Toy Story (franchise)

""To Infinity... and Beyond!""

- Buzz Lightyear

A trilogy of computer-animated films from Pixar about toys that come to life when their owners aren't around.



Toy Story introduces us to the Toys belonging to a boy named Andy. Their unofficial leader is Andy's favorite toy, Woody, an old cowboy doll with a string. Woody gets some competition when Andy gets a new toy for his birthday, "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command". Buzz is new, cool, and just as dynamic a personality as Woody, though he thinks he's really a soldier of Star Command rather than a toy. His undoubted leadership qualities (and up-to-date modernity) arouse jealousy in Woody; when Buzz is accidentally lost, the other toys think Woody masterminded the disappearance. Hijinks ensue, and Woody and Buzz have a final confrontation that forces both of them to join forces to keep the toy "family" together...



...until Toy Story 2, which takes place a year or two later. Woody is accidentally damaged during one of Andy's play times, which causes him no end of concern about becoming an unwanted "broken toy." Later, Woody gets stolen at a yard sale by greedy toy collector Al, so Buzz leads a group of Andy's toys to go rescue him. Meanwhile, Woody finds out he's a piece of merchandise from an old kids' show called Woody's Roundup after meeting three other tie-in dolls based on his sidekicks on the show. Woody discovers that they're all going to be sold to a toy museum in Japan, and he has to decide whether to go back to Andy -- who will eventually outgrow him -- or go to the museum and last forever, but never be loved.



Toy Story 3 takes place about 11 years after the second Film; Andy (now a teenager) heads to college, and the plot follows the adventures of Andy's childhood toys as they are accidentally donated to a daycare center for a new generation of kids to enjoy, much to the toys' dismay.

The first film is notable for being the first fully computer-generated feature film. The second film is notable for being Pixar's first Sequel, and one of the rare sequels that's had as much critical acclaim as the original film, as well as spawning a Spin-Off television series, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. The third film is notable for garnering Pixar's highest-grossing opening weekend in the company's history (becoming the highest-grossing animated film ever while managing to become the first animated film to ever make a billion dollars in combined domestic and foreign box office revenue) and becoming the third animated feature to receive a nomination for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

All three Toy Story films are Pixar's highest-rated films on movie review site Rotten Tomatoes (the first two have perfect 100% ratings, while the third movie's is a nearly-perfect 99%). All three films regularly sit atop (or near the top of) the Internet Movie Database's list of Top 50 animated films -- and they're all usually on the site's Top 250 Movies list.

In 2009, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were re-released as a double feature in stereoscopic Disney Digital 3-D, with the two films completely re-rendered to match the level of detail of Toy Story 3 (the UK had to wait until January 2010 for Toy Story 2 to come out in 3D).

The characters will make further appearances in a series of shorts titled Toy Story Toons. The first installment, "Hawaiian Vacation", played at the beginning of Cars 2. The second, "Small Fry", was shown before The Muppets.

As a series, these films provide examples of:

 * Air Vent Passageway: Justified, since the toys are actually small enough to fit. Happens Once A Movie: Legs and Ducky walk through the vents of Sid's house in the first one, Buzz #2 and the rescue team travel through the vents (and elevator shaft) of Al's apartment building in the second one, and in the third movie Woody and Slinky use the ventilation system to
 * Adult Fear: Underneath the wackyness the theme of abandonment by the ones you love in the later installments of the series can really hit home hard to children and grown-ups alike.
 * All CGI Cartoon: The original Toy Story was the first feature-length example of this trope.
 * Badass Crew: The main group of toys eventually become this
 * Big Bad: Sid Phillips in the first movie, Stinky Pete in the second, and Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear in the third.
 * Book Ends: The first shot of the first movie and both the first shot and the last shot of the third movie are of a blue sky with uniquely-shaped white clouds, that of Andy's old wallpaper.
 * Which is pretty odd the second time around, since like on the wallpaper, the entire sky is filled with clouds in only two shapes, repeated over and over.
 * Brand X: A few of the minor characters are based off popular retro toys -- without technically being said toys (probably due to Executive Meddling). Lotso is essentially a Care Bears with the tags cut off and Stretch resembles a Wacky Wallwalker.
 * Averted with Barbie, Etch-A-Sketch, trolls, and a whole bunch of other toys. The copyrights all get mentioned in the end titles.
 * In fact, Pixar wanted Barbie for the first film to be Woody's girlfriend, but Mattel would not allow for the copyright. They changed their mind when they saw how the film improved sales of Mr Potato Head.
 * Bottomless Pit: One is seen in the video game opening sequence inside Zurg's fortress, and of course, the elevator shaft in Al's apartment building.
 * Butt Monkey: Mr. Potato Head.
 * Buzz Can Breathe in Space: Parodied AND averted in the first movie. Parodied, because Buzz (as a toy) think he's on an alien planet (possibly with no atmosphere). Averted, because he's a toy, AND he's breathing Earth atmosphere. The second movie contains a Shout-Out to this with the Utility Belt Buzz.
 * Captain Space, Defender of Earth!: Buzz
 * Cassandra Truth: Woody in all three movies. 1: "Buzz is alive!" 2. "Andy didn't break me intentionally!" 3. "Andy didn't throw you away!"
 * Catch Phrase: "To infinity... AND BEYOND!"
 * Woody gets one in the second film: "Hey howdy hey!"
 * "There's a snake in my boot!"
 * "Reach for the sky!"
 * "Yee-haw!" for Jessie.
 * "Run like the wind, Bullseye!"
 * Ceiling Cling: Woody clings to the underside of a box to avoid being found by Sid.
 * Cerebus Syndrome: While each movie has a fair bit of comedy, each also tops the previous installment in intensity of dramatic moments.
 * Chekhov's Gun: In the first movie; Al's Toy Barn is advertised at the end of the commercial for Buzz Lightyear figures that makes Buzz realize the truth about himself. Al's Toy Barn goes on to be a major part of the plot in Toy Story 2.
 * In the truck chase near the end of Toy Story, when Woody is clinging to the moving truck and Scud grabs his leg, . Cut to the beginning of Toy Story 2, where the plot is set in motion when . It's either this or Fridge Brilliance.
 * The Potatoes' ability to is something introduced in the second scene of the first movie and becomes a major plot point 10 years later in the third movie, when Mrs. Potato Head uses her missing eye to
 * In Toy Story 2, Prospector asks Woody if he really thinks Andy will take him to college, which is the plot of Toy Story 3.
 * Another dinosaur that might replace Rex as Andy's dinosaur toy, which worries Rex. Rex doesn't get replaced per se, but another dinosaur DOES appear in Toy Story 3... in someone else's house.
 * Rex also mentioned wanting to play with a herbivore.
 * In Toy Story 3,
 * It's not who the garbage man was that makes him significant, but it's
 * In Toy Story 3,
 * It's not who the garbage man was that makes him significant, but it's
 * In Toy Story 3,

"Mr. Pricklepants: Sunnyside is a place of ruin and despair, ruled by an evil bear who smells of strawberries."
 * Comically Missing the Point: Makes up most of the plot. No, not the movie itself. Every situation that's ever happened in Toy Story many of the toy characters always assumed the worst, before finding out the real truth. Three hilarious examples include:
 * 1) Potato Head accusing Woody of murdering Buzz when he sees the broken arm.
 * 2) Rex thinking Woody was trying to sell himself at the yard sale.
 * 3) Potato Head thinking that Bullseye and Jessie were torturing Woody.
 * Curb Stomp Battle: Woody is The Hero, but not the best fighter, so ends up comically getting his ass kicked most times he pisses off another character. Amusingly his beatings in Toy Story 2 even mirror the same manner he is attacked by Buzz in the first movie.
 * Darker and Edgier: While there's some dispute as to whether the first or second installment is darker the third is generally agreed to be by far the darkest. It's basically a Prison Episode for the series, with sadistic teddy bears, demonic children, Cymbal Banging Monkeys, and all ending with a trip to the fiery gates of hell. Most notably though is how the movie puts even more emphasis on the toys' fears of becoming disowned by their owners.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Hamm.
 * Deus Ex Machina / Ass Pull: Every time the Pizza Planet truck appears in the films. In the first, it appears out of nowhere to take Buzz and Woody to Pizza Planet and is done even more so in Toy Story 2.
 * Lampshaded in the commentary to Toy Story 2.
 * It could also be interpreted as a Diabolus Ex Machina, in that sense.
 * In the third, the LGM's . Foreshadowing, done right!
 * Straight forward to the fact that it's literally a machine that is given godlike reverence. However, this is a case of Tropes Are Not Bad, also, as it was clearly a Crowning Moment of Awesome.
 * Disappeared Dad: There's no Andy's Dad in sight. It's never explicitly brought up but fans like to argue the three possibilities: Andy's mom is a widow; Andy's mom is a divorcee; Andy's mom just happens to be a single mother. In the first two scenarios, many fans in turn assume that Woody is one of the only gifts from his father. The third could be yet another Shout-Out to The Brave Little Toaster, since Rob's mom is single too. Food for thought: so is John Lasseter's mom.
 * Damsel in Distress: Bo Peep in Andy's games.
 * A Dog Named "Dog": Most striking in the case of Dolly the doll, but applies to the other characters too.
 * Drives Like Crazy: Invoked in Toy Story 1 and 2, both with the Pizza Planet truck. The first one has the actual driver doing this. The second has the toys doing this after hijacking the Pizza Planet Truck to pursue Al and rescue Woody. Similarly, they also invoke the trope on other drivers in the first and second movie. The first was when Scud was chasing Buzz and RC (although it probably wasn't intentional on Buzz, RC, and Woody's part), and the second movie had Buzz disguising themselves as traffic cones in order to safely cross the road to Al's Toy Barn, with the results being obvious for the drivers.
 * Earn Your Happy Ending: A staple of the series. Toy Story nearly ends with Buzz and Woody left alone on the street with Andy's moving van driving away, Toy Story 2 nearly ships Woody and Jessie (not that kind, though) to Japan, and Toy Story 3 has them . Randy Newman was right, the road is rough ahead.
 * Everything's Better with Dinosaurs: No boy's toy collection would be complete without a Tyrannosaurus Rex, though Rex is actually a bit of a coward, a goofball and a gamer geek. He's not too bright either. The third movie introduces Trixie, whose design seems to imply that they're from the same toyline.
 * It appears that all the dinosaur toys in the series are from the same line, and are in turn based on... Dino-Riders!?!
 * Expy: Sarge, voiced by R. Lee Ermey, is Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in toy form.
 * Fake Action Prologue: Both the second and the third movie.
 * Fate Worse Than Death: For toys, to be loved by children, then forgotten and abandoned is worse than they could bear.
 * As it turns out, is even worse than that.
 * Five-Man Band:
 * The Hero: Woody
 * The Lancer: Buzz
 * The Smart Guy: Mr. Potato Head (especially the way he was used for the escape in Toy Story 3).
 * The Big Guy: Hamm
 * The Chick: Rex
 * The Stoic: Slinky
 * Seventh Ranger: Jessie.
 * Fridge Horror: The second and third films, now that the "toys are alive" premise is sold to us, explore the darker sides of that reality by looking at typical interactions between children and their toys from the toy's perspective. What about toys that get broken, or lay on a store shelf never being sold? Ever lose a toy and just buy a new one, or lose a piece of a toy behind a piece of furniture? And of course, when you grow up and stop playing with them?
 * Genki Girl: Jessie, full-throttle. Trixie and Barbie in the third.
 * Genre Busting: It's comedy/drama/thriller/horror/action/prison escape/philosophical.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: See this list.
 * Green Eyed Red Head: Jessie.
 * Growing Up Sucks: For the toys, at least, especially in the second and third movie.
 * Actually averted in the third movie. In the end the message seemed to be "Growing up can be sad, but in the end it's not that bad."
 * Happily Married: Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head in Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3.
 * Helium Speech: The voice actors (not just Jeff Pidgeon, although it was mostly him) actually inhaled helium to make the voices of the Martians.
 * Helping Hands: Mr. Potato Head's body parts are capable of being pulled off him and rearranged. This is sort of a hassle for him to put himself right after the kids are gone. Of course, his parts are capable of working on their own even when they're separated from him.
 * The same for Mrs. Potato Head.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: Woody and Buzz, and with the Unfortunate Implications of their names, we don't blame the people who believe this.
 * The way Andy announces their names makes it sound like both their last names are 'Lightyear'.
 * Not at all helped by their voice actors (0:39).
 * Hit Scan: Buzz's laser. Unlike Zurg's Ion Blaster, it hits its target instantly.
 * Idiot Ball/Running Gag: Somehow, a Buzz Lightyear toy holds this in every film, for that Buzz Lightyear who holds it believes he's the real Buzz Lightyear, and not a toy. There are a few Toys who also hold part of it.
 * Toy Story: Buzz; this is a major part of the film. Of course, he loses it when he sees a commercial, and then goes crazy and is reduced to drinking tea and... wearing a pink apron. For a while, anyway. This causes Woody much frustration.
 * Toy Story 2: The Buzz Lightyear toy with a belt (whom the Buzz from Toy Story encounters) believes he is the real Buzz Lightyear.
 * Buzz's archenemy -- Zurg -- as a toy, holds this, too, and engages combat with the Buzz with the belt. A Shout-Out to Star Wars is involved.
 * Toy Story 3: The first Buzz toy seen in the three films holds this again. This time,
 * Immortality: Toys can be broken and possibly die when broken beyond repair (we hope), but when taken care of they can live forever, it seems.
 * Interspecies Friendship: While Andy doesn't know his toys are alive, they do care a lot about him. Woody in particular goes to great lengths to return to him when separated. Said toys are also True Companions with each other.
 * Ironic Echo: One within the first movie, another from the first to the second, another from the second to the third.
 * Jerkass: Sid Phillips, Mr. Potato Head and initially Woody with Buzz in the first movie, Al and Stinky Pete in the second, and Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear in the third.
 * Kids Are Cruel: Let's face it, Andy was a freak the way he nicely treated his toys. Just look at Sid and those daycare monsters and you'll see that the toys never had it better than with him.
 * The creators of the film completely acknowledged this. The only one who treated his toys nicely was John Lasseter.
 * To be fair, only the toddlers in the Caterpillar Room were monsters. The older kids in the Butterfly Room knew how to play nice.
 * Killed Off for Real: Combat Carl, the action figure Sid blew up during his introductory scene in the first film, is the only character in the entire series to ever be killed off permanently.
 * The Lancer: Buzz to Woody's Hero in the second and third films.
 * Large Ham:
 * Jessie. Joan Cusack chewed miles of scenery in that role.
 * Buzz is also very hammy fresh out of the box.
 * "Fresh out of the box" nothing, even after he remains rather hammy, even if to a slightly lesser extent.
 * Spanish Buzz es un Gran Jamón.
 * Not to mention Zurg. He's an Evil Overlord, he has to be.
 * And a quite obvious one in Hamm. "PIG PILE!"
 * If a small, stuffed hedgehog in lederhosen can be technically called a Large Ham, then Mr. Pricklepants from Toy Story 3 is that small stuffed hedgehog in lederhosen.
 * Spanish Buzz es un Gran Jamón.
 * Not to mention Zurg. He's an Evil Overlord, he has to be.
 * And a quite obvious one in Hamm. "PIG PILE!"
 * If a small, stuffed hedgehog in lederhosen can be technically called a Large Ham, then Mr. Pricklepants from Toy Story 3 is that small stuffed hedgehog in lederhosen.

