The beautiful worlds of the Pixar films are home to some of the most positive, and not-so-positive,
relationships in all of animation, and nowhere is that more evident than in the Toy Story
film series!
Across the four feature films, the toys encounter plenty of friends and enemies, creating a
bevy of relationships that span the entire emotional spectrum.
And because there are four movies in total, we get to see the characters and their relationships
evolve in a way we don’t in other Pixar franchises.
But of the many bonds these toys have formed over the years, which toys were made for one
another, and which are in desperate need of a new playmate?
I’m Brad with WickedBinge, and this is Toy Story Relationships: Healthy to Toxic
Like always, we’ll be starting off by looking at the healthiest relationships before working
our way down to the more toxic ones.
These relationships are healthy.
First off is undoubtedly the most famous friendship in the entire series, our Golden Medal of
Healthiness has to go to Woody and Buzz Lightyear!
Although the bond between these two starts off rather rocky, as the films progress, Woody
and Buzz form one of the most iconic and beloved friendships in animation history.
One always has the other’s back, and when one gets into trouble, the other will go to
great lengths to make sure they are safe.
In the second film, Buzz leads the toys in their mission to find Woody after he is stolen,
and in the third film, Woody returns the favor by playing a vital role in their escape from
the daycare.
The two get along very well, and are clearly the best of friends.
That being said, their friendship does run into a few potholes along the way, like when
Woody chose for a brief time to be sold off to the museum in the second film.
However, we believe those low points make the highs of their relationship even higher.
By the time the fourth film ends and Buzz parts ways with Woody, you truly get the feeling
that these two are friends to the end, and even the choice to go separate ways will not
harm that chemistry.
As the most prominent and nuanced relationship of any featured throughout the entire series,
Woody and Buzz Lightyear are a true example of a great friendship, and thus deserve this
top spot on our list.
A space ranger and cowