Toy Story Fangirl

Although Toy Story 4 news has been scarce since D23, it won’t be long before we’ll be seeing lots of new promotional material – commercials, merchandise, posters, stock images, and social media/website content, just to name a part of what we have to look forward to.  In fact, the promo stuff is one of the things I remember most fondly from Toy Story 3 days.  It was exciting to randomly catch the toys in commercials, not only for their movie but for other things as well (a Target commercial comes to mind, and one for the U.S. Postal Service), or to walk into a store and find Toy Story-themed items in practically every aisle.  I’m still hoarding Band-Aids, shampoo bottles, and macaroni and cheese (I’ll never eat it!) that are no longer available.  By this time next year, we should be starting to receive a steady supply of ads and info, but until then, we have to make do with the few-and-far-between details we’ve been getting since last November.

To tide us fans over until the promotional frenzy begins, I’ve decided to share weekly flashbacks of prior Toy Story treasures – videos, articles, images, and such – things that haven’t been prevalent since the earlier films were current and still on the general public’s mind.  I think it’ll be fun to delve into Toy Story‘s past, especially as we celebrate its 20th anniversary this year!  For my first throwback post, I’d like to feature the cast interviews that were originally posted on the Toy Story 2 website, and that are particularly relevant since Bo Peep was one of the characters interviewed.

A friend of mine – who remembered seeing the interviews online back in the early 2000s – was able to track down the archived site on the WayBack Machine.  The website can be glitchy, and not all the links work anymore, but here are the interviews as they appeared 15 years ago!

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Interview with Woody

How did you feel when you found out you were a TV star from the 1950’s as well as a rare collectible?
Of course it was a mind-blowing experience.  I had no idea that I was based on a TV show, probably because we didn’t have a TV back then.  As far as being a collectible, I just feel lucky to have survived all these years.

Did that news lessen the pain of being toynapped and taken away from your friends?
I guess it did a little bit.  I mean, I met these great new toys and they were pretty excited to meet me, so that made the whole situation less scary.

How would you describe your relationship with Jessie the cowgirl?
Just to set the record straight, it’s strictly platonic.  My heart belongs to Bo [Peep], but I consider Jessie a very dear friend, even though she’ll occasionally tie me in a knot.  She can get a little rowdy sometimes.

Does Jessie have anything to do with your indecision about going back to Andy with Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the toys?
Yeah, well, she’s had a pretty rough life, and she kind of made me realize that one day Andy is going to grow up, and I’m going to have to deal with that issue.

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Interview with Buzz Lightyear

In the first movie, you and Woody were at odds.  What changed to make you want to risk your life to rescue him?
Well, we finally came around to being friends, and I would do just about anything for him, within reason.  I mean, I’m not going to shine his boots for him.

You lead the mission to rescue Woody from Al.  Have you ever led a mission as important as this before?
This was definitely my toughest challenge yet.  We weren’t just going next door to Sid’s house; we had to make it all the way from the suburbs to the city and back.  That’s quite a trip, especially when you’re 12 inches high.  Not to mention you have to freeze whenever people are around.

What do you think makes a good leader?
Courage and determination are right up there at the top of my list.  And a good set of terillium-carbide wings doesn’t hurt.

How does your Space Ranger training help on this mission?
The Space Ranger Academy taught me to be prepared for any situation, and to be resourceful. When we had to cross a city street, for example, we made use of some nearby traffic cones – they’re perfect camouflage for a toy.  I have to thank Slinky Dog too for allowing us to use his spring as a bungee cord when we were in some tight spots.

What’s the best thing about being an action figure?
Definitely the action part.  Never a dull moment.  I’m especially proud of my karate chop action, but the gears are getting a little worn.  I can barely put a dent in a soda can.

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Interview with Jessie

Tell us about the role you played on “Woody’s Roundup.”
Why, sure.  I’d be glad to.  I was the yodeling cowgirl.  [She yodels]  And whenever I yodeled, my animal friends would come running to help me out.  Except they weren’t really running.  They were on strings and all.  It’s kinda hi-tech stuff.  It’s complicated.

How long have you and Bullseye been friends?
Oh, for years and years.  We got to know each other pretty well when we were in storage.  Which was hard since he doesn’t talk, but I learned a lot just asking him yes or no questions in the dark.  He would just tap his hoof on the box, you know, once for yes, twice for no.

Tell us about your former owner, Emily.
Oh, you’re gonna make me cry.  [Deep breath]  Emily was the best kid I ever knew.  Then she grew up.  And when she wasn’t a kid anymore, she didn’t need her toys.  So that was a hard thing to deal with.  I wish I could see her again.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you go?
It doesn’t matter.  I’ll live anywhere as long as I’m with my friends.

What attracts you to Woody?
You make it sound like we’re girlfriend and boyfriend.  Yuck.  Don’t get me wrong.  Woody is a great guy.  [Smiling]  He sure stinks at arm wrestling, though.

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Interview with Bo Peep

When the rescue team leaves to rescue Woody, you’re left in charge of Andy’s room.  Is it hard concentrating on that and Woody’s toynapping at the same time?
Naturally.  There are a lot of preschool toys in the room who need constant attention, and that responsibility helped me keep my mind off Woody, but it wasn’t easy.

Have you met Jessie the cowgirl?  Are you jealous of her and her relationship with Woody, or do you think you could be friends?
Jessie and I are friends, just like she’s friends with Woody.  If you want to know the truth, it’s not Woody, but a certain space toy who’s head over heels for Jessie.  You heard it here first.

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Interview with Slinky Dog®

The trauma of Woody’s toynapping must be stretching you a little thin. How does a dog deal with the disappearance of his best friend?
I did the only thing a toy dog could do, and that was to track down my buddy and get him home.  Woody’s done so much for me, and I’d do anything for my pal.