"Woody: Okay, on three. One, two... (plane door slams shut) Woody: This is bad..."
 * Le Parkour: Toys in general have to be pretty fast and nimble to avoid detection by humans, but Woody and Buzz in particular could give Altair and the Prince a run for their money.
 * Like Brother and Sister: Woody and Jessie.
 * Living Toys: The premise.
 * No duh, mon.
 * Loads and Loads of Characters: Pixar is gifted with juggling various side stories that support the main storyline all in one movie with a huge cast. But... Toy Story already introduced a huge cast, and two more films followed, expanding the cast by 300%! By the third film, the supporting characters that were highlighted in the posters and trailers have barely 4 lines each!
 * To be fair, the third film did write out all of Andy's toys (i.e. RC the racecar, Bo Peep, Rocky the wrestler doll, etc) except for the core group from Toy Story and Jessie and Bullseye the horse from Toy Story 2, leaving more room for new characters in Toy Story 3.
 * Made of Iron: Sort of. The toys are capable of withstanding immense amounts of pain and abuse when in their inanimate state without so much as flinching, only feeling the effects after becoming animate. In fact, to an extent they seem to not mind the abuse at all (Woody is tossed around like a... well... toy doll in the opening scene by Andy, and Andy is naturally occasionally rough with his toys, but the toys seem to adore him all the same), much like how dogs will not mind some roughhousing as long as they're getting attention. Only the Mad Scientist machinations of Sid seem to cause the toys any suffering.
 * Massive Multiplayer Crossover: Andy and Bonnie generate this while playing, since the toys are so varied.
 * Mean Character, Nice Actor: In-universe. In the playtimes, Mr. Potato Head, Hamm, and Dolly tend to play villainous characters. Hamm and Potato Head are both Deadpan Snarkers, but still good guys, and Dolly is considered by fans to be the Team Mom of Bonnie's toys.
 * Also Stinky Pete is the villain of the second movie, though shown to be a pleasant (if slightly lustful) guy in the out takes.
 * Meaningful Name: Woody is an old cowboy doll (just how old, we see in the second movie) whose rigid parts are made of wood. Buzz is a modern action figure crammed full of electronics.
 * Also, Buzz Aldrin was the second man to walk on the moon.
 * In the third, Bonnie definitely is a good girl.
 * Men Can't Keep House: As shown with Sid's room in Toy Story and Al's apartment in Toy Story 2.
 * Andy's room, however, is usually quite remarkably tidy considering he's a small boy in the first two movies and a teenager in the third.
 * Misunderstood Loner with a Heart of Gold: Mutant Toys
 * Multiple Demographic Appeal
 * No Flow in CGI: Played straight in the first movie, semi-averted in the second and totally averted in the third.
 * No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup is thankfully averted. Pixar had the source files all this time so they could re-render the first two movies for the 2009 3D re-release.
 * Also, a special feature in the 2010 DVD and Blu-ray release of Toy Story 2 tells of how the movie was almost wholly deleted, only to be saved by a staff member's backup.
 * But when they began work on Toy Story 3, they couldn't edit the original 3D models and had to rebuild everything from scratch.
 * Not So Different: Woody and Buzz: Both are toys of officers of the law, produced for a Merchandise-Driven show, they even both have a voice-clip feature with the technology of their day.
 * Obliviously Evil: Any human who mistreats toys, since it's not as if they can know they're alive.
 * Although Sid takes a certain sadistic pleasure in abusing his toys anyway.
 * Oh Crap: Numerous times... mostly with Woody and Buzz.
 * "Wait a minute... I just lit a rocket... ROCKETS EXPLODE!"
 * When the toys enter the luggage conveyors in Toy Story 2.
 * On the plane:

""Why don't I let someone else watch the sheep tonight?" "What's with him?" "Laser envy.""
 * "I don't think that's daylight..."
 * Older Than They Look: Woody and his roundup gang are merchandice for a television show that aired before Sputnik was launched. After that, the show was cancelled and they probably stopped making the merchandise. That means that Woody, Jessie, Bullseye and Stinky Pete could be at least forty-nine years old as of the third movie, which is set in 2006.
 * Once Per Episode: If you think about it, each movie has a Star Wars Shout-Out to the corresponding Star Wars movie in the Original Trilogy -- first movie references A New Hope, second movie references The Empire Strikes Back, and the third movie references Return of the Jedi.
 * Toy Story: Buzz talking about delivering secret plans that reveal the weakness of a weapon that can destroy a planet, and Sid's "Where's the rebel base? Talk!" (A New Hope)
 * Toy Story 2: Zurg's "I am your father", plus the Big No from that follows. (The Empire Strikes Back)
 * Toy Story 3: Big Baby (Return of the Jedi)
 * Every film at one point has toys hiding under something and then walking with it. The first movie had Woody and Buzz underneath the Pizza Planet cup and burger box walking through Pizza Planet, the second had all the toys who went to rescue Woody underneath traffic cones crossing a street, the third had the toys about to be thrown away hiding under a plastic recycle bin and walking back to the garage.
 * Even more so, every film ends off with a Dance Party Ending. Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 had the most obvious examples while the original had a brief karaoke dance moment during the Christmas Party.
 * Every film, including the first, features a cover version of the iconic Toy Story theme "You've Got A Friend In Me" in the credits. The first was a duet by Randy Newman and Lyle Lovett, the second had an show stopping New Orleans Jazz version sung by Robert Goulet Wheezy, and the final film had a very flamenco influenced version done by the Gipsy Kings.
 * Parental Bonus: Oodles of it.

"(reading the Pizza Planet truck's owner's manual) "Oh, I seriously doubt he's getting this kind of mileage" (Who, Buzz or the truck's owner?)"
 * Without giving away the joke, there's a moment in Toy Story 3 involving Bookworm, Barbie, and Ken, except that Ken isn't present.
 * Practically everything involving Ken. With expected results.
 * All I can say is, it's no accident that Mrs. Potato Head is unusually enthusiastic toward her husband when he becomes Mr. Cucumber Head.
 * Hamm had a few, non-dirty bonuses.

"Trixie: And I'm pretty sure I just came back from the doctor with life-changing news!"
 * "...I don't think those were Lincoln Logs."
 * At the tea party:

"Woody: Tuesday night's plastic corrosion awareness meeting was, I think, a big success. We'd like to thank Mr. Spell for putting that on for us, thank you Mr. Spell."
 * From the first film:

"Woody: Save your batteries! (Chill out!) Mr. Potato Head: Son of a building block, it's Woody! (Presumably...you know.)
 * Product Placement: Inverted. Product placement would be if they got paid to include the toys in their film. No, they had to pay for the rights to show any real-world brand of toys. So really, it's the opposite of Product Placement.
 * Though after the success of the first film, most companies approached by Pixar would doubtlessly have very low fees for placement rights.
 * Most of the toys in the first film saw huge jumps in sales. Mr. Potato Head for example was revived nearly from the scrap heap, and the Slinky Dog had been out of production at the time of the film and entered a new giant sales phase when they started making them again. So it can kind of count either way.
 * Pun-Based Title: On the term 'toy store'.
 * Rousseau Was Right About Toys: Played straight in the first two, averted in the third.
 * Rule 63: These livestreamsketches by Youkai Yume
 * Running Gag: Mr. Potato Head falling apart/losing his parts, etc.
 * "You have saved our lives. We are eternally grateful."
 * Scenery Porn: Any visually complex scene could be cited here, but teenage Andy's room comes to mind (All those posters in the third film!).
 * Pizza Planet in the first movie is an especially good example, given both the level of tech and the atmospheric qualities.
 * Series Mascot: Buzz Lightyear, and to a lesser extent, the LGMS function as this not only for the series, but for Pixar as a whole.
 * Serious Business: A truly interesting case; it's serious business to be and care for children's playthings. Having said that, almost non stop.
 * Shout-Out: And quite a few also count as a Parental Bonus. Some of our favorites:
 * The "Pizza Planet" truck has showed up in almost every Pixar-created work.
 * While trying to escape Sid's house Woody repeatedly calls out, "There's no place like home!".
 * The toy repairman in the second movie is Geri from the Pixar Shorts Geri's Game, where he plays a game of chess against himself. While he's repairing Woody the music from the short plays and one of the drawers in his toolbox is filled with chess pieces.
 * Each movie in the trilogy contains a shout out to its corresponding film in the original Star Wars trilogy: See Once Per Episode above.
 * Rex with "Objects are closer than they appear" in the toy car's rearview mirror in Toy Story 2, to the scene DEAD ON from the T-Rex Chase in Jurassic Park, Hilarity Ensues.
 * Rex's roars in Toy Story 3's opening are standard Jurassic Park T-Rex roars as well.
 * In the chase scene at the end of Toy Story, you get a quick glance inside the car, and the radio's playing Hakuna Matata.
 * Lassie (in first two movies).
 * In Toy Story 2, there are A Bugs Life toys in Al's Toy Barn.
 * 2001: A Space Odyssey at the beginning of Toy Story 2.
 * After calling Woody "a sad, strange little man", he does the Live long and prosper hand thingy, known as the Vulcan salute.
 * A brainwashed Buzz's "spend a night in the box" monologue, "the box" being a covered sandbox.
 * Woody's head spinning all the way around.
 * Big Baby doing the same in Toy Story 3.
 * A plush Totoro toy appears as one of Bonnie's toys in Toy Story 3. (It should be noted that Pixar has done the English dub of every Miyazaki movie since Spirited Away, and Lasseter is close friends with Miyazaki himself.)
 * Miyazaki is referenced even in the credits with a "special thanks".
 * Both the Alien Slime soda dispenser and the Whack-a-Alien game from the first movie are a reference to the titular monster from the film Alien.
 * Third movie: Right before the preschool kids burst into the room, some smaller toys are hiding and quivering under a cabinet, mirroring Tin Toy
 * Many people have made note of the similarity between Big Baby and the terrifying, doll-like baby in "Tin Toy". They even make the exact same sounds!
 * In the first film when Woody is holding the staff meeting before Sarge and his men are sent out, there's a book on the shelf behind Woody called "Tin Toy". Its a thin green one.
 * In the opening sequence of Toy Story 2, listen close and you'll catch at least half a dozen classic sound effects from Star Wars, including the Darth Vader breathing, the lightsaber sound, and the blaster sounds from both the X-Wing and TIE Fighter.
 * And the Luke, I Am Your Father moment between Zurg and Buzz.
 * Pay close attention as they flip through the channels in Toy Story 2 and you'll see snippets from several Pixar Shorts on the TV.
 * The titles of several Pixar Shorts appear on books on Andy's shelf in the 1st film.
 * The overall plot and tone of the series (especially the third film) has more than a glancing similarity to The Brave Little Toaster -- the first feature-length film Lasseter and Ranft worked on.
 * The evil cymbal monkey had to have been at least partially inspired by Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders.
 * The little binocular wind-up toy could be a reference to the same character appearing way back in the cute Disney documentary Where The Toys Come From.
 * Look quick at the books Andy packs away and you'll spot the title of another sad movie about a nonhuman who loves his owner unconditionally and went to great lengths to find her again.
 * In the 2nd movie Mr. Potato Head takes off his hat and throws it at the door of Al's apartment building to keep it from closing. Oddjob from Goldfinger couldn't have done it better.
 * In the first film, perpetually-anxious Rex spouts "I just don't think I can take that kind of rejection!" then later "I don't like confrontation!", two lines from perpetually-anxious George McFly.
 * When Buzz (excuse me, "Mrs. Nesbitt") is having tea, he says he's "sucking down darjeeling with Marie Antoinette and her little sister." The dolls are both headless, so which is which doesn't matter so much, but this is (potentially) referencing both Marie Antoinette's fate of beheading and Wednesday Addams's doll.
 * Pizza Planet's entrance is guarded by old-school Cylon centurions. Behold!
 * Buzz comes across the new line of Buzzes in the toy store, and notes the snazzy utility belt, saying "I'd like to get me one of those," echoing Tim Allen's fixit man character in Home Improvement (who often wore a toolbelt).
 * In the second movie, Slinky-Dog says "I'm not a smart dog, but I know what roadkill is.", parodying the line "I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is." from Forrest Gump, another movie that starred Tom Hanks.
 * At the end of the first film, Rex is more enthusiastic about Christmas, hoping that Andy will get another dinosaur - a herbivore so that he can be dominant. He doesn't, but in Toy Story 3 he meets Trixie, who belongs to Bonnie. Guess what? Triceratops are herbivores!
 * Show Within a Show: The main characters each have their own fictional franchise: Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (an animated television show and video game series) and Woody's Roundup (an old-timey puppet/marionette serial).
 * And then Buzz Lightyear of Star Command received Defictionalization.
 * Sliding Scale of Living Toys: Level 2 (except for that one scene in Sid's yard, which takes it up to Level 3).
 * The Smurfette Principle: Bo Peep was the only prominent female character in the first film. Although she had potential, she was under utilized. This was remedied with the exuberant Affirmative Action Girl Jessie in the second and third film, as well as Mrs. Potato Head and Barbie.
 * Stealth Pun: In Toy Story 2, Woody has a nightmare about Andy throwing him away. In Toy Story 3, Woody tells the other toys he needs to get to Andy's house, which is on Elm Street. Woody had a nightmare on Elm street.
 * There's another one from Toy Story that elicits a "For Pete's sake, how did I miss that?" Woody is the leader of Andy's room -- in the first movie, we see that Slinky is (or used to be) the second-in-command. A cowboy... and a "long little doggy"...
 * 3D Movie: However, Toy Story 1 and Toy Story 2 weren't 3D until 2009.
 * Time Skip: The first one skips five months after Woody and Buzz get back to Andy to the last scene on Christmas Day.
 * The second takes place about one year after the first.
 * And most noticeable is the skip between Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3, which is about ten years.
 * Timmy in a Well: RC in the first movie, Jessie's critters in the second (Although that one was more of a parody)
 * Took a Level In Badass:
 * Woody goes from a somewhat whiny, selfish wimp in the first movie to a breakout mastermind by the third movie.
 * Woody was already a breakout mastermind near the end of the first film. His epic planning doesn't really shine in the second movie, but I can say that every ounce of potential he had is reached in the third film.
 * Buzz starts out delusional, has a breakdown when he finds out he's a toy, then comes right back to save himself and Woody via "Falling! With style!", before going on to rescue Woody in the second movie, and
 * The aliens go from gag characters in the first and second movies to
 * Mr. Potato Head transforms from a selfish, distrustful coward in the first movie to a married man and a daring, surprisingly resourceful action hero in the sequels.
 * Resourceful as in
 * Unusual Euphemism: A handful.

