The Real Toys of Toy Story 2 (1999)

Previously I’ve written about all of the toys that graced our screens in 1995 when Toy Story came out. Many of the toys featured in the film were based off of real life toys from various decades, including Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, Etch A Sketch, the Troll Dolls, and more. Some of the toys can be traced back to the 1890s! When Toy Story 2 was released, it introduced to a bunch of new toys in Andy’s room, more of which have a history behind them as well. Let’s take a look at some of these new characters in Toy Story 2 and some of the other Toy Story characters we missed in part 1 that are based off of real life toys.

Barbie

Barbie is unarguably one of the most popular toys that ever joined the Toy Story gang, and became an instrumental character in the later films. The Barbie doll is the creation of Ruth Handler and Elliott Handler, part founders of the toy company Mattel, after they witnessed their daughter Barbara Handler playing with a paper doll that had more mature features. The doll market in the 1950s mostly consisted of baby dolls or dolls that resembled little girls, such as the Tiny Tears dolls. The couple realized there was an opportunity to seize with children looking to play with dolls that looked more like adults, to be imaginative about what the future looked like for them. There was an adult-like doll that existed at the time in 1955 in Germany called Bild Lilli, but they were mostly sold in truck shops and not intended for children’s play initially. Handler took the inspiration of the look of Bild Lilli and the intention that children could dress Barbie up to learn about fashion, and created the very first version, to be unveiled on March 9th, 1959 at the New York City Toy Fair. Commercials began airing for the new toy, often between showing of The Mickey Mouse Club, and demand for it came in fast. Mattel was on a steady uphill outcome since Barbie’s release, as they kept her fresh too by giving her over 200 different jobs and looks. Barbie Sings and Working Barbie came out in the 1960s, College Barbie, Dentist Barbie and Astronaut Barbie in the 1990s, President Barbie in 2000, and more.

Mattel was hesitant at first to release the rights of Barbie to Pixar to feature her in the first film, as the company wanted her personality to be formed by the children playing with her, and not create a pre-determined personality to be portrayed on screen. Pixar approached Mattel again after the success of the first Toy Story, and they agreed to allow them to do so. Oren Jacob, a producer at Pixar, mentioned how Mattel was still on the fence about this idea even after the sequel, and it took them another film to be able to agree to release Ken as well. So, now with permissions, Barbie was introduced in Toy Story 2 not as a singular character, but a few versions of Barbie appeared. The first one was Tour Guide Barbie, who the gang meets inside Al’s Toy Barn. Tour Guide Barbie was a made up version of the doll made specifically for the movie. Barbie dolls can also be seen right before Tour Guide Barbie is introduced, having a pool party, all donning different coloured swimsuits. The very first Barbie in March 1959 wore a black and white striped swimsuit. A Barbie in a purple dress is in the backpack near the end that Stinky Pete gets stuck in, and 3 Barbie’s wear sparkly dresses at the end of the film when Wheezy sings “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”.

Barbies in Toy Story 2. Image from: https://www.oshrnann.top/products.aspx?cname=toy+story+2+barbie&cid=3

jessie

Jessie is introduced alongside Bullseye and Prospector Stinky Pete in Toy Story 2 as a part of Woody’s Roundup Gang. Originally, she was not planned for this sequel, and the character in her place was going to be a much more prominent antagonist. At the advice of John Lasseter’s wife Nancy, she suggested that the film have a strong female lead introduced, to play opposite of Woody. It only made sense for Jessie to continue the cowgirl theme, but the type of toy she is differs from Woody. As made evident by her flimsy limbs and bright red braids, Jessie is a cowgirl ragdoll.

Ragdolls are the oldest toys on this list, as they can be traced back to the 1630s. The term ragdoll comes from the fact that they were made out of scrap fabrics and materials for children to play with and learn to nurture. During the colonial days, they were mostly made of cornhusks, wood, and wax. They became more widely known and made in the 1840s, all the way up to WWI, as a source of comfort for children. In the early 1900s, a ragdoll named Raggedy Ann was introduced in a book by Johnny Gruelle. She had red hair made of yarn and a triangle nose. Though it’s not confirmed, it can be theorized that Jessie gets her red hair from Raggedy Ann.

Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls. Image from: https://www.pbs.org/video/antiques-roadshow-web-appraisal-raggedy-ann-andy-dolls-ca-1965/

mrs. potato head

As mentioned in my previous post, Mr. Potato Head was invented by George Lerner, who wanted to make vegetables more appealing to children by giving them a way to play with them. By 1964, the plastic potato and it’s accessory body parts were being sold across America. It had the same affect on television as Barbie did, as it was the very first TV commercial to be targeted directly to children. Mrs. Potato Head was introduced in 1953, just a year after Mr. Potato Head was officially released. Her conception came after Lerner had sold the rights to the toy to Hasbro.

