla(?). He's still the Potato Head, but his parts can come off, and manipulate themselves, since they have to already, but can separate as well.

[@ripteron9495]

the franchises are connected, they love adding little easter eggs into their movies, perhaps wrack it ralph is real to the toy story movies too O:

[@boingyboop4960]

Me who’s never seen Toy Story

[@Wizzerd695]

I thought in the Toy Story universe toys are animated by the ideas and imagination of children. Bullseye doesn't speak because children don't play with Bullseye in a way that gives him a voice in make believe play. Children can make toys more individualistic by playing with them and coming up with changes to their personality. Buzzes in the toy store are all the same because children have seen them in the store but haven't played with them as an individual. Children are influenced to give the toys a personality via media they see on tv, books and video games but they can also change them making up new stories and experiences in make believe play.

[@LavenderLydia]

I was about to comment almost this exact thing. Kids play with Bullseye with neighs and "horse sounds", so that's how he communicates.

[@diethehole]

There's actually more mute characters in the movies than you'd think, not just Bullseye and Bo's Sheep. Snake...Troikas...Roly Poly Clown...Etch...RC...Toddle Tots (kinda)...Troll...Hockey Puck...Barrel Of Monkeys..zJolly Chimp...Mr Mike...Pink Bear...Dolly (Toy story 1)...Ducky (Toy story 1)...Tinny...Lego Bunny... Just to name a few Lenny only speaks in the first movie And Rocky Gibraltar only has voice lines in one of the video games All of Sid's Toys are mute too but they're a different case due to their ..condition? I guess.

[@lilyellowninja]

For Woody's backstory they did originally have a plan but it never made it into the movies. I think there's several KZbin videos that talk about what the original plan for Woody's backstory. It also explains why woody seems to be one of a kind and why Andy doesn't have a father.

[@MmeCShadow]

I recall reading somewhere that Buzz's issues stem from his electronics forcibly programming him to believe he's a space ranger, since the backstory is baked into his vocalizations and the electronics are fundamental to his character (which is supported in the third movie by being factory reset/put in demo mode, which is an existential nightmare all to itself). In the case of Woody, I think it can be argued that he DOES remember his backstory... because his toy was just designed as a cowboy toy. Woody's Roundup isn't necessarily his actual backstory since the whole production was done with the actual toys rather than being, say, a licensed cartoon. Either way I don't think it's unusual that he doesn't remember Woody's Roundup, as there's no reason to think that Jesse, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete were 'programmed' with that information, either. They were in Al's possession for years, during his obsessive collection of Woddy's Roundup merchandise, so they would have picked up that information just by observing Al. Bullseye probably can't talk because he was meant to be a cowboy's horse in a reasonably grounded Western setting, similar to how Bo Peep's sheep were just meant to represent a sheep accessory to her. Most other toys exist independent of specific context, and I also think it might have to do with how toys gain sentience, which... ...I believe, is meant to come from the attention of a child. Usually this is love, for toys that are owned and played with, but this could also be from being observed and desired at the toy shop (possibly explaining why most of the toys in Al's Toy Barn are NOT active at night, but the Barbie display and the Buzz Lightyear are), or from even an influence like Sid playing with them in his own twisted way. Their personalities might in turn be a reflection of the child's expectations, so Bullseye -- being generally viewed and treated as Wooy's horse -- manifests as an intelligent but non-sentient horse. (He also had dog-like traits, which is not how a horse acts but might be how a dumb child who doesn't know about horses would have him act.) Thus also how Bo Peep, despite being a lamp, is imbued with life, and how Forky... exists. Stinky Pete further mentions that being in the Tokyo museum means that the toys of the collection would be 'immortal', although I'm guessing this is metaphorical and not necessarily a clue about how the toys function. Also apparently Woody says in Kingdom Hearts III (which is canon to the Toy Story universe, it is canon that Woody helped beat the shit out of a time traveling darkness wizard) that a display model isn't moving because it hasn't 'figured it out yet', so there is some kind of trick or trigger that causes the toys to become self aware. Of course the ultimate answer is, "Is this a fun story? Is this a fun character?" and let suspension of disbelief do the rest.