Lotso: F.A.O my Schwartz! (Reference to a toy company)

Woody: Pull my string, the party's today?"

"Jessie: Sweet mother of Abraham Lincoln! (Also a reference to the fact that Tom Hanks is a distant relative of Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks.)"
 * Those are more Hold Your Hippogriffs, though, aren't they?


 * Villainous Breakdown: Stinky Pete, which caught plenty of kids off-guard.
 * Sid after Woody Scares Him Straight.
 * Water Source Tampering: One of Woody's pull string quotes.
 * Willing Suspension of Disbelief: Buzz Lightyear flying at the end of the first film, despite being shown numerous times that he can't.
 * That wasn't flying: that was falling, with style!
 * He can't fly; he can only glide on currents of wind.
 * Averted with the baggage handling system. They aren't exaggerating. This is a video of how real airport conveyors work.
 * He can't fly; he can only glide on currents of wind.
 * Averted with the baggage handling system. They aren't exaggerating. This is a video of how real airport conveyors work.

Tropes in the first Toy Story
""Sorry guys, but dinner's cancelled!""
 * Abnormal Limb Rotation Range: Woody
 * All There in the Manual: The names of most of Sid's toys were only in shown in the script and the roll call at the end of the video game.
 * Always Someone Better: Buzz definitely presents this for Woody.
 * Banister Slide: Woody is sent on one by Andy near the beginning.
 * Bond One-Liner: By Woody, as he uses Buzz's karate action to drive away Sid's toys (who they thought were cannibals at the time).

"Mr. Potato Head: [Praying] Mrs. Potato Head. Mrs. Potato Head. Mrs. Potato Head...! [Gets stared at] Hey, I can dream, can't I?"
 * Break the Haughty: Whilst Woody tends to not rub it in anyone's faces, he's top of the heap and knows it until Buzz shows up and threatens his position as Andy's favourite toy. Then he becomes increasingly jealous and insecure. See Always Someone Better.
 * Brick Joke: What Mr. Potato Head hopes Andy would get at his birthday.

"Woody: Uh, Buzz? We missed the truck! Buzz: We're not aiming for the truck!"
 * Buffy-Speak: Your helmet does that... that woosh-thing!
 * Captain Ersatz: Bo Peep, since Mattel didn't allow Pixar to use Barbie at the time.
 * Cassandra Truth: Buzz's Heroic BSOD in Sid's room as Woody is attempting to engineer an escape leaves Woody without hard evidence that Buzz is alive. It doesn't help when Woody accidentally produces Buzz's severed arm. What could have been a simple escape without all the drama of the final action sequence is averted because the toys won't believe Woody and refuse to rescue him.
 * Chekhov's Gun: After being burned by Sid's magnifying glass, Woody is able to
 * Subverted immediately beforehand. The match in Woody's pocket had been blatantly set up for this exact purpose, but as soon as he lights it, it blows out.
 * Also RC being remote controlled. First used to knock off Buzz, then used to rescue him.
 * Not flying, but "falling with style".
 * The rocket itself.
 * Comically Missing the Point: During the scene where Sid is decapitating his sister's doll, he is playing "doctor." During the "operation" Buzz says, "I don't believe that man's ever been to medical school."
 * Covered in Kisses: Bo Peep does this to Woody at the end, courtesy of mistletoe (though it wasn't made apparent that Bo Peep had on lipstick until Woody was later seen with a face full of kiss marks, looking pretty pleased with himself. Rule of Funny, I suppose).
 * Creepy Doll: Babyface
 * Dark Is Not Evil: Sid's toys.
 * Description Cut: After sending the army men out, Woody says, "Come on! They're not lying down on the job." Cut to the army men (one having been crushed), kicked off to the side by Andy's mom.
 * Dramatic Thunder: Played with. Lightning strikes when Sid attach Buzz to the rocket... only for the rain to delay the take-off.
 * Eldritch Abomination: Sid's toys. But they aren't bad, though.
 * Even the Dog Is Ashamed: Slinky when everyone thinks Woody killed and dismembered Buzz.
 * Evil Counterpart: As mentioned before, Sid is the total opposite of Andy.
 * Exactly What I Aimed At:

"This is ludicrous..."
 * Exorcist Head
 * Nightmare Face
 * Face Palm: Woody, after the other toys panic about the presents' sizes, and after meeting the Little Green Men.

"Buzz: I just wanted to let you know that even though you tried to terminate me, revenge is not an idea we promote on our planet. Woody: Oh, that's good. Buzz: But we're not on my planet, are we?"
 * False Reassurance: Buzz gives one to Woody in the van.

"Woody: *gasping for breath*...finally...hey, who's got my hat? Shark (with Woody's hat): Look! I'm Woody. Howdy howdy howdy! Woody (sarcastically): Aah-hah! Aah-haaa...GIMME THAT! (*snatches hat back*)"
 * Fire-Forged Friends: Woody and Buzz
 * Funny Background Event: When Woody announces that Andy's birthday party was taking place on that day and the other toys panic, "WHAT????" scrolls across Mr. Spell's screen.
 * Mr. Spell is good at this; His screen reads "HUBBA HUBBA" when the arrival of a Mrs. Potato Head is announced.
 * When Mr. Potato Head and Hamm are drawn away from their Battleship game, we see that Potato Head's board is nearly completely covered in white pegs. Clearly someone isn't very good at Battleship...
 * Genre Killer: Much of the creators chagrin, Toy Story was one of the movies that contributed to the idea that hand-drawn animation is dead -- not helped by subsequent box office dropoffs of many hand-drawn features near the end of The Renaissance Age of Animation.
 * Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: Woody to Buzz -- with Buzz's own dismembered arm. It's hilarious.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: While Slink is trying to back up Woody at the staff meeting, Mr. Potato Head takes off his mouth and taps it against his backside. Mr. Spell even types out "ha ha ha" during this. It's unlikely that children would know the expression "kissing ass", but still.
 * This troper remembers being four and getting the gneral idea.
 * When Hamm and Mr. Pototo Head are playing Poker Battleship. Potato Head has to pay up with body parts, since he doesn't carry change like Hamm.
 * Gone Horribly Right: Woody wanted to knock Buzz off the desk so Andy would have to take him to Pizza Planet...and boy did he ever knock Buzz off the desk.
 * Grievous Harm with a Body: Again, the dismembered arm beatdown.
 * Ha Ha Ha No: Woody to a toy shark when he does a lame impression of him after finding his hat.

"Woody:Hahaha, that's very funny Buzz...(with annoyance)THIS IS SERIOUS!!"
 * Again with Woody after he tells Buzz to give him a hand, Buzz throws his dismembered arm to him.

""There's no place like home!Theresnoplacelikehome!""
 * Hand Signals: During the recon operation and when the mutilated toys try to save Buzz.
 * He's a Friend: Woody to Buzz when several other toys appear.
 * Heroic BSOD: Buzz goes through a very, very humiliating one after he realizes he is a toy.
 * Holding Both Sides of the Conversation: After Buzz's Heroic BSOD, Woody attempts to convince the other toys that Buzz is fine by holding Buzz's severed arm from behind a wall and imitating his voice.
 * Hollywood Giftwrap: Buzz Lightyear arrives in this.
 * "I Am Becoming" Song: He is becoming, "Strange Things (Are Happening to Me)".
 * I Will Only Slow You Down: The wounded soldier to his Sergeant.
 * Leads to the inevitable response from the wounded soldier's captain.
 * Ironic Echo: "This isn't flying! This is falling, with style!"
 * Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Parodied as Sid attempts to make Woody reveal the location of the rebel base. Buzz congratulates him for not talking.
 * Jerkass: Sid Phillips, Mr. Potato Head and initially Woody with Buzz.
 * Kids Are Cruel: Sid, of course -- he tortures toys in the most vicious way, he replaces the head of his sister's doll with a pterodactyl one and burns Woody's head with a magnifying glass.
 * Of course, it should be acknowledged that Sid has no way of knowing that the toys are actually sentient and that he thus really is inflicting pain on them, but the fact that he likes to pretend to torture people is still pretty creepy.
 * Even disregarding the possibility that toys can come to life, and acknowledging that it's every kid's prerogative to torture and mutilate their own toys, Sid is still a jerk for stealing and mutilating his sister's toys.
 * Lantern Jaw of Justice: Buzz Lightyear sports one quite intentionally.
 * Laser-Guided Karma: Mr. Potato Head, being, debatably, the film's other antagonist, gets his when RC flies into the moving van and crashes into him, sending his pieces flying.
 * Leap of Faith: When Buzz jumps off the banister in Sid's house, believing that he can fly.
 * Lost in Transmission: "IT'S A WHAT?!? WHAT IS IT?!?"
 * Magic A Is Magic A: Averted. "Buzz, you're flying!" "NOT A FLYING TOY". The closest we get to even a handwave as to how Buzz can suddenly glide with flawless dexterity and accuracy at the end is "falling with style". It's still an awesome ending, but they probably wouldn't have contradicted themselves so boldly if they'd known there'd be a trilogy.
 * Matryoshka Object: One of the toys is a nesting egg, called a Troika doll. Its layers are (from biggest to smallest) bulldog, cat, duck, goldfish, and ladybug.
 * The Minnesota Fats: Buzz is a modern, battery-powered, talking toy with pop-out wings, a "lightbulb that blinks", and a retractable helmet. Woody... has a drawstring-powered vocalizer. You can see why he'd feel a bit threatened by Buzz's presence at first.
 * Necktie Leash: A variant with Bo Peep using her shepherd's crook to draw Woody closer to her.
 * No One Gets Left Behind: Done by the plastic toy soldiers near the start of the film.
 * Actually turns out to be epic foreshadowing for the second half of the film. After Woody and Buzz put their differences behind them and become Fire-Forged Friends the rest of the film is devoted to them getting back to Andy. Both have the opportunity to leave the other behind at various points, but they don't.
 * One-Scene Wonder: The first film, among other popular toys promoted, dramatically boosted interest in generic old sets of plastic army men, a group of characters who only have one really notable scene early on (but it's a damn cool one).
 * Plus the shark who briefly steals Woody's hat. "Howdy, howdy, howdy!"
 * And the Little Green Men.
 * Plot-Driven Breakdown: "The batteries! They're running out!" Besides, it's more satisfying to see Andy finding Buzz and Woody in his car while leaving his old neighborhood for good rather than in a box he unpacks when he reaches his new home.
 * Plot Hole: Why does Buzz act like a toy (that is, go inert in the presence of humans) at Andy's before he knows he is a toy?
 * At first, he probably only did it because everyone else did. He thought he was on a strange world, so doing something everyone else did was the smart thing to do. After that, he knew why he had to, and did so like everyone else.
 * Protagonist-Centered Morality: Sid is seen by many viewers, including Will Wright, Mike Mozart, and even the creators, as a kid with a great imagination. (In fact, many of the things Sid does to his toys were inspired by things the creators used to do to theirs.) Some would argue that the only reason he is given the antagonist treatment is because the movie is from a toy's point of view, however, it should also be noted that he apparently wrecks all his sister's toys (the fact that the only dolls Hannah has left to play with are dismembered and/or decapitated, and that several of mutant toys have doll legs and heads shows that the pterodactyl thing was not an isolated incident) and a little boy playing with explosives unsupervised is pretty questionable, considering the rockets he was using are not even legal in some states.
 * Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: "YOU! ARE! A! TOYYYYYY!!!"
 * Parodied in the Youtube Poop "Toys Gone Wild" -- the line in question is replaced with the Trope Namer.
 * Also, "I AM MRS. NESBITT!"
 * Red Alert: Called by the Sergeant during the birthday party.
 * The Renaissance Age of Animation
 * Scare'Em Straight: Woody and Sid's toys come alive to provide Nightmare Fuel for Sid before the climax, leading straight to his breakdown. This gives Sid the distinction of being the only human in the entire series to have witnessed the toys' anthropomorphic capacity. Although the outcome implies that he'll just write it all off as temporary insanity.
 * Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right: It seems to be an unwritten rule that the toys will not walk and talk (other than that their normal toy operation allows) when there are any humans present. Even Buzz Lightyear unconsciously adheres to the rule, even throughout the time that he believes that he's the real Buzz Lightyear. To save Buzz from Sid, however, Woody decides that it's time to break a few rules.
 * Security Cling: Woody to Buzz when facing the mutilated toys.
 * Serious Business: The filmmakers intended the scene with the toy soldiers making their way to the lookout point to be funny, but when it was shown to test audiences they took it just as seriously as any real war movie.
 * The Smurfette Principle: Bo Peep is the only female toy. (Andy's mom and his sister Molly are also characters, but they're minor.) Justified by the fact that Andy is boy and boys tend to have male toys. She isn't even Andy's. Both her and Mrs. Potato Head were Molly's toys.
 * Solar-Powered Magnifying Glass: Sid uses a magnifying glass to burn Woody's forehead while interrogating him.
 * Stock Scream: When Buzz is knocked out of the window it's definitely the Wilhelm Scream that he makes.
 * Suck E. Cheese's: Pizza Planet (though much cooler than most examples of the Trope).
 * Survival Mantra: Woody.

