By Diana Garrido
Warning: Spoiler Alert
When we first saw Toy Story in 1995, we probably woke up every night to check if our toys were moving. Some of us (guilty) even left them food or set traps to discover their ability to come to life. Of course, and quite disappointingly, it never happened.
Little by little, we grew up and realized this was just a very cool movie and an improbable dream. However, we were fascinated by Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang’s story for years (actually decades), and that amazing saga has finally come to an end with their fourth film. As any Pixar film, this movie has tons of secrets, hidden references, and really cool easter eggs that reaffirm that these films are some of the best animations ever made. Did you miss some? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.
1. Tin Toy
Tin Toy is the toy that receives Woody and the gang at the pinball machine party. This curious host first appears in a special Christmas short animation about a… talking toy. Eventually, the idea gave birth to no other than Toy Story in 1995.
2. Combat Carl
This hilarious character is a clear reference to G.I. Joe, a popular action figure in the seventies and eighties. The surprising thing here is that Combat Carl appeared in a short film before Toy Story and some of his pals made an appearance in the first film. Do you remember the extra characters in Andy’s room?
3. Coco easter eggs
There are many references to Coco. The first one is when Buzz gets trapped at one of the festival stalls. Besides the really funny new characters of Bunny and Ducky, Buzz can be seen hanging next to a couple of guitars alluding to Héctor’s (Miguel’s great grandfather) emblematic white guitar. In addition, we get to see one of Ernesto de la Cruz’s records at the antique shop. If you remember well, he was the evil singer who takes credit for Héctor’s songs.
4. The Shining song
The moment Woody goes into the antique shop, you can hear an eerie tune that definitely gives you the creeps. The song is “Midnight, the Stars and You” by Ray Noble and his Orchestra. Fun fact, that song is also the one that accompanies the credits of Stanley Kubrick’s classic (and terrifying) The Shining.
5. Gabby Gabby’s helpers
Gabby Gabby’s devilish acolytes are a reference to the horror film Dead Silence, about a nightmarish doll.
6. Gabby Gabby
Though we get that Gabby Gabby is a very old doll, we can’t deny she’s kind of creepy as well. She sort of plays homage to Tina, a character from an episode from the classic The Twilight Zone, portraying an Annabellesque evil doll.
7. Eggman truck
Pixar loves leaving Easter eggs in the most random places, and this is one of them. Remember the moving truck? Probably not. Well, the company it belongs to is called Eggman and that’s no other than an homage to Pixar’s production designer who is called that way. Who wouldn’t love having a homage like that!
8. Woody’s telephone pose
At one point, when Woody is about to be seen by a human, he grabs a telephone and poses next to it. Well, that pose is the exact same one of the iconic Mickey Mouse telephone that was so popular during the seventies and eighties.
9. Elastic girl?
The antique shop basically gave them the chance to drop all sorts of references, homages, and easter eggs. Another really cool one is Elastic Girl’s bike at one of the shelves. This one’s the same we saw in The Incredibles 2.
10. Dug from Up!
Who can forget this buddy? “My name is Dug. I just met you and I love you.” Well, he makes a small appearance in a painting where he appears playing poker (a reference to the classic painting) with Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Charles.
11. Evel Knievel
Charming Duke Kaboom was inspired by none other than Evel Knievel, the famous acrobatic bike rider of the sixties. In fact, Kaboom does some of the iconic stunts Knievel did back in the day. Oh, and his bike is pretty similar to Knievel’s as well.
12. Duke Kaboom isn’t particularly new
Though it’s the first time we see him hanging out with the gang, Duke Kaboom had already appeared in another Pixar film. That’s right, he’s one of little Jack Jack’s toys in The Incredibles 2.
13. A Space Odyssey
Buzz Lightyear has some really funny lines in this film, but perhaps one of the funniest is when he pushes his buttons to listen to his “inner voice” and he says “open the pod bay doors!” This is a line from Kubrick’s emblematic 2001: A Space Odyssey.
14. Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head love story
More than a reference, this one’s a “recreation” of a previous scene in the saga, and that is Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head’s love story. By the end of Toy Story 2, we see how Mr. Potato Head finally gets his Mrs. Potato Head, and in this one, our new favorite toy, Forky, also gets his own Knify, a potential new partner.
15. Cute Geri
Also at the antique shop, we get to see a picture of Geri, the cute old man who plays chess with himself in the introductory short film before A Bug’s Life. Is Geri the antique shop owner’s husband?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kweN7VLx-JE
16. Boo!
Fans are going crazy since they noticed a cute little girl at Bonnie’s Kindergarten who bears an uncanny resemblance to Boo from Monsters Inc. Though the image isn’t that clear, we can all agree that the pink outfit and the cute ponytails are Boo’s signature look.
These references and easter eggs will probably make you want to watch the film again. And you should definitely hang a bit more with Woody, Buzz, Jesse, and our new pal, Forky. I mean, the saga might be over, but just as Andy cherished his toys and the memories he had with them, so will we.
Translated by María Isabel Carrasco Cara Chards
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