[@MrWhitman]

What matters is the imagination and love of the people (up until Toy Story 4 anyway) who observe and dream things up of the toys. Now I already hear you saying that the toys in the toy store aren't loved by children but that is, in fact, false. They may not have been played with or loved like ones that have owners, but people still see them and imagine what they must be like, even love them from afar. How many of us have looked at the toys on shelves and just dreamed of what they could have been like and how much we'd love to have them? Those that are unwrapped often get picked up and sometimes even played with however briefly. This is what makes them who they are when they come to life. You can also imagine that some toys like yo-yos are seen as just yo-yos, no personality nor life to them so they just don't come to life. Some toys like Buzz, already have a personality "built in" because they were based on characters everybody already knew and therefore had that expectation and image projected onto him. Others, like Hammie DON'T have built in personalities so they are more flexible. Recall how Andy played with Hammie, he TALKS! Bullseye on the other hand, is treated just like a horse and not the famous Mr. Ed. It's the same with Bonnie, she imagined her creation as real and so whatever magic comes from that infected him too. The same thing as for the parts and how Sid's creations worked. As little as Sid seems to "love" his toys, he STILL puts his imagination into them and THAT'S what was important. It also seems toys can and do develop their personalities over time based on living conditions. So what if they start with a personality projected onto them by those who love them most, and over time it changes and develops? Bullseye was ALWAYS considered a horse that didn't talk. He was possibly even kept by a kid back in the day when the show was still airing (we have no idea how old he is) so that was his personality and over time, there was no one who treated him other than just a horse so he was just a horse. As to Woody not remembering "Woody's Round-Up" you might recall Buzz didn't remember whatever movie or cartoon show he was from yet his personality matched. Woody had many traits shared with his TV show counterpart as Buzz had traits with his media counterpart despite not knowing of their origins. If you're asking about how the other characters knew about it and HE didn’t, it's because Al had them! They saw all the stuff, messed around with it, eventually saw the show and they became just as aware of it as Woody had. Overall, I say that Toy Story toys are just like real life toys: it's the perception and imagination of the people that bring them to life (more literally in the movies of course) and we are very much influenced by what we know and what we're SUPPOSED to see.

[@HalfEatenMedia]

Why does bullseye act like a dog?

[@jcarm185]

Wait - wait - wait!! WHY do we not talk about the BETTER rescuers film??? this is the very first time I have ever heard anything against that superiror film?! I must know the answer - why do you not talk about that great animated film?!

[@jaschabull2365]

I figured Bullseye was mute because he was merchandise of a character that was also mute. Rex, Hamm, Buttercup, etc. aren't modelled after specific characters, so they can talk by default, but Bullseye doesn't speak in Woody's Roundup, so his toy can't speak either. Never understood why the Barrelfull of Monkeys or the Jolly Chimp couldn't talk though. I also think regarding dismemberment, the general rule is if a toy loses a limb, the limb acts like a severed limb until it gets reconnected. And it seems being damaged in a fashion that would mean death to an equivalent organic being makes the toy act dead indefinitely until it's repaired (as Jamie was) or is played with again and treated as alive (as the rest of Hannah's decapitated dolls were). The Potatoheads seem uniquely capable of using their body parts whether attached to them or not, likely because the body parts being detachable is a feature. My main pet peeve is that the toys do act capable of feeling pain (Woody cries out in pain when his hand gets pinched in Buzz's helmet) but being damaged just about never hurts and is instead just an inconvenience. The only time I can think of when it was is Woody's getting burned by Sid's magnifying glass. Like, maybe one could argue that Woody's arm being mutilated didn't hurt because it was technically caused by the cloth of his sleeve ripping, which wouldn't hurt on a real cowboy. But by the later sequels, there are cases like Rex losing his tail or Bo Peep losing her arm which doesn't have any sort of sleeve on it, so it's completely up in the air what can or can't hurt a toy.

[@riel4553]

On the subject of speech, gotta love that Slinky speaks both Human and Dog.

[@jcarm185]

I'm pretty sure the MAGIC of this world is that when a human CREATES a toy, it is then imbued with sentience of some form. This would also explain the horse and sheep and even Buzz's career preoccupation - and the soldier's military bearing. They were not imbued by their creators with the ability to speak so they don't have it. So something along those lines. A toy that has to be intentionally created by a human gets a sentient toy brain and life and is heavily affected by the genre and classification the toy was made to fill.