"Buzz: I don't believe that man's ever been to medical school."
 * Take Care of the Kids: When Woody is grabbed by Sid's dog Scud, he tells Buzz to "take care of Andy for me." Buzz rescues him instead.
 * Take My Hand: Slinky Dog to Woody as he's trying to pull him into the truck.
 * Techno Babble: When Sid talks about a "double-bypass brain transplant."

""Great! Now I have guilt!""
 * Tempting Fate: "It's safer in the cockpit than the cargo area... What an Idiot!." And no points for guessing who was right.
 * That Makes Me Feel Angry: Rex's reaction when the toys realize Woody is innocent at the end of the first movie:

"Sid: Where are your rebel friends now? Ha Ha Ha!
 * They Call Me Mister Tibbs: Mr. Potato Head in the first movie after Woody accidentally knocked Buzz out a window.
 * This Is No Time to Panic: "This is the perfect time to panic!"
 * Those Two Guys: Snake and Robot.
 * Vader Breath: Buzz's breathing when he first appears on the bed.
 * Villains Out Shopping: Sid, while in the middle of torturing Woody.

Sid's Mom: (from off-screen) Sid! Your Pop-Tarts are ready!

Sid: All right!"

"Woody: Buzz, can you give me a hand? * Buzz, without a word, tosses his arm up to Woody and goes back to angsting.* Woody:... Ha ha... That's pretty funny... but -- but this is serious!"
 * Villainy Free Villain: Sid mangles his sister's dolls but otherwise doesn't really do anything bad. How was he to know that his toys are alive and can feel pain?
 * Though taking his sister's toys and mutilating them without her permission isn't particularly nice. Hanna doesn't want a tea party with headless ladies...
 * His imagination seems to lean in a destructive and sadistic direction, such as torture and experimentation on live test subjects. In moderation this could be healthy imagination, but the degree we see from him is a bit disturbing.
 * Visual Pun: As follows:


 * Vomit Discretion Shot: In the first movie, Rex gets this after he sees Woody waving Buzz's dismembered arm.
 * REX! IS! A TOY!
 * He wasn't really vomiting, merely going through the motions as if he could, because the toys act like humans, even if they can't do everything humans can do.
 * It's Pixar, so who knows? Maybe he really WAS barfing!
 * What Does This Button Do?: Rex asks this about one of the buttons on Buzz Lightyear's suit.
 * What Have We Done?: When the other toys realize Woody wasn't trying to kill Buzz or anyone else (after throwing him out of a moving truck). Slinky Dog even says this word for word.
 * Woody also goes through this a bit, when his plan to knock Buzz between the desk and the wall results in him knocking Buzz out of the window.

Tropes found in Toy Story 2
"Buzz: You still worried? Woody: About Andy? Nah. It'll be fun while it lasts. Buzz: I'm proud of you, cowboy. Woody: Besides, when it all ends, I'll have old Buzz Lightyear to keep me company. For infinity and beyond."
 * Actor Allusion: This isn't the first time Wayne Knight plays an unscrupulous character who is an overweight slob who steals something of importance to the characters for his employers for a boatload of cash.
 * Acting Unnatural: Woody tells Buster the dog to "Act casual" while Woody hangs on his collar to rescue Wheezy unseen by humans. Buster begins to strut leisurely, and Woody hisses, "Not that casual!"
 * An Aesop: Al's half-crying on TV after his loss -- "I guess crime doesn't pay."
 * Affirmative Action Girl: Jessie. But she's still awesome.
 * Arguably, Mrs. Potato Head fits this Trope since she never actually appeared in the first film, and was only mentioned briefly at the very end.
 * All Animals Are Dogs: Bullseye was originally going to have a voice, but John Lasseter decided to make him like a giant puppy-dog.
 * RC may also (sort of) qualify.
 * Animated Actors: The "Hilarious Outtakes" in the credits.
 * Award Bait Song: "When She Loved Me", by Sarah McLachlan.
 * Ax Crazy: When Stinky Pete sees that Woody and his pals are going to ruin his trip to Japan, he literally breaks out the (pick)ax......
 * Big Bad Ensemble: Al, Zurg and.
 * Big "Never!": Woody, when ordered by Stinky Pete to get into the case bound for Japan when it's in the baggage conveyor area at the airport.
 * Big No: Buzz after Zurg tells him he's Buzz's father, and Zurg as he falls down the elevator shaft.
 * Blinding Camera Flash: The toys use flashes to stop from hurting Woody.
 * Boring Return Journey: After the climax, the next scene shows the toys back in Andy's room. Earlier, just crossing the street caused mayhem.
 * Really? What about ? Given the episode with the pizza truck...
 * Bottomless Magazines: Zurg fires a LOT of little Nerf balls at Buzz 2.0 in the elevator shaft.
 * Bowel-Breaking Bricks: Mr. Potato Head
 * Brick Joke: At the end when you realize that
 * Call Back: Several:
 * Buzz bringing up how the other toys tossed Woody out of the moving van.
 * Impostor Buzz thinking he's suffocating when the real Buzz opens his helmet.
 * Buzz climbing up to see the new Buzz with the utility belt is the same way Woody came across Buzz in the first film.
 * The hold Jessie puts Woody in during their fight is the same one Buzz used when he and Woody fought under Andy's Mom's car.
 * The "Buzz-Buzz-Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!" phrase is uttered again at one point during the 'battle' between Utility Belt Buzz and Zurg.
 * Catapult Nightmare: Woody, after he wakes up from a nightmare where Andy throws him away.
 * Ceiling Cling: Buzz hangs onto the underside of an elevator to reach Al's apartment.
 * Chekhov's Gun: Buzz and company thought that the green baggage they were after in the baggage conveyor area carried Woody, but all they find is a a camera set. A couple of scenes later, they catch up with Woody's near massacre at the hands of Stinky Pete with that camera set. Cue a temporarily blinded Stinky Pete.
 * Closer Than They Appear: "Dinosaur overboard!"
 * Clown Car Base: Mr. Potato Head's backside was turned into one in Toy Story 2's Hilarious Outtakes.
 * The Collector: Al.
 * Continuity Cameo: Look twice and you'll recognize the toy restorer as the old man from Geri's Game.
 * He even has chess pieces in his toolkit.
 * Conveyor Belt O' Doom: The airport conveyor belts.
 * Creative Closing Credits: The Hilarious Outtakes.

"Buzz 2: All Rangers are to be in hypersleep until awoken by authorized personel! Buzz 1: Tell me I wasn't this deluded."
 * Dance Party Ending: With Wheezy singing "You Got A Friend In Me".
 * Deadly Disc: Buzz Lightyear throws discs at Emperor Zurg during the Video Game opening sequence and the fight on top of the elevator.
 * Dinky Drivers: Buzz's team of toys commandeer a Pizza Planet truck to pursue Al to the airport.
 * Dirty Old Man: Stinky Pete in the credits with the Barbies.
 * Disney Villain Death: Subverted with Emperor Zurg.
 * Disproportionate Reward: "You have saved our lives. We are eternally grateful!"
 * They say it again in 3.
 * Do I Really Sound Like That?: Buzz encounters another Buzz who believes himself to be the real Buzz.

"Pete: Was it because you're damaged? Hmm? Did this Andy break you? Woody: Yeah, but -- no, no, no, no, no! It was -- it was an accident -- I mean-- Jessie: Sounds like he really loves you. Woody: It's not like that, okay?!"
 * Does This Remind You of Anything?: Watching the film today, some of Stinky Pete's dialogue to Woody, and Woody's dialogue back, was very reminiscent of a counselor talking to a victim of domestic abuse. Doesn't help that Pete's being voiced by Frasier.

"Mr. Potato Head: Let's leave Buzz to his toys. Buzz: Toy... toy... toy... Hold on! (Types 'Al's Toy Barn' into Mr. Spell)"
 * The way in which Geri (the cleaner) cleans up Woody is almost like Woody was at a high-class stylist.
 * The Elevator From Ipanema: When Al is riding the elevator down to the lobby, the music playing is a "Ipanema"-style version of the main theme from A Bugs Life.
 * Eureka Moment: How Buzz figures out who took Woody.

"Mr. Potato Head: I'm a married spud, I'm a married spud, I'm a married spud...
 * Everything's Better with Monkeys: Invoked on the DVD Commentary.
 * Everything's Better with Penguins: Wheezy.
 * Evil Laugh: Zurg, after killing Buzz in the Fake-Out Opening.
 * Evil Overlord List: In the opening action sequence, Zurg obviously read the List and put in a fake "Source of Zurg's Power" battery (a hologram) in his lair to trap Buzz.
 * Eye Scream: Even knowing Woody doesn't really feel anything, it's hard not to flinch when his eye is being cleaned.
 * Fantastic Racism: Pete's hatred of "space toys" would count, though he does have a Freudian Excuse.
 * Fake-Out Opening: The beginning with Buzz Lightyear infiltrating Zurg's planet.
 * Fake Static: Al uses this while talking to Mr. Kinoshi on his cell phone.
 * Flat What: Probably a lot of viewers' reaction to "Buzz" getting blown up in the Fake-Out Opening.
 * Frickin' Laser Beams: Zurg's Ion Blaster, particularly in the video game, shoots yellow-green "plasma". Zurg also fires green, ping-pong-like balls in his fight against Impostor Buzz at the elevator shaft in Al's apartment (probably supposed to represent plasma bullets). Buzz can usually dodge these by jumping across the air, tumbling acrobatically, etc. Averted by Buzz's laser. which instantly hits the target.
 * Furry Confusion: A brief moment of this happens when Buzz uses an out-of-the-box, yet apparently non sentient or even alive Cymbal-Banging Monkey in his attempt to catch out with the other toys as they leave Al's Toy Barn.
 * Methinks that monkey held one big grudge...
 * Guide Dang It: Rex believes that the Buzz Lightyear video game is using extortion to get him to read a strategy guide. Of course, he unwittingly defeats Emperor Zurg in person at the elevator shaft, and once he gets home, he declares, "I don't need to play; I lived it!"
 * Hand or Object Underwear: Bullseye, after his saddle falls off.
 * Hammerspace: From the Hilarious Outtakes mentioned below: "And a rubber ducky, and a PLASTIC STEAK, and a yo-yo!"
 * Hello, Nurse!: Barbie, complete with the jaw drop.

Hamm: Then make room for the single fellas!"

"Buzz: (to Woody) You. Are. A TOY!"
 * He's a Friend: Woody to Andy's other toys when they arrive to rescue him.
 * Hilarious Outtakes: Continuing from the popular gag from A Bugs Life, Toy Story 2 features bloopers as though these are real actors performing on set.
 * Hit Scan: Buzz's laser. Unlike Zurg's Ion Blaster, it hits its target instantly.
 * Homage: When the toys are at a toy store and driving around in a toy car, Rex at some point falls off and starts running after them to catch up. Mr. Potato Head spots Rex in the side mirror with the text "Warning: Objects in mirror are closer than they appear" written. This is clearly a parody of a scene in the original Jurassic Park movie where the island visitors tries to escape a T-Rex in the same manner, mirror warning and all.
 * I Owe You My Life: Mr. Potato Head acquires a trio of squeaky alien hangers-on in the second movie after he rescues them from falling out of a car. "You have saved our lives! We are eternally grateful!"
 * Ironic Echo

"Stinky Pete: Fair?! I'll tell you what's not fair! Spending a lifetime on a dime store shelf watching every other toy be sold! Well, finally my waiting has paid off, and no hand-me-down cowboy doll is going to mess it up for me now!""
 * Jerkass: Al and Stinky Pete.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Mr. Potato Head risking himself to save three of the Little Green Men (who he had just met!).
 * Kitschy Local Commercial: The commercial for Al's Toy Barn.
 * Licensed Game: A particularly notable aversion of The Problem with Licensed Games, as it blends the "sandbox-platformer" gameplays of Super Mario 64 and Spyro the Dragon, and then works surprisingly well.
 * The Gameboy Color version, on the other hand, suffers from horrible music, poorly-drawn graphics, and broken controls (although Your Mileage May Vary).
 * Lord Error-Prone: The second Buzz Lightyear doll. Heck, Buzz himself probably counts in the first movie as well.
 * Luke, I Am Your Father: Parodied with Zurg and Buzz (the one they meet in the Toy Store) in the second one. They later play catch with Zurg's ball-shooter.
 * Makeover Montage: Woody getting fixed up.
 * Malevolent Architecture: Zurg's underground fortress is designed this way, of course. Firstly, there's a spiked wall closing in on Buzz, really fast, to the point where he needs to sprint and jump out the closing door at the other end of the corridor. And, of course, there's a really scary Bottomless Pit to deal with (but of course, there are temporarily floating platforms to jump on). However, the platforms suddenly fall off (with Buzz). Fortunately, he is reminded of his utility belt and suddenly presses a life-saving button to suddenly fly back to the platform containing Zurg's "source of energy".
 * Motive Rant:

"Buzz 2: Could somebody please explain what's going on!? Buzz 1: (referring to Woody) Its alright, Space Ranger. It's a Code 546. Buzz 2: *gasp* You mean it's a--? Buzz 1: Yes. Buzz 2: *gasp* And he's a--?! Buzz 1: Ohhh yeah. Buzz 2: (runs and kneels at Woody's feet) Your majesty!"
 * Neck Lift: Emperor Zurg to the 2nd Buzz while they're on top of the elevator.
 * Noodle Order: How Buzz gets Utility Belt!Buzz to do a Heel Face Turn:

"Buzz: Come on, fellas! Did Woody give up when Sid had me strapped to the back of a rocket? The Other Toys: [Glumly] No. Buzz: And did Woody give up when you threw him out of the back of that moving van? Mr. Potato Head: [Guilty] Oh, you had to bring that up. Buzz: No, he didn't! We've got a friend in need! We will not rest until we're safe in Andy's room ! NOW LET'S MOVE OUT!"
 * Not the Fall That Kills You: Happens at two situations:
 * Impostor Buzz and company fall down from a fairly far height to the elevator. The fall was about 3 seconds, and in real life, the toys, light as they are, would probably have broken to pieces.
 * Zurg falls down the bottomless elevator shaft after being hit by Rex's tail. However, he is seen with Impostor Buzz long afterward.
 * Pac-Man Fever: Totally averted -- the game is quite on-par with the movie's graphics (despite running in an SNES!) and Rex doesn't even mash buttons!
 * Then again, since the movie came out in 1999, the choice of an SNES is still somewhat anachronistic. By then the Nintendo 64 was already in full swing. Though it could be argued that it seems to take place a short time after the original, which came out in 1995, back when the SNES was still the most popular system. So it's really Fridge Brilliance.
 * Also, an N64 wouldn't have been a smart choice for various reasons.
 * Pair the Spares: Buzz and Jessie at the end of the film.
 * Plank Gag: Rex accidentally knocks Emperor Zurg off an elevator with his tail while shuddering in fear as Zurg is about to destroy the two Buzz Lightyears (one of them has a plastic belt around him).
 * Prepare to Die: Zurg says this to Impostor Buzz.
 * Record Scratch: Used when Pete tells Woody about the museum. Granted, he was running on a record player at the time, his shock causing him to stop suddenly.
 * Red Alert: Called by the Sergeant during the yard sale.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: Emperor Zurg.
 * Redemption Quest: The presence of the non-Buzz toys on the mission to rescue Woody can be read as one of these, in light of the events of the first movie.