In Toy Story, though she is never seen, she is referenced twice. First, near the beginning of the movie when Andy is opening his new toys from his birthday party, Mr. Potato Head is heard chanting “Mrs. Potato Head, Mrs. Potato Head, Mrs. Potato Head!”. Though his manifestation doesn’t work out the first time, it does the second time when it’s Molly’s birthday, and it’s confirmed Mrs. Potato Head has arrived.

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head in Toy Story 3. Image from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMc3xoYU_no

Lenny

Bringing it back to the first Toy Story, we move on next to Lenny, our favourite pair of toy binoculars. Unlike the other toys mentioned above, Lenny doesn’t come from a specific brand or household name item, but rather was a kids version of a very real tool. Binoculars were invented by Hans Lippershey, an eyeglass maker who took interest in the telescope after it was invented in 1608. He shared the idea with others about creating a telescope with 2 lenses to use both eyes with. The very first iteration of the invention was made that same year in 1608, and has evolved over centuries with the type of materials it’s made with, the changes in glass, and how it’s used. The Royal Navy began using them instead of telescopes, they became standard practice for armies, and could also be used for casual hobbies like birdwatching or the opera.

Binoculars. Image from: https://www.boatsafe.com/how-to-choose-binoculars/

Lenny plays a significant role in the first 2 Toy Story films, despite being just a supporting character. He always hangs around the group of main characters, and is used during pivotal points of the films, like when he sees Buzz and Woody blasting up the road on their rocket in the moving van, and when Buzz uses him to watch Woody during the yard sale.

Lenny. Image from: https://twitter.com/pixar/status/1544463664660496389

RC

Cleverly, RC’s name stands for remote control car. Much like Lenny, RC plays a large part in both stories, despite not having a voice and only Potato Head being able to understand his revs and beeps. RC’s model isn’t based off of a specific model car, but he does resemble a 2WD electric buggy RC car.

RC in Toy Story. Image from: https://youareatoy.wordpress.com/goofs/

Remote controlled cars were invented in the 1960s by a company called Elettronica Giocattoli. The very first one they created was a nitro powered Ferrari 250LM. Just 2 years later, they also came out with the Ferrari P4. Other companies began to catch on to the phenomenon and helped to evolve the technology behind it. The engines in the cars went from being repurposed model airplane engines to ones specially made for the cars, the motors were upgraded, and other brands of cars were used as inspiration. In the 1970s, a Japanese company called Tamiya manufactured even more impressive RC cars, such as the Porsche 934, Ferrari 312T, Tyrrell P34, Toyota Celica, and Lamborghini Countach. Tamiya also introduced the off-road buggy cars, the ones that bear resemblance to RC.

2WD buggy RC car. Image from: https://www.greathobbies.com/productinfo/?prod_id=TML01020T2

Rock-a-stack

Rock-A-Stack didn’t have a large role in either movie, but was more of a background toy of Andy’s, likely from when he was very young. Nonetheless, it was a toy featured in the film for a reason, as it’s presence only brought more authenticity and credibility to the film. Rock-A-Stack was also featured in the Pixar short film Tin Toy. The idea of Rock-A-Stack came from a toy called the Rocky Color Cone by Jarvis Rockwell in the 1930s. Then in 1960, Rock-A-Stack was introduced by Fisher Price. It was advertised among other colourful plastic Fisher Price toys, like the toy nurse set, colourful spinning tops, and a musical driving wheel. The original toy had a wooden base and plastic rings, but eventually it shifted over to full plastic. They also introduced a giant Rock-A-Stack with a taller center piece and more rings, but gradually they settled on just 5 rings. As of 2011, Rock-A-Stack is number 42 on TIME’s list of 100 greatest toys of all time.

Rocky Gibraltar

Rocky Gibraltar is the typical strong-man toy throughout the films, lifting dumbbells with Buzz, attempting to attack Woody when the gang finds out Woody intentionally threw Buzz out the window, and flinging Woody over his head out of the moving van. Rocky resembles the WWE Wrestling Superstars action figures from the 1980s produced by LJN. They were 8 inch rubber figures based on real life wrestlers, such as Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Hillbilly Jim, and over 60 others. These were the first wrestling toys that really hit the market in North America and were worthy to sit along the shelves with G.I Joe, Transformers, and Star Wars related toys. Rocky Gibraltar is not a real life wrestler, but by the looks of his muscles and apparent wrestling uniform, it looks like he could be!