Hidden Easter Eggs in Toy Story You Probably Missed

Pixar has a special way of leaving behind tons of hidden details and easter eggs in their films for viewers to find. It’s part of what makes the films exciting to watch for children as well as adults. 

In the second film of the franchise, Andy uses a red string to repair Woody’s torn arm. His favorite toy cannot go on without his arm! But Pixar displays great attention to detail with this little addition.

This easter egg is so well hidden that we’re sure only a super fan could point it out! The tools in Sid’s room are Binford Tools which is the company that sponsors the fictional show “Tool Time” on the real show “Home Improvement. 

Sid is the infamous villain from the first Toy Story film. He is the boy next door to Andy who’s responsible for all the broken toys and Woody and Buzz are terrified when they find themselves trapped in his land of broken toys.

Pixar is so well known for the genius ways they incorporate details from one movie into another. In Toy Story 4 you can see one such example of this. In the carnival scene in Toy Story 4 there is a little girl playing carnival games.

Toy Story 4 is chock full of secret details that connect it to other Pixar films. In the fourth film, Little Bo Peep finds a grape soda bottle cap that should look familiar to any fan of Pixar movies.

Pixar doesn’t limit its references only to other Pixar movies. There are many other references to other films outside of the world of Disney and Pixar as well. In fact, there are more than one reference to the 1980 horror movie, The Shining throughout the series.

Monster’s Inc. and Toy Story cross paths more than once between the two franchises. It makes fans wonder if they’re supposed to exist in the same world or if it’s just a fun way for movie creatives to plant little secrets throughout the films.

You might wonder what Toy Story possibly has to do with Wall-E. Creatives found a fascinating way to make a nod to the film about the little lonely robot. In Toy Story 3 we see that Buzz Lightyear has batteries in his back. 

The incredible attention to detail is one of the things that really bring magic to life in the Toy Story films. It gives life to the characters and makes you drawn into the world of talking toys. 

You’d have to be a superfan to notice this tiny detail in Toy Story 3. Andy’s bulletin board is filled with posters, letters, calendars, and more. But amongst the other junk is a sweet easter egg from the movie Up which had released one year before the third Toy Story. 

In another stunning moment of attention to detail, Pixar changes Andy’s handwriting. Obviously, Andy grows up throughout the franchise and the writers were careful to include small details like this that would add to the magic of the film.

Who would have thought that Toy Story would ever cross paths with Jurassic Park? The two movies seem to have nothing in common except, of course, for the fact that there does happen to be a T-rex in both films.

The Pixar film A Bug’s Life came out in 1998 and quickly became a fan favorite. Toy Story 2 swiftly followed in 1999 and the creators made sure to add a little nod to the other film.

Toy Story was somewhat revolutionary for the fact that it was the very first full-length film created entirely by CGI! As a nod to this achievement and the creators, Pixar added in a little easter egg in the first film.

The scene where Jessie and Woody meet in Toy Story 2 includes one of our absolute favorite easter eggs. Jessie screams, “Sweet mother of Abraham Lincoln!” when she meets Woody. 

In the original Toy Story movie Woody is making a speech to the ther toys. Behind him you can see a pretty unassuming bookshelf in Andy’s room. But the titles of these books actually have a huge significance to the world of Pixar.

We’ve already seen the carpet from The Shining in Sid’s house in the first Toy Story movie. But another subtle callout to the horror film can be seen in this garbage scene in Toy Story 3. If you don’t spot it right away, don’t worry because we didn’t either!

The evil Teddy Bear is one of the most memorable characters from the third movie in the franchise. Don’t be fooled by that kind face because this bear turns out to be anything but sweet.

Ken and Barbie are characters that make a splash in Toy Story 3. You might have already assumed this but the dolls are modeled after real life Barbie and Ken dolls. Barbie is based on the 1983 Great Shape Barbie Toy and Ken is modeled after the 1988 Animal Lovin’ Ken Toy! 

Darla from Finding Nemo is a difficult character to forget. The little girl with pigtails and headgear was the enemy to all fish! But this character actually makes an appearance in Toy Story as well.

In Toy Story 2 you will have seen a different scene based on where in the world you are! The film was released in 1999 and in one particular scene with Buzz, the creators created two versions of the same scene.

Since the beginning of the franchise in 1995, Pixar has given acknowledgement to a special little group of hard workers in the credits of the Toy Story movies. 

The little green army men are an integral part of the movies and were a classic toy found in so many boys and girls’ bedrooms in the late 90s and early 2000s. But how would these little guys move if they really came to life?

If you take a look at the background of Andy’s bedroom you’ll find a Mickey Mouse clock on the wall next to the window. It is not the first to hide  Mickey in the film. The Little Mermaid, Frozen, and Lion King have done the same. 

When the toys are plotting a plan to save Woody they use an Etch A Sketch to draw out a map of their plans. This map is actually much more than meets the eye. The creators made the map lead to an exact address of Pixar’s original studio. 

There is a very subtle tip of the cap to the Cars franchise in the third Toy Story as well. Although, it’s so fast you probably missed it your first time watching… and maybe even your second or third. 

The creators give a major nod to the Star Wars universe in the second film of the franchise. Firstly, there is a similar plotline with Buzz and Emperor Zurg that resembles that of the one in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. 

Do you know that the character that appears in the most Pixar films is actually a truck? Chances are, if you’ve watched pixar movies before you’ve seen the iconic pizza planet truck hanging out in the background.

We saw that A Bug’s Life makes an appearance in the book that Mrs. Potatohead is reading, but there’s another fairly obvious callout to the movie in Toy Story 2. When bUzz is in Al’s Toy Barn, there are toys hung up everywhere in the store.

Pixar has something of a mascot in the form of the “Pixar Ball”. This yellow ball with a red star on it can be seen in tons of scenes in Pixar movies and Toy Story specifically. 

The toy cleaner that gives Woody a revamp might look familiar if you enjoy Pixar shorts. It’s Geri from the Pixar short, Geri’s Game. There is even a confirmation of this fact when he opens one of the drawers of his toolkit. 

The Dinoco gas station makes an appearance in most of the Toy Story films since the very first one. If the word “dinoco” sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because Dinoco is the oil company that sponsors the Piston Cup in the movie Cars. 

You will see A113, pronounced “A One Thirteen” all over the Toy Story movies. This was the number of the character animation class at the California Institute of the Arts where Pixar got many of its employees.

Toy Story 2 came out one short year after A Bug’s Life so there is more than one reference to the film. This is a common phenomenon in Pixar movies. In the second movie if you look behind Rex and Buzz Lightyear, you’ll see a calendar.

Andy’s toy chest might not be the first place you look to find Nemo. But, if you look with a  careful eye you will see that the little clownfish is painted right onto Andy’s toy chest in his bedroom.