"Rex: But I don't wanna use my head!"
 * Remember the New Guy?: When Woody meets Wheezy the Penguin from Toy Story 2, his reaction is why he's up on the shelf with him instead of being away to get his squeaker fixed. Justified Trope in that either Andy or Molly may have gotten Wheezy either for Christmas or their birthdays between the first two movies, maybe even for the Christmas they were celebrating at the end of the first one. After all, Buster and Mrs. Potato Head were also Christmas gifts at the end of the first one...
 * Road Trip Across the Street
 * Rousing Speech: Buzz to the other toys while going after Woody in 2. It's so rousing that the Stars and Stripes unfurls behind him out of nowhere. (In the non-US version, the Stars and Stripes is replaced by a spinning globe and fireworks).
 * Rummage Fail: While Potato Head reaches in to get his "angry eyes", he puts on the extra shoes.
 * Rump Roast: In a "Woody's Roundup" episode, Prospector tries to put out a dynamite fuse by sitting on it, resulting in a Shout-Out to Who Framed Roger Rabbit?: "My biscuits are burning!"
 * Running Gag: "You have saved our lives. We are eternally grateful."
 * Potato Head constantly losing his parts.
 * Second Coming: Woody's welcome by Jessie, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete is almost treated as this with all the attendant Hero Worship elements attached to Woody, until he realizes that he's going to be joining them in a museum.
 * Ship Tease: Arguably Woody and Jessie in the second movie.
 * Yet she gets paired with Buzz at the end of the movie. Since, you know, Woody already has a girlfriend (Bo Peep).
 * Something Else Also Rises: Buzz's wings after he sees Jessie opening the door with a full acrobatic routine.
 * Parodied in the outtakes: Woody scribbled "This Space for Rent" on Buzz's wings at some point before the scene
 * Show Within a Show (Type 3): Woody's Roundup
 * Spin-Off: Buzz Lightyear of Star Command.
 * Spot the Imposter: When the toys realize they have two Buzz Lightyears.
 * Stepford Smiler: The Barbies in Toy Story 2.
 * Take a Third Option: In Andy's play scenario, he has Hamm hold Bo Peep hostage and tells Woody he has a choice of either feeding to to a shark or death by monkeys. Woody then chooses Buzz Lightyear, who crashes into Hamm, giving Woody enough time to rescue Bo Peep.
 * That Reminds Me of a Song: Wheezy, when he sings at the end.
 * They Call Me Mister Tibbs: Mr. Potato Head saying, "Prepare to meet Mr. Angry Eyes!" Too bad he got his spare feet instead...
 * Timmy in a Well: In a ''Woody's Roundup" episode, Jessie sends some animals to get Sheriff Woody. Woody easily interprets their chatter into a complex message.
 * Twin Threesome Fantasy: Parental Bonus in the credits sequence.
 * Two Words: Obvious Trope: "Two words. Sput-nik."
 * Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Did none of the drivers think that moving traffic cones were a little odd?
 * Meh.
 * Up to Eleven: Zurg's Ion-Blaster.
 * Use Your Head: Rex, to enter Al's apartment.


 * Utility Belt: I bet you could sure use one of those.
 * Vanity License Plate: Al's license plate gives Buzz a clue to Woody's location.
 * A Villain Named Zrg: The Troperiffic evil emperor Zurg.
 * We Will Meet Again: Emperor Zurg says this to Buzz Lightyear.
 * Who Wants to Live Forever?: The Prospector certainly does.
 * Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: After hearing the Prospector's backstory - which finds him sitting on a store shelf for years, watching every other toy get sold but him - you can't help but feel for him. And while he attempts some rather bad things near the end, his desire to find some form of love as a museum piece is understandable.
 * Stinky Pete had good reasons to do what he did. Sure, he almost ripped Woody into ribbons, but even then he wouldn't have killed him, since his goals depend on Woody's survival.
 * Woody's Finest Hour: Trope Namer
 * You Answered Your Own Question: Rex: "How do you spell FBI?"

Tropes unique to Toy Story 3
"Lotso: You lost, little doggie? Slinky: Ah!"
 * Accent Adaptation: Given the very clear nature of Buzz' Spanish dance moves, some of the Spanish-language dubs keep him Spanish, but give him a thick Andalusian accent, of the "huge lisp" variety (Like the one the Puss in Boots has)
 * Actionized Sequel: With this being number 3 in a trilogy fifteen years in the making, character introductions are almost moot point, with even more dramatic escape sequences taking place in comparison to its predecessors.
 * Actor Allusion: A meta-example: After, Barbie briefly quotes the Declaration of Independence when refusing to (which also shocks Mr. Potato Head at her knowledge of that). Jodi Benson, the voice actress for Barbie, considered pursuing a law degree before deciding to settle for acting.
 * Advertised Extra: Stretch the octopus is displayed prominently on the DVD cover, despite having about ten minutes of screen time.
 * Affably Evil: Lotso. Very affable, very evil. He's agreeable enough when you're on his good side. Disagree with him, however, and he smirks as he has you set to Demo Mode or sends your best buddy to lock you up. As the movie progresses, his gentlemanly demeanour seems less Affably Evil and more Faux Affably Evil.

""I told you kids, stay out of my butt!""
 * And I Must Scream: The ultimate fate of Lotso.
 * Though he's advised by his new pals to keep his mouth shut.
 * This sums up the toys' treatment in the Caterpillar Room pretty well. Though in the ending, the old Butterfly Room toys decide to do this, but in shifts...
 * And the Adventure Continues...: When Andy leaves his toys in the care of their new kid Bonnie.
 * Anachronism Stew: The opening scene. There's Woody and Jessie, the cowboy and cowgirl, chasing Potato Head on a 19th century style steam train. Then a pink sports car turns up, then spaceman Buzz Lightyear and later Slinky Dog is some sort of high tech forcefield dog contraption. Ham has a pig-shaped spaceship, with a cockpit filled with computers, lights and a teleporter and a Wave Motion Gun in the snout. Finally, there's Rex, the dinosaur. Justified in that this is all a story made up by a six year old and the ludicrous nature of it is clearly powered by his sense of Rule of Cool.
 * This scene is a retelling of the first two movies' opening sequences blended together.
 * Ass Shove: Done in the epilogue when Mr. Potato Head discovers the Peas-in-a-Pod popping out of his rear hatch.

"Mr. Potato Head: You know all those bad things I said about the attic? I take it all back. Hamm: You said it."
 * Badass Spaniard: Buzz, after he's switched to "Spanish mode".
 * Be Careful What You Wish For: At the beginning, the toys want nothing more than to be played with again. When they get to Sunnyside, they get what they want. Boy howdy, do they get it. And considering how disgruntled they were at the prospect of being stuck in the attic, by the end of the adventure attitudes seem to have changed somewhat in-between courtesy of Sunnyside :