What part do you play on the rescue team?
It was the coil part of me that really came in handy.  I was just glad to help out any way I could.  I may be plastic, but I’m part hound, and I was suited to sniffing out the trail to Woody.  I don’t know how I do it.  It’s just one of those things that dogs do.

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Interview with Rex

What’s the scariest thing that happens in this movie?
Well, I personally witnessed Woody being kidnapped, and the trauma of reliving that event still paralyzes me from time to time.  There are other scary moments that, were I to try to relate them to you, would render me incapable of continuing this interview.

How long have you been playing the Buzz Lightyear video game, and do you have any tips on how to beat the game?
Let’s see.  I first started playing the game the day Andy got it for his birthday.  That’s been five months now.  And what is so aggravating is that the only way to beat the game is to buy the strategy guide, which, frankly, I consider extortion.  I guess you could beat it without the strategy guide if you had an infinite amount of time to discover all the hidden rooms and stuff, but who has that kind of time?  Certainly not me.

What’s the difference between Emperor Zurg in the video game and the real Emperor Zurg?
The real Zurg toy rolls around on these squeaky wheels, which tend to make him quite [harmless].  I wasn’t scared of him for a minute.  The video game Zurg still gives me nightmares.

What part do you play on the rescue team?
Well, I guess you could say I was the cheerleader.  When everyone was ready to turn back, I was the one who pressed on, displaying courage and persistence at all times.  At least that’s how I remember it.

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Interview with Hamm

Since you’re always ready to share your two cents, why do you think Woody was toynapped?
Oh, that’s obvious.  Turns out he was a rare collectible, and someone realized they could make a buck off him.  It was simple economics that led to the whole crisis.  It always is.

What is the key to getting him back to Andy’s room?
A heck of a lot of walking.  Boy, I detest walking, especially when I’m carrying a lot of change.  I should’ve 86’ed all those silver dollars before we hit the road.

What part do you play on the rescue team?
I was the brains of the mission.  Technically, Buzz might’ve been in charge, but I’ll tell you something, I think that helmet cuts off the oxygen to his brain.  So the pressure was on old Hammy here to do the thinking for the rescue party.

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Interview with Mr. Potato Head®*

How did you and Mrs. Potato Head meet?
How do you think we met, at an ice cream social?  We’re toys.  She came in a box.  I took her out, put her parts in, and that was it.  Can I help it if I’m a potato magnet?

What part of Mrs. Potato Head do you love most?
You know, I’m gonna draw the line right here. No more personal questions, all right?

O-kaaaay. When going on a rescue mission, what’s the best face to put forward?
Are you trying to be some kind of smart aleck?  Ha-ha, Mr. Potato Head with the removable face – real funny, that’s original.  Next question!

What part do you play on the rescue mission?
Buzz’ll probably tell you I was dead weight, but they couldn’t have made it without me.  At one point my hat saved the day.  I’m not kidding, if it wasn’t for my hat, Woody wouldn’t be here.

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Interview with Mrs. Potato Head®*

How did you and Mr. Potato Head meet?
I was a present for Andy’s sister Molly.  Mr. P pulled me out of the box, and as soon as he put my eyes in, I was smitten.

Do you only have eyes for Mr. Potato Head?
Of course!  I’m a potato!  That’s how these things happen.  Potatoes are just naturally drawn to each other, and don’t try to separate them!

What makes him so spudly?
I think he has such a spudly figure, don’t you? That round, blobby shape gets me so twitterpated!  Also, I never thought knees were attractive and he doesn’t even have knees, so that makes him doubly attractive.

What do you think of Andy’s room and your husband’s friends?
It is a nice place to live, and his friends are all so good to us, although I think he spends too much time with that piggy bank.

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Interview with The Prospector

How did you get the name Stinky Pete?
It is so kind of you to start off in such a complimentary manner.  But since you brought it up, I got the name because my television character spent so much time digging for gold that he never had time for a bath.

Tell us about the role you played on “Woody’s Roundup.”
He was a real bumbling moron, the comic relief of the show, which completely contrasts my actual personality.

How have you kept yourself in mint condition all these years?
Not just mint, mint in the box.  My box has protected me from wear and tear.

Haven’t you ever wanted to play with kids?
No. They’re much too rough.  I wouldn’t last long in the hands of a kid, so don’t even entertain the thought.

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Interview with Emperor Zurg

Tell us about your home planet.  I am sure you would love to know where my secret base is located so you could go and squeal about it to Buzz Lightyear.  Don’t insult my vastly superior intelligence, mere Earthling.

Why don’t you and Buzz Lightyear get along? What did the Space Rangers ever do to you?  Time and again they have prevented me from attaining my lifelong dream.  It’s only a small dream, but it’s mine:  to dominate every last square inch of the Universe.

What is your goal in life?  Again, the universal domination thing, but I could settle for something smaller, like, say, a nice apartment on the French Riviera.

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Although everything has been copied verbatim, I’ve linked each title to its corresponding interview on the website, in case you’d like to read them in their original format.  Unfortunately, some of the site’s links aren’t accessible anymore.  But I think it’s great to be able to see even what’s still there, and get a glimpse into the Toy Box from when Toy Story 2 was new.  How far the toys – and Disney’s website – have come since then!

What’s your favorite part of the interviews?  I think mine is Bo Peep gossiping about Buzz and Jessie.  And what other kinds of archival posts would you like to see?  Let me know in the comments!

*Thanks to reader Star for the suggestion that I feature previous Toy Story material, and also for getting the Potato Head’s interviews to open!  I tried several different archived pages, with no luck.  They’ve been added to the list above.     

Photos © Disney/Pixar.