[@thomasawl]

Gets worse in thomas the tank engine. Some wagons are alive, some arnet, city of turo doesnt even get a face, yet apparently ‘has a nice chat’, some boats get faces, some don’t, some things have faces built into them, some have the 3d clay sorta face. The more you think about it, the worse it gets.

[@randomscb-40charger78]

Are you talking about Stories of Sodor by Victor Tanzig or the Railway Series?

[@francoisegabrielgarcia9793]

Ehhh with thomas ur not realy supposesd to ask that. But if u want unlucky tug has 2 videos about unanswerable thomas questions

[@susiedeltarune9952]

I feel like animal counterparts are why they don't talk. Like they're meant to act like animals because they're animal counterparts for the main toy. Like an animal sidekick for a Disney princess.

[@HoneyVillain]

Maybe it's how they're seen, buzz is seen as a space hero and Woody is seen as a cowboy, but the animal s that are seen as animals are animals? And maybe Woody's and knock off Woody? Or he spent a lot of time in a box?

[@williehampton3855]

You should analyze the Cars franchise next. A world dominated by sentient vehicles makes even less logical sense than sentient toys😂. But like Toy Story, I still love the franchise regardless and accept the nonsensical world building as is.

[@elisanoro]

Not you calling woody cringy for not knowing how past ✋️😭🤣

[@francoisegabrielgarcia9793]

So ive been scrolling through the comments and im really surprised no one has asked this question, but how is the etch a sketch from the first two movies alive? Like with the other toys i understand because they have faces and stuff but with the etch a sketch its basicly a drawing pad like why is it alive and moving on its own

[@jskywalker58]

This is something i always wondered, are the toy companies that make the toys aware there creating living beings

[@TomLopes]

Anyone ever thought about how the toys freeze when somebody is coming, but in the first Toy Story Buzz doesn’t know he’s a toy, yet still freezes when there’s a person. And it’s not like it just magically happens and they go inanimate cause there are plenty of scenes where they’re sneakin around and shit.

[@ajh22895]

I would say that the last question is easiest to answer. Woody is old, and if he is an original 50s toy, Andy is likely not his first kid.

[@freezasama5802]

toy story 4 is not canon as it introduced rules that shatter the entire toy story universe e.g. existence of Forky

[@ComradeRagdoll]

It’s “Asocial”, Not “AntiSocial”.

[@goofy3517]

Dont know how i got here haven't finished the video yet but i think its all down to the kid/owner

[@ZeanG_]

For bullseye and the sheeps, I imagine that their in a 'I am groot' situation and for Forky, a toy becomes a toy when they are made to be toyed with, specifically made

[@ZeanG_]

Also I am guessing Woody is older than the show

[@riel4553]

Saw a discussion on Pinterest, about Nativity Figures in the Toy Story world... I think in Toy Story 3 Woody mentions that they can hang out in the attic with 'the Christmas ornaments', also for the playdate short, Bonnie brings that angel kitty ornament (not a toy) whose trumpet works, for some reason.

[@vectinator7605]

CinemaSins pointed out multiple times how Toys coming to life while humans aren’t around would never work. In each movie the toys are always alerted to humans coming back into the room by someone yelling or making a loud sound.

[@sugarspells935]

I like to imagine bullseye sounds and acts like Big Mac from mlp

[@eatatjoes6751]

To think we once had, like, a small hint of suspension with this franchise that's now been shattered by the fourth and fifth movies.

[@timothyblackwell4617]

Well, I saw in an old Toys R' Us commercial produced by Pixar that a Gameboy was alive, and Gameboys were commonly played with by kids back then, as well as other handheld consoles, so they'd technically be alive. I also saw a drawing in a certain book of Buzz meeting a Gameboy which said, "A team of 40 Japanese computer engineers did not design me to become a chew toy!"

[@timothyblackwell4617]

Also, in a book, I saw a taco dog chew toy was alive. So do pet toys enjoy being chewed or scratched by cats or dogs?

[@ethancox9737]

Fun fact: the Toy Box level in Kingdom Hearts 3 actually does give some explanation of what brings the toys to life.

[@asherpate8]

The thing that should've happened, is that they would never make a Toy Story 4. So Toy Story 3 should have been the last Toy Story movie

[@sailorearth2007]

What doesn’t make sense to me is why they even made TS4 and undermined everything established in the original trilogy…beyond the obvious cash grab that is