"Barbie: Authority should derive from the consent of the governed, not from threat of force!
 * Bear Hug: From Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear.
 * Berserk Button: Lotso really should not have broken the name tag in front of Big Baby.
 * Beware the Nice Ones: Lotso turns out to be the most vicious character in the film.
 * Do not threaten Barbie's friends if you know what's good for you.
 * Big Brother Instinct: At the end of the movie Andy gives all of his toys to Bonnie, with the prompting of Woody writing her address on a sticky note which he put on top the box of toys initially meant for the attic. When Bonnie is initially scared of the strange older boy approaching her, Andy kneels down at her eye level to introduce himself and describe all of his toys to Bonnie. The scene ends with Andy and Bonnie playing with all of their toys in Bonnie's front yard before Andy drives off to college.
 * Also with his own sister. After some light back-and-forth bickering, when Andy sees Molly having trouble with a heavy box he helps her out at once.
 * Big Damn Heroes: Two Words: Obvious Trope: "The claaaawww!"
 * Big No: Woody gets one when falling into the incinerator.
 * Bittersweet Ending: The ending appears to be this way.
 * Blind Seer: Mrs. Potato Head is missing one of her eyes for most of the movie. However, whenever she covers up her one eye she can see plot-important events from her missing eye's location such as Andy getting upset with his mom for throwing the toys away, since he meant to put them in the attic instead, contrary to what all the toys sans Woody believe.
 * Blowing a Raspberry: Big Baby does this to
 * Bolero Effect: Used in the music of the
 * Brainwashed and Crazy: Buzz, after Lotso forcibly switches him to "Demo" mode.
 * Brick Joke: Sarge and the army men.
 * "The CLAAAAAAAAW..." Basically, a Brick Joke that takes two movies and several years to set up and deliver on.
 * Especially awesome when you remember the line from the first movie, They were right!
 * The triceratops is one as well; at the end of the first movie, Rex was talking about how he would love for Andy to get an herbivore so he could play the dominant predator. Look who he ends up paling around with during the credits of the third movie?
 * Call Back: God bless the poor soul who watched this movie before the first two. Some references to the previous films are quick and may not even make sense without that context. A partial list:
 * 1) To the first movie:
 * Many lines in the film's opening are taken directly from the original film's opening, including One-Eyed Bart, his "ha ha ha, money money money!" line, his "attack dog with built-in force field", and the opposing "dinosaur who eats force field dogs."
 * Andy looks over Woody and Buzz, picks them up, and chooses one. The framing echoes when he was putting toys into the chest during the "Strange Things" sequence. This time he chooses Woody for college.
 * Woody's "It doesn't matter how much we're played with, what matters is that we're here for Andy when he needs us." is invoked in the beginning.
 * Woody hosts a staff meeting and asks Slinky to gather everyone (only this time Slinky doesn't have nearly as many toys to gather).
 * The Army Men (or what's left of them) go on recon missions for the other toys, this time getting Andy's cell phone.
 * Trixie reminds us about how Rex wanted a plant-eating dinosaur to be one of Andy's presents.
 * A little girl (Bonnie instead of Sid's sister Hannah) inserts a main character (this time Woody instead of Buzz) into a tea party she's having with other toys.
 * When hugs Woody and the toys after playing with them after the imaginary spaceship, Buttercup winking at Woody is a callback in the first movie when Andy picks up Woody and Buzz when they land in the car.
 * The garbageman with headphones? Sid, all grown up.
 * The truck Lotso, Big Baby, and Chuckles ride on the back of is the Pizza Planet delivery truck.
 * Buzz's dialogue after Woody and the others attempt to reset him is the exact same as his dialogue when he first came out of his box... except in Spanish. Also, he aims his laser right at the center of Woody's forehead... which is exactly what he did upon meeting Woody for the first time in the first movie. You can also see that the sticker that represents the radio he has on his wrist is no longer there, because Buzz himself peeled it off in the first movie.
 * One scene during Andy and Bonnie's playtime is Andy carrying Woody on his shoulders, which he did at the start of the title sequence for the first movie.
 * The last shot we see at the end of the film is a bright blue sky with clouds, the exact same as Andy's wallpaper which introduced Toy Story.
 * The wing section of the Buzz Lightyear manual ends with "NOT A FLYING TOY", a warning flashed in a Buzz Lightyear toy commercial that caused Buzz's Heroic BSOD.
 * The last toy Woody holds hands with during the Incinerator Scene is not Buzz, but Slinky, Woody's friend before Buzz showed up.
 * "THE CLAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWW!" was originally mentioned by the aliens in the first movie.
 * 1) To the second movie:
 * Evil Doctor Porkchop and Death by Monkeys in the opening.
 * Jessie commenting, "It's Emily all over again!"
 * Jessie yodels multiple times and calls for animals, which is mildly confusing without knowing those were her character traits on Show Within the Movie Woody's Roundup.
 * Woody tries to ride Buster to yet another rescue mission, but Buster has gotten too old and chubby to do this anymore.
 * Woody attempts to slide down the drainpipe in order to save the rest of the toys. He fails. Epically.
 * While Woody and Buzz are looking at a young picture of Andy, Woody comments that they'll be together "For infinity and beyond".
 * "You have saved our lives. We are eternally grateful," and the Little Green Men being the adopted children of the Potato Heads.
 * Hamm claims dibs on Barbie's Corvette car when she's thrown into the Sunnyside box. He enjoyed driving the car around the aisles of Al's Toy Barn.
 * Using Slinky as a bungee cord: When the toys reach Andy's house again, they climb to the roof of the garage, which leads to his bedroom window. The camera angle is the exact same as when the toys leave to rescue Woody in Toy Story 2.
 * Zurg was referenced in the first movie, but you wouldn't recognize him in his cameo unless you saw Toy Story 2.
 * Don't forget Jessie's panic attacks at the thought of going into storage, again.
 * A tiny one: Golf clubs are instrumental in the rescue of a toy in both films. With varied results.
 * A Freeze-Frame Bonus in the Buzz Lightyear instruction manual. The Accessories section mentions that the Buzz Lightyear Utility Belt is "coming soon!". The other Buzz from the second film had a utility belt.
 * If you look carefully at Woody's right arm, it's got red stitching different from the left along the shoulder, which is where Andy sewed his arm back on.
 * 1) To both films:
 * A very good portion of the film's soundtrack is itself a Leitmotif throwback to each of the films. The opening sequence, for example, uses Buzz's theme from Toy Story (Buzz's arrival uses a version of Buzz's theme and the climactic soundtrack from Toy Story.), while scenes like where Woody is found alive by his friends are from Andy's return home in 2, and when the toys finally arrive home.
 * Woody mentions that several toys from the previous two films (such as Etch and Bo Peep) have been given away in the time between 2 and 3. (The mentioning of Bo, in particular, appears to mildly dishearten Woody, due to the romantic relationship they shared in the previous two films).
 * The looping orange racetrack Buzz used to "fall with style" in the original and Jessie used to help Buster in the sequel is mentioned to be stored in the attic.
 * Lotso's backstory. Him getting lost on a trip out and having to make his way back home to the owner he is intensely loyal to: That's the plot of the first movie right there. Him being replaced and his If I Can't Have You: Hey, Woody, remember when you pushed Buzz out the window? His philosophy that all toys are destined to be treated as garbage: Remember when Woody was more willing to go to a museum than to Andy because he was afraid he'd be thrown out eventually? Lotso is Woody from a bad future.
 * 1) Other Pixar films:
 * The quick series of shots over which Chatter Telephone narrates all the obstacles the toys will face in their escape from Sunnyside recalls a similar sequence detailing the plan to escape the fish tank in Finding Nemo (both are Mission Impossible parodies and visual shout-outs to the films of David Fincher).
 * Big Baby resembles the creepy baby who fell victim to the Uncanny Valley in the Pixar Shorts Tin Toy. In that short, a number of toys hide from said child. The same toys are also shown hiding from the toddlers of the Caterpillar Room before the kids return from recess.
 * Freeze-Frame Bonus: Andy's board has a postcard from Carl and Ellie of Up; his posters feature the Omnidroid of The Incredibles; fish from Finding Nemo are seen in stickers on his wall and in paintings at the daycare; Sunnyside has toy versions of Nemo's Mister Ray and some of the characters from Cars (non-anthropomorphic Snot Rod on Andy's calendar (August) and Finn Mcmissile from Cars 2 on a poster, also, when the children burst into the room for the first time, one of the them is wearing a "95" shirt). Buzz Lightyear is powered by batteries from Buy-N-Large.
 * The locomotive at the start of the movie is also numbered "95"; these are references to when the first Toy Story came out.
 * There's a little girl in the Butterfly Room who looks suspiciously like an older version of Boo from Monsters, Inc..
 * Note that she is playing with a purple and blue kitty.
 * The Cameo: A doll of Studio Ghibli's own Totoro is a minor character in the film, and the first Toy Story character to also be a character from another movie. And yes, he still has his trademark Totoro grin.
 * Camp Straight: Ken. From his frilly handwriting, to his many clothes, to his happiness when the army men parachute in the ending. Even dating Barbie doesn't help matters.
 * He really can't help it. He's a male character but a girls' toy. Made for and marketed to girls.
 * "I'm not a girl's toy! I'm NOT!"
 * "You're not a toy! You're an accessory! You're a purse with legs."
 * Captivity Harmonica: Hamm plays one.
 * It's also worth noting that Lotso's theme is played with a harmonica.
 * Celibate Hero: Woody in this movie as.
 * Character Development: Mrs. Potato Head. She went from a background character in the second movie to having a crucial role in the plot by having the ability to see through a missing eye.
 * The Character Died with Him: Everyone voiced by Joe Ranft.
 * Averted with Slinky Dog and Jim Varney though, likely because as Woody's sidekick, Slink was too crucial a character to just phase out.
 * Chekhov's Gun: becomes a Chekhov's Gunman, and eventually a
 * Bonnie can be seen playing with during the first scene showing her in the day care.
 * Heck, a second viewing of the film sees all the major characters in the first daycare scene, before they're active. Try to spot them!
 * There's also.
 * Children Are Innocent: Bonnie -- unlike the Caterpillar Room children at the daycare who harshly play with or deface their toys, she lovingly plays with and cares for her toys similar to how Andy did when he was younger.
 * The older children at the daycare are the same way.
 * Classically-Trained Extra: Mr. Pricklepants, played by none other than Timothy Dalton.
 * Bonnie's other toys asked Woody if he was classically trained, in regards to his "performance."
 * Color Coded for Your Convenience: Blue is safe (Andy's room, the Butterfly Room, the conveyor belt off switch), red is unsafe (Caterpillar Room, Lotso, incinerator), and sickly green-yellow is corrupted (the vending machine "gambling parlor", the daycare dumpster). Bonnie's color is bright "happy" green.
 * Cool and Unusual Punishment: Barbie's way of interrogating Ken is by ripping each of his sets of clothes until he speaks.
 * Continuity Nod: A beautifully subtle one -- Woody still has the red stitches on his right arm from Andy's fixing him at the end of Toy Story 2.
 * Buzz is also still missing his arm readout sticker, which he peeled off during his nervous breakdown in the first movie.
 * Convection, Schmonvection: The incinerator is obviously really hot but the plastic toys remain unmelted. Considering how terrifying the scene was already, this is for the best.
 * Conveyor Belt O' Doom: And HOW!
 * Crap Saccharine World: Sunnyside Daycare seems like a bright, colorful heaven where there are always children to lovingly play with the toys, but actually it's a brutal dictatorship ruled by Lotso the bear. Most of the daycare's toys get subjected to rough playtimes with the toddlers rather than the loving playtimes with the older children, and any defiant toys get imprisoned in cubbies, forced to stay the night in the sandbox, interrogated, brainwashed, or thrown into the daycare's dumpster to go to the landfill.
 * Also possibly a case of Vile Villain Saccharine Show; Lotso is revealed to be a genuinely monstrous villain, but once he's gone the daycare centre becomes a genuinely sweet place
 * Creepy Doll: Big Baby.
 * Cute Giant: Lotso and Big Baby are each considerably larger than the protagonists.
 * Cymbal-Banging Monkey: When night falls on Sunnyside Daycare, he sits at the front desk, watching all the surveillance screens. If a toy tries to escape, he turns on the center's P.A. system and screeches into it while banging his cymbals. Lotso and crew are on top of the poor toy in moments.
 * May be a Shout-Out to a Stephen King's The Monkey, or Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders, the infamous film featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000 partially based upon it (a 1984 horror film called The Devil's Gift blatantly plagiarized King's short story was edited into Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders). The monkey looks just like the design from the cover of Skeleton Crew, the collection that contains it.
 * Dark Reprise: Of 'You've Got a Friend In Me' at the beginning of the film. Just to clarify, the song ends at the line 'Our friendship will never die!' The background music stops, and we just hear 'never die' echo over and over.
 * Dance Party Ending: Stay for the credits. Set to a Spanish version of "You Got A Friend In Me." The choreography was done by Dancing With the Stars contestants.
 * Dance of Romance: When Buzz is in Spanish mode, he makes the move on Jessie with a dance. And they do it again in his normal form in the credits.
 * The Dandy: Ken
 * Den of Iniquity: A humorous example with the 'bad' toys hanging around in a vending machine, betting with Monopoly money and triple A batteries. They use a "Speak-And-Say" toy instead of a roulette table.
 * Deus Ex Machina: THE CLAAAAAW! A literal example, as the DVD commentary points out.
 * Diabolus Ex Machina: Since it's considered a Deus Ex Machina in both Toy Story 1 and 2, the Pizza Planet Truck could definitely be considered this in Toy Story 3, since it is responsible for transporting Lotso to Sunnyside.
 * Dialogue Reversal: "You have saved our lives. We are eternally grateful."
 * Director Cameo: The Jack-in-the-Box who yells "new toys!" is voiced by director Lee Unkrich.
 * The Dog Bites Back: Big Baby to Lotso.
 * The Dragon: Big Baby. Heel Face Turns in the end.
 * Dropped a Bridge on Him: A great number of the toys have been sold, broken or lost in the time period between 2 and 3 making for a Darker and Edgier feel. Especially saddening is the absence of Bo Peep, Woody's love interest- when she is mentioned, Woody looks utterly miserable.
 * The Dulcinea Effect: Happens to "Spanish Buzz" once he sees Jessie.
 * It seems Buzz is naturally attracted to Jessie, as indicated by Brainwashed Buzz's claim that he is "immune to your... bewitching good looks."
 * Dumb Blonde: Barbie appears to be this at first, but later says two lines to Lotso that totally avert it.

(Hamm and Potato Head shrug in confusion)"

"Hamm: (to Rex, while in cell, to distract Buzz) Hey! What're you doing?! (covers his cork) Keep your hands off my stuff!
 * Well, she was President once...
 * Don't forget she single-handedly subdued Ken, tore a confession out of him, then got the Buzz Lightyear instruction manual from Bookworm all via improvisation.
 * Barbie is very much a Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass in this movie.
 * Early-Bird Cameo: Bonnie's toys (minus Totoro and Chuckles) appeared in the Toy Story Midway Mania ride at least a month before the movie premiered.
 * Eureka Moment: When the toys are in the trash bag, Mr. Potato Head says "What's the point?" Buzz sees Rex's tail poking the bag and says "Point... point... point!" and realizes they can use Rex's tail to puncture the bag.
 * Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Big Baby regards his previous owner Daisy as his mom. You really shouldn't have broken that tag, Lotso...
 * Everyone Can See It: Buzz and Jessie. Well, everybody can see Buzz likes her. He even admits it twice. Too bad he is in demo and Spanish mode at the times.
 * Everyone Owns a Mac: There's an iMac at Bonnie's house. Andy owns a laptop that looks like a Titanium iBook. And his sister has an iPod nano.
 * Well, Steve had shares in Disney, so...
 * Pixar even points it out that he was an important reason the original Toy Story could even get out.
 * Everything Makes a Mushroom: The "Death By Monkeys" bomb set off by "Evil Dr. Porkchop" in Andy's playtime imagination in the beginning.
 * Everything's Better with Monkeys: Hilariously subverted with the cameo of the barrel monkeys in the opening, horrifyingly subverted with the monkey toy from Sunnyside.
 * Everything's Better with Sparkles: Barbie and Ken, of course, and also Stretch the octopus.
 * Everything's Worse with Bears: Lotso Bear plays this straight.
 * Everything Sounds Sexier in Spanish
 * Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Lotso cannot fathom Ken's loyalty to Barbie or Woody and Buzz's loyalty to their friends
 * Evil Counterpart: Lotso's resentment over being replaced and his extremely possessive feelings toward his owner (if he can't have her, no one can), mirror Woody's character arc in the first movie. Like Woody, he also becomes a leader of a "family" of toys, only kept in line through threats and bullying instead of friendship and love. Whereas Woody decides he wants what's best for Andy, Lotso has grown to hate children for their constant destruction and abandonment of toys. Like Woody, he also faced the prospect of being replaced (Lotso with a replacement Lotso, Woody with Buzz), but where Woody eventually found an accord with Buzz, Lotso sank into bitterness and maliciously took his rejection out on the world around him.
 * Face Death with Dignity: Andy's toys. Sure, they get out of it, but... come on, it counts.
 * Face Heel Turn: Demo Buzz. He gets better.
 * Face Palm: Andy
 * The Farmer and the Viper: For a moment, it looked like saving Lotso would pay off. No such luck.
 * Fake-Out Opening
 * Fate Worse Than Death: Lotso ends up crucified to the front of a dumpster truck working the landfill, implying he will be stuck that way for the rest of his existence. Even if he frees himself, he's still in that landfill with no way of getting back to 'his' daycare.
 * Subverted when it comes to Chunk and the other Sunnyside toys. At first, it seems that the villain's toadies are condemned to rough-and-disgusting playtime with the toddlers as karmic justice; instead, Chunk simply tags out when he's had enough and another toy willingly leaps into the fray.
 * First Girl Wins: The first toy we see Andy playing with at the start of the first film was Woody.
 * Subverted at the end
 * Five-Bad Band:
 * Big Bad: Lotso.
 * The Dragon: Big Baby. Ken may also count.
 * The Brute: Twitch, Chunk, Sparks, and Stretch.
 * The Evil Genius: The Monkey and Bookworm.
 * The Dark Chick: Ken. May also be Co-Dragons with Big Baby.
 * Sixth Ranger: Demo-mode Buzz.
 * 555: Andy's cell phone number is 555-0112, written on Buzz's wrist for use in "Operation: Playtime".
 * Foreshadowing: When we first see Lotso, he's riding in the back of a toy dump truck -- and he's seen doing this several more times in the film. Lotso later causes the toys to get trapped inside a dump truck during the climax. His ultimate fate is to be tied to the front of a dump truck for the rest of his days.
 * Buzz says to one of the toys "Buzz Lightyear at your service" as a greeting. Guess what happens later?
 * "Death by monkeys?"
 * In the playtime scene, Buzz, Woody and Jessie being trapped and closing their eyes for the inevitable end.
 * Stinky Pete had warned and raved that if they continued on with Andy, the toys might end up at the landfill... Like that'll ever happen!
 * At the poker night, the veteran toys predict the new toys (Andy's) are headed for the "landfill," and are "toddler fodder." Obviously, the former proved correct, and you could interpret the latter as the toys eventually joining Bonnie.
 * Freeze-Frame Bonus: The usual A113 reference is on the license plate of Andy's mom's car, a Continuity Nod from the first movie. For others, see Call Back.
 * Freudian Excuse: Lotso was lost and replaced by his original owner. When Lotso discovered this, it made him believe that he hadn't been special to her and that the love between him and her hadn't been real. Thus (in his mind), all the love between kids and their toys isn't real. To him love is for suckers because for toys it eventually leads to abandonment and being thrown away.
 * Furry Confusion: Buttercup talks and Bullseye doesn't? Lee Unkrich acknowledged this on his Twitter account, saying "Goofy can talk, but Pluto cannot. Discuss."
 * Simple: Pluto and Bullseye are directly based on real animals (a horse and a dog). Buttercup and Goofy are a mythological creature and an anthro respectively.
 * Or maybe toys' ability to speak depends on if they could on their show. Bullseye couldn't talk on Woody's Roundup, so his toy can't talk. Buttercup, however, had no show, allowing him to talk. This would explain Totoro's silence as well.
 * Genius Ditz: Aside from her various awesomeness, Barbie gives a rather verbose and sophisticated critique of dictatorships, which weirds everyone else out. People might be forgetting that there's been a few President Barbie dolls over the years, so of course she'd know political science topics.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar:
 * Pixar sure is ballsy:

Rex: Ohhhh, come over here, Porky!"

"Mr. Potato Head: It was cold and dark! Nothing but sand and a couple of Lincoln Logs. Hamm: Ehh, I don't think those were Lincoln Logs.."
 * Particularly disturbing, considering it might be a sly reference to another movie with Ned Beatty...
 * After being thrown in the box:

"Dolly: (after Woody tells her his name) You sure you wanna stick with that?"
 * When Woody meets Bonnie's toys:

"Nice ascot."
 * Barbie says this to Ken:

"Woody: "I don't think that's daylight...""
 * "Have fun at college, Woody!" "Yeah, but not too much fun!"
 * Apparently Chatter Telephone was tortured.
 * "I'm not a girls' toy! I'm not!"
 * A God Am I: In the first movie the aliens all worshiped the claw. By the third movie, they control the claw. And have become their own god, which is only fitting. See Deus Ex Machina below.
 * Golem: Chunk.
 * Goofy Print Underwear: Ken wears boxers with little hearts on them.
 * Gosh Dang It to Heck: "What the heck?"
 * Gratuitous Spanish: Buzz, after a partially failed reset attempt puts him into Spanish mode.
 * Gray Rain of Depression: The moment Lotso discovers Daisy has replaced him it starts to rain.
 * Great Escape: The entire plot.
 * The movie (not counting the credits) is about 90 minutes long. The escape scene itself takes up 30 minutes.
 * One of the posters for the movie included the tag line, "The Break-Out Comedy of the Year".
 * In Italy, its subtitle is "The Great Escape".
 * Green-Eyed Monster: Spanish-mode Buzz, after seeing Jessie hug Woody, becomes pretty jealous of him, and tries (successfully) to one-up him later.
 * Immediately followed by a great aversion. Having been so thoroughly upstaged, Woody cheers on his buddy's awesome stunt, showing just how far he's come from the jealously insecure toy of the first movie.
 * Gretzky Has the Ball: I don't care how many spaces you have, that is not how you play roulette. Players bet against the house, not each other.
 * Who says they're playing roulette?
 * Grumpy Bear: Taken to the extreme with Lotso, although he hides it behind a pleasant facade.
 * The Guards Must Be Crazy/Talking Your Way Out: Barbie and Ken prove the need for the Evil Overlord List's warning to never have captives of one sex guarded by members of the opposite sex.
 * That rule and this trope are averted by Demo Mode Buzz, who, though placed in charge of guarding Jessie, refuses to listen to her pleas of "Buzz, we're your friends" and tells her that he will not be swayed by her "bewitching good looks."
 * Then again, Demo Mode Buzz does fall for Hamm and Rex's "let's stage a fight so we can distract the guard" ploy, so maybe he isn't the sharpest knife in the... place where... they keep the knives.
 * Happily Married: Barbie and Ken after they make up to each other and Lotso is gone from the Daycare. They become the new rulers of a much happier Sunnyside Daycare since Barbie objects to dictatorships and prefers democracy and Ken believes "everyone is groovy." They even adopt Big Baby as their "child"!
 * Hannibal Lecture: Lotso gives one in the middle of a Villainous Breakdown. It comes with a Shut UP, Hannibal.
 * Held Gaze: One happens between Buzz and Woody after Woody is climbing back up through the trash and sees the others holding each other to give one another strength. Buzz meets his eyes and then extends his hand and then they hold the scene for a moment before Woody reaches out to grasp Buzz's hand and join the others.
 * Heel Face Turn/Love Redeems: Ken. And Big Baby.
 * Lotso subverts it; while he pleads for help and plays nice while the heat is on, at the decisive moment he abandons his saviors and escapes.
 * In a very, very abstract sense, the Claw. In the first film, since it was Sid who was controlling it, the Claw seemed much more menacing as it brought both Woody and Buzz to the danger zone, being Sid's House. However, in Toy Story 3 since it's the aliens who are controlling it, it actually saves the toys from danger, being the incinerator.
 * He Is All Grown Up: Andy
 * Also in his cameo, Sid.
 * Heroic BSOD: "What do you mean, escape?"
 * Hey, Wait!: When Barbie masquerades as Ken (in his face-obscuring "Mission to Mars" spacesuit) to get back Buzz's instruction manual, the Bookworm notices her high heels as she turns away... then rolls his eyes and sighs at "Ken's" effeminate fashion sense.
 * Hidden Depths: Barbie, she has them. Yes, this Barbie.
 * Hold Me: Done wordlessly as the toys all slowly fall toward certain doom. In the face of annihilation, they don't scream or shout, they just hold each other.
 * Hope Spot: The toys are on the Conveyor Belt of Doom, when Rex spots a light in the tunnel.

"Lotso: She replaced us! Woody: She replaced you! And if you couldn't have her, no one could!"
 * And it all goes downhill from here.
 * Hot Mom: Andy's mom, who even though it's almost a decade later looks better than she did in the previous two movies!
 * Humans Are Cthulhu: The kids on Caterpillar Room. Or did everyone miss one of them trying to swallow Buzz, while the others treated the rest just like the Eldritch Abominations in Lovecraft's stories treat humanity?! The only thing needed to turn Toy Story 3 into Lovecraft-Kids Version was them going mad from the revelation. Cue to
 * Hypocritical Humor: Chunk's remark that Buzz "ain't the sharpest knife in the... place where... they keep the knives."
 * One of the other toys immediately calls him out on this. "Neither are you."
 * Taken Up to Eleven when Hamm is playing Lotso's Theme while he's in jail with the others, when Buzz tells him to be quiet.
 * If I Can't Have You: Woody says this almost word-for-word as a Shut UP, Hannibal to Lotso:

"Buzz: Hold on. This is no time to be hysterical. Mr. Potato Head: This is the perfect time to be hysterical. Rex: (hysterically) Should we be HYSTERICAL?!? Slinky: No!
 * Implicit Prison: Sunnyside Daycare, in that toys donated there are locked up, required to stay, and security is tight to deter inmates from escaping.
 * Intergenerational Friendship: Andy and Bonnie
 * Ironic Hell: "Face it, we're just trash", Lotso says at one point -- and his ultimate fate is to spend his remaining days tied to the grill of a garbage truck.
 * It Is Pronounced Yid-NAY.
 * It's All Junk: Arguably, Andy putting his toys in the attic.
 * I Want Grandkids: Keeping with the toys-as-parents metaphor, Woody is initially optimistic about waiting in the attic until "someday, if we're lucky, Andy may have kids of his own."
 * Jerkass: Lotso.
 * Jump Scare: Woody causes a particularly traumatizing one when he tries to swing over behind the monkey.
 * It may seem like the monkey's Oh Crap moment.
 * Regardless, given everything else that happens in the movie, this is the one scene where you're bound to hear the kids in the audience start crying.
 * Karma Houdini: Ken and the rest of Lotso's gang (arguably all of the toys in the butterfly room). Sure, they most likely did it out of fear, but the cold-honest truth is that they still tricked new toys into going into the caterpillar room, knowing full well that they would be trapped there and get broken. The only reason Ken makes a Heel Face Turn is because of Barbie. He probably would have continued to not care if it hadn't been for her presence, yet he's the one who becomes in charge when Lotso is gone. What.
 * The only butterfly room toy who had a good excuse for getting away with what he did was Big Baby. He was lied to by Lotso and honestly didn't really realize how bad the things he was doing were (being a baby and all).
 * Stretch is probably the most glaring example. Ken and Big Baby wind up helping the heroes in the end. Chunk and Twitch are shown getting some karma, being batted around in the Caterpillar room. In the case of the Monkey, it's not clear how intelligent he is as he doesn't speak. And also, he actually got some kind of punishment when Woody and Slinky taped him and locked in the cabinet. Stretch, though? The octopus seems to have no problem shoving the toys to their doom on Lotso's orders -- and in the end, she's seen hanging out in the Butterfly room, seemingly friends with all the other toys!
 * Speech does not signify intelligence.
 * To be fair, look at the toy's faces during Woody's Shut UP, Hannibal speech. They seemed to genuinely believe in what Lotso was telling them about abandonment until someone set them straight.
 * And Stretch looked very uncomfortable when she had to push the toys. Plus if you pay attention, you can see her cringe at Lotso's actions before any of the other minions. And she and Chunk helped the toys get across the dumpster after their Heel Face Turn.
 * What about Sparks the robot? He was the one who unscrewed Buzz's battery cap so they could brainwash him.
 * Kick the Dog: Lotso's henchmen are shocked when he shoves Big Baby in the stomach during his Motive Rant.
 * Kubrick Stare: In the commentary, Lee Unkrich describes using this expression for Buzz while in demo mode to indicate that this particular trip to Delusion-ville would have a darker turn.
 * Latin Lover: Buzz Lightyear's Spanish mode.
 * Which is kind of funny for Spanish-speakers because he's speaking it with a heavy Spanish (i.e. from Spain) accent.
 * In the Spanish (from Spain) dubbing, he speaks with a heavy Andalusian accent.
 * Light Is Not Good: Oh look, a light at the end of the tunnel at the dumping site. Oh, wait, it's Hellfire!
 * Living Emotional Crutch Daisy might have been this to Lotso, seeing how badly he handled being replaced by her.
 * The Load: One could interpret the LGMs in this role, as they pretty much exist either as superlatives or hindrances to the toys escaping from Sunnyside. From almost alerting Big Baby to getting stuck in the dumpster and (indirectly) causing the toys to get sent to the dump, they're neglected characters until they become Big Damn Heroes in their Crowning Moment of Awesome.
 * Loads and Loads of Characters: A poster for TS3 as well as the Toy Story website (character profiles) shows this.
 * Lost in Translation: Nice asssss...cot.
 * Love At First Sight: Ken and Barbie, Spanish Buzz with regard to Jessie.
 * Love Makes You Evil: Lotso's backstory.
 * Love Redeems: Played with for Buzz, Buzz rejoins the team because of being physically reset by Rex. However, Kens love for Barbia was key to getting the instruction manual. Buzz did eventually get back to his regular self through his love for Jessie, the television hit Buzz, giving him reverse amnesia, because he was more worried about Jessie's safety than his own.
 * Madden Into Misanthropy: Lotso.
 * Manly Tears: You must have a heart of steel NOT to cry leaving the movie theater.
 * Mata Hari: Barbie
 * Melancholy Moon: Both Big Baby and Chuckles gaze sadly at the moon. Fitting considering they both lost the same owner.
 * The Mentor: Dolly of Bonnie's toys.
 * Missing Trailer Scene: Compared to the Oct. 2009 trailer, a few lines were re-spoken in the final film, and Spanish Buzz doesn't spin around and jump immediately after pressing a button to make his voice box say a line. A few shots were done in different angles as well.
 * Mood Whiplash: Perhaps the first Toy Story 3 trailer uses this. It starts out sentimental, the middle is semi-serious, and then it ends with humor.
 * In a trailer, how a very heartfelt scene where Andy is praising Woody is suddenly cut short with Woody hearing a threatening voice from a telephone.
 * In the movie, the toys have joined hands, accepting that they are about to die a terrible, painful death, burning (or melting?) alive in a fiery pit of- ahahahaha, THE CLAW! WOOOO!
 * This scene really takes the cake for this trope: Any time where a scene from Bonnie's playtime is interspersed from scenes with the daycare. Examples: The Toys being utterly destroyed while Woody is having a nice tea time with Bonnie; Bonnie asleep and Woody looks up Andy's address while Buzz is being brutally deprogrammed by Lotso. Jeez, are we supposed to be heartfelt or seriously freaked out?
 * Happens unintentionally when Woody meets Chuckles. The mood was serious and sombre (Woody finding out his friends are living in a nightmare), and then the audience saw this morose little clown sitting on the windowsill and everybody cracked up.
 * The ending is kind of like this. It's very much a Bittersweet Ending, followed by a breather in the thankfully very cheerful closing credits.
 * Motive Rant: Lotso gets one just before he throws the toys into the dumpster.
 * Murder by Cremation
 * Musical Nod: During the scene leading up to the incinerator, one of the themes from Monsters, Inc. is heard.
 * Musical Spoiler: And as the years go by / Our friendship will never die...
 * Although at the point where that line is emphasized (The end of the prologue) it seems more like a tragic irony, contrasting youthful idealism with the onset of adulthood, one of the film's main themes.
 * Never Trust a Trailer: Most of the trailers and TV spots heavily imply that Buzz gets broken while trying to escape from hitting a window or wall too hard. Never happened. That was a shot of him getting used as a hammer on a wooden hammer-peg playset thrown WAY out of context.
 * A trailer implied that the telephone toy was one of the baddies. And the whole Andy's toy fantasy at the beginning of the flick looked like it would be the climax of the flick.
 * One of the trailers, in fact, shows Buzz attacking the bridge followed by Woody and the train falling into the canyon. Coupled with Rex emerging from the ground and Woody being pursued by plastic monkeys (both present in most trailers), it totally looks like Woody's having a nightmare where every other toy is trying to kill him.
 * Nietzsche Wannabe: Lotso comes off as a bit of one when saying how toys "are all just trash" in his Motive Rant.
 * Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: Again, hello, MONKEY.
 * Ninja Pirate Train Robber: Mrs. Potato Head
 * Non-Ironic Clown: Chuckles the clown doll, who shared the same former owner as Lotso Bear and Big Baby, turns out to be the only one of the three toys not to turn villainous from the incident of being accidentally abandoned by their former owner. In a flashback he even tries to console Lotso Bear, but Lotso bear ignores him and turns evil. In the present, Chuckles is a Stoic Woobie despite being one of Bonnie's beloved toys. But by the end credits, he begins to smile again.
 * Non-Standard Character Design: The toys have a lot of variety in their looks, but Ken and Barbie are noticably less cartoonish than most of them.
 * Not So Different: Lotso's devotion to Daisy and his determination to get himself, Big Baby, and Chuckles back to her (as revealed in the flashback) is certainly reminiscent of Woody's love for Andy and his determination to get back home in all three movies. Additionally, Lotso at the beginning comes off as a benevolent ruler of Sunnyside much in the way that Woody basically is the leader of all of Andy's toys. Lotso basically is Woody gone bad. Not stated directly in the movie but Lee Unkrich points this out in the DVD commentary.
 * The Old Convict: Chatter Telephone has been at Sunnyside Daycare Center even before Lotso Bear took it over. To help Woody and his friends escape the daycare center, Chatter Telephone detailedly describes the layout of the daycare center and warns Woody that the only way for a toy to escape is to neutralize the Cymbal Monkey's surveillance system.
 * The Other Darrin: Slinky Dog, who was voiced by the late Jim "Ernest" Varney in the first two films, is voiced by Blake Clark (a friend of his, who was also Shawn's father in Boy Meets World) in Toy Story 3 due to Author Existence Failure.
 * In the game, Buzz and Woody are both voiced by Jim Hanks and Stephen Stanton, respectively. Wheezy and Stinky Pete also makes an appearance, but are instead voiced by Charlie Adler and James Patrick Stuart, although the former is also due to Author Existence Failure.
 * Oscar Bait: Pixar has decided to aim for a Best Picture nom, which includes running an ad campaign that make homages to previous winners e.g. Lotso as The Godfather and Woody as Forrest Gump.
 * Our Hero Is Dead: Woody loses his hat during his escape, which is taken to the trapped toys as a threat. Jessie and Bullseye have a split-second tear-jerking moment.
 * Outdated Outfit: Ken has a roomfull of them, dating from the late 50s to the early 80s.
 * Palantir Ploy: Let's just say Lex Luthor should have hired whoever installed Sunnyside Daycare's surveillance system.
 * Pan-Up-To-The-Sky Ending: An epic storybook ending, really.
 * Percussive Maintenance: It takes a TV falling on top of Buzz to get him returned to his normal self.
 * Also counts as Easy Amnesia.
 * Perspective Reversal: Earlier on, Woody and Buzz try to encourage the rest of the toys to get ready to go into the attic. Towards the end of the movie, Woody is more skeptical of the attic idea, while the rest of the toys are more open to it; though Buzz's attitude seems relatively unchanged.
 * The Power of Love: The scene where as seen above where Spanish Buzz was saving Jessie from the garbage, and gets hit with the tv and comes back to being normal Buzz by Jessie pulling him to the side of the truck crying in his chest.
 * Prison Episode: Toy Story 3 itself, or at least a significant portion of it, arguably counts what with being portrayed as essentially a prison. Bonus points for the shock value of having a prison episode in a G-rated Pixar series.
 * Punch Clock Villain: Lotso's minions are mainly following his orders because they're scared of him. Once Lotso is deposed from Sunnyside, they perform a mass Heel Face Turn.
 * Punishment Box: the sandbox at Sunnyside. Modeled after the box in Cool Hand Luke.
 * Put on a Bus: It's established that Bo Peep, Wheezy, Lenny, RC, and many of Andy's other childhood toys have been sold or given away. This is an interesting variation of the trope in that it would be very hard for any of them to ever come back.
 * Record Needle Scratch: Ken and Barbie are just meeting each other. "Dream Weaver" is playing, and then Lotso comes in [insert scratch] and says "Come on, Ken. Recess don't last forever."
 * Reset Button: Woody and the gang make it back to Andy's house with no toy left behind.
 * Played figuratively and literally with Buzz Lightyear, even though it's a falling television rather than his reset button that restores his memory.
 * Romantic False Lead: Spanish Buzz briefly viewed Woody as this when he sees Jessie hugging him.
 * Sad Clown: Literally, Chuckles.
 * Sadistic Choice: In the opening with Sheriff Woody and One-Eyed Bart (Mr. Potato Head.) One-Eyed Bart sets off some dynamite. "It's me or the kiddies, sheriff. Take your pick."
 * Save the Villain: Yeah, it doesn't go over too well.
 * Still deserves a Moment of Awesome, since both Woody and Buzz risk their lives in the process.
 * Scary Librarian: Bookworm
 * Scenery Gorn: The dump, the conveyor belt and finally the incinerator.
 * Screw This, I'm Outta Here: The last three Army Men (including Sarge) leave Andy's room in a hurry, knowing their fate will inevitably be the garbage.
 * Shoo Out the Clowns: The Little Green Men being taken out (and apparently killed) early in the dump sequence. When they return, they save the day and things get much lighter and fluffier.
 * Also done with Barbie, when Ken keeps her from joining the others on the garbage truck.
 * Shout-Out: Bonnie has a Totoro doll.
 * Bonnie's Dolly, with her dark purple bob, hair barrettes, and yellow dress, looks strikingly similar to Coraline. Not to mention, whenever Bonnie plays with Dolly, Dolly is always the "witch"; a possible reference to the Other Mother??
 * And Dolly has buttons on her dress.
 * Bonnie's lamp looks similar to Coraline's as well, with its constant slow spinning, and shining stars all over the place. Even the color matches.
 * Really? Dolly always reminded me more of Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas. She's a misfit ragdoll, wearing an obviously badly made outfit made from mismatched parts, but she still has a very sweet heart. Plus, if buttons on her dress=Coraline, then more than half of Dolly's name is a Shout-Out to Sally.
 * It's possible she's based directly on the old Dolly Dress-up toy (hence the buttons, ect.) She may even be a handmade version.
 * She could just as easily be Molly Coddle from Bump in the Night. There are similarities to quite a few characters there -- take your pick...
 * Bonnie wearing a tutu at the end, might be a shout out to the original Brave Little Toaster where the appliances are adopted by a Ballerina at the end of the story.
 * The bee on Bonnie's backpack is Wally B. from the very first Pixar short, "The Adventures of Andre and Wally B."
 * The scene where brainwashed and re-programmed Buzz is bossing around all the toys being held captive at Sunnyside Daycare is a clear reference to Cool Hand Luke. The film has a scene where any infraction (losing a spoon, wearing dirty pants, messing up laundry cycle) is punished with "A night in the box." The toys meet the same fate, except in this case "the box" is filled with sand. Befitting for a Great Escape movie.
 * Ken mentions macho rival G.I. Joe.
 * Mr. Potato Head's temporary cucumber body may be a reference to Family Guy's Mr. Zucchini Head.
 * Or, far more likely, one of the cast of Veggie Tales.
 * When Big Baby threw Lotso into the dumpster was anyone else reminded of Darth Vader killing Palpatine?
 * Was anyone not?
 * Big Baby might also be a shout out to the baby from "Tin Toy"... scary movements and all!
 * Woody being dragged into the dumpster by Lotso is a shout-out to Hudson's death in Aliens.
 * "Fly, you fools!"
 * Much of the film takes its inspiration from The Brave Little Toaster, which had many future Pixar employees working on it, including John Lasseter, Joe Ranft, and others. It even had the usual A113 moniker in it.
 * Mr. Potato Head: "And I would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling toys!"
 * The departure of the soldiers resembles how the baby spiders left at the end of Charlotte's Web.
 * The Cymbal-Banging Monkey, is based off of the Stephen King story "The Monkey".
 * And remember to believe in magic... or he'll kill you...
 * Barbie and Ken's outfits during the dance sequence at the end is a reference to Saturday Night Fever.
 * Lotso Huggin' Bear himself is a Shout-Out. Between the name, nature, appearance, and the Viral Commercial for the toy, he's obviously meant to be one of the Care Bears gone horribly, horribly wrong.
 * And he's paraphrasing a quote from The Bridge on the River Kwai.
 * In the "Art Of Toy Story 3" book he's clearly a Care Bear, baby face and eyelashes and all, which makes his grim, rain-soaked Start of Darkness look more disturbing.
 * A tower with a klieg that searches the playground. Doesn't ring a bell.
 * Rex being overwhelmed by the flood of monkeys in the intro is reminiscent of a background event in the Battle of Pelennor Fields, where the Dead Men overwhelm and devour an Oliphaunt.
 * Mission Impossible!
 * This may just be reading WAAAAAAAY too much into the scene, but one of the scenes with Ken wearing a white gi, similar to a certain someone...
 * In the opening scene, when Woody and Mrs. Potato Head are fighting atop a moving train, Woody lands with his heels over the edge of the end of the train, tries to regain his balance but falls backwards, and then lands safely on his horse ridden by his female friend. Replace "train" with "truck", "horse" with "car" and "Mrs. Potato Head" with "Agent", and you get what happened to Morpheus in The Matrix Reloaded.
 * Woody reveals that Andy lives at 234 Elm Street. No wonder Sid was a psycho...
 * Shown Their Work: All of Ken's outfits are actual outfits released for the doll over the years.
 * For the record, Ken himself isn't based on the infamous Earring Magic Ken. He's an Animal-Loving Ken...
 * Buzz and Jessie's paso doble over the end credits was choreographed by Dancing With the Stars veterans Tony Dovolani and Cheryl Burke.
 * Shrinking Violet: Bonnie. Her toys and later Andy are pretty much the only people she opens up to.''
 * Shut UP, Hannibal: Woody gives Lotso pointing out how he's motivated partially by selfishness.
 * Sickeningly Sweethearts: Ken and Barbie ("I..." "...love..." "...you!" "See? That time I said love!")
 * Silence, You Fool: Demo Mode Buzz says this to Jessie when he captured the toys.
 * Smarter Than You Look: The Squeeze Toy Aliens. For all their times yelling "Ooohh!!!" and "The Claw" it turns out they are actually fairly intelligent. Not only can they learn how to operate heavy machinery within a matter of minutes, find and locate a small group of toys within an entire trash compound, but they actually do know that the "Claw" has to be manually controlled and is not self-choosing.
 * Also Barbie -- political philosophy out of nowhere!
 * Well, not completely out of nowhere...
 * Sorry I Left the BGM On: After the toys are locked in jail, the harmonica in the background turns out to be Hamm playing.
 * Split Personality: Buzz's "Spanish Mode", activated by pressing a reset button hidden in his back for more than five seconds, could be an example of this.
 * Start of Darkness: Chuckles the Clown's flashback segment outlines exactly why Lotso turns out to be the cruel despot of Sunnyside.
 * Stealth Pun: MR. PITA head anyone?
 * The preschooler believed to be Boo is playing with a blue "Kitty."
 * Stepford Smiler: Lotso bear turns out to be Type C, as he is the film's villain.
 * Chatter Telephone. His "mouth" sticker is in a constant smile, despite the fact that he is shown to be a very depressed toy.
 * That's what was so different about him in that scene! Part of what the toys did to make him talk was ripping off his mouth sticker!
 * The Stool Pigeon: Chatter Telephone is of the Lacerated Larry type: he truly did want Andy's toys to escape. Lotso and his mob just ruthlessly beat the information out of him.
 * Suddenly Shouting: "He was putting you IN THE ATTIC!"
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: Brainwashed Buzz is immune to Jessie's "bewitching good looks."
 * Team Parents: Barbie and Ken to the toys of Sunnyside in the epilogue.
 * Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: Subverted by Buttercup, who by all appearances should be female, but Jeff Garlin's voice is about as masculine as you can get.
 * Third Is 3D
 * This Is Gonna Suck: A nonverbal instance of this, started when the toys in the Caterpillar Room hide when recess ends, but cemented when Buzz flips his helmet up as the kids burst into the room.
 * This Is No Time to Panic: Could also be seen as a Call Back to the first film.

Mr. Potato Head: Yes!

Buzz: Maybe! But not right now!"

"Spanish Buzz: ¿Que vá alli? ¿AMIGOS? ¿O ENEMIGOS? Woody: Uh, Amigos! We're all amigos!"
 * Three Amigos: Woody, Jessie and Buzz in young Andy's playtime imagination.

"Mr. Potato Head: You would not believe what I've been through tonight!"
 * Time Skip: Essentially. None of the movies are sequential but Andy is still a boy in Toy Story 2 (maybe an early "tween", but that's it) and a young man about to depart for college in the third. Meant to reflect the long distance of time between 3 and its predecessors.
 * Together in Death: Expected in-universe but narrowly averted.
 * "The most important thing is that we stick together. No matter what happens, we stick together."
 * Too Dumb to Live: The LG Ms are dumped in a landfill and the first thing they do is run towards what looks like the claw. Immediately they get swept up with the garbage..
 * Town with a Dark Secret: Sunnyside is a Daycare Center with a Dark Secret (the Caterpillar room).
 * Trailers Always Spoil: If really was supposed to be a comedic twist, it was sure spoiled well ahead of time in many of the previews.
 * One TV spot even showed a clip of the epilogue, loosely spoiling . That scene of, instead, likely would've worked just fine.
 * Translated Cover Version: The movie ends with the Gipsy Kings performing a Spanish-language cover of "You've Got a Friend in Me".
 * True Companions: If the scene in the incinerator where Andy's toys hold hands to be together in their final moments isn't a great demonstration of this, then what is?
 * Earlier in the film Buzz refuses to join Lotso and the older toys in the more pleasant Butterfly Room if the rest of his friends can't join him... though, less heartwarmingly, Lotso and the other toys just pop open Buzz's battery case and reset him instead.
 * Buzz even says that he and the rest of Andy's toys are "a family."
 * And at the end of the film Woody decides not to go to college with Andy; he decides to join his friends with Bonnie as their new owner instead.
 * Underside Ride
 * Ungrateful Bastard: Lotso.
 * Used to Be a Sweet Toy: Lotso, according to Chuckles.
 * Villainous Breakdown: Lotso is cheerfully calm until Woody mentions . After that, he slowly becomes less charming and more furious until he goes too far and pushes 's Berserk Button.
 * Viral Marketing: There was a Lotso toy in the 80s?
 * For more viral effectiveness on the marketing's part, take a look at the videos of the English commercial's uploader.
 * Not to mention the three ads they made aimed at college-age kids.
 * Ken's Dating Tips!
 * The Voiceless: Totoro can make growls and roaring sounds in his original appearance, but he's completely silent in this movie.
 * We Can Rule Together: To Buzz and, to a lesser extent, Barbie.
 * To their credit, the bad guys make an effort to be as nice as possible while doing this. You don't even realize that Lotso is a villain until Buzz rejects his offer.
 * Wham! Line: When Slink reveals that
 * Two more in rapid succession: "I don't think that's daylight..." and
 * Earlier:.
 * Whip It Good: Woody in the intro.
 * Wimp Fight: Between Hamm and Rex during the escape plan. Understandable since only one of them actually has arms.
 * Women Prefer Strong Men: Played for laughs [[media:prefermuscle_2893.jpg|when Mrs. Potato head meets Twitch]].
 * You Wouldn't Believe Me If I Told You: When Mr. Potato Head walks up to the group with a cucumber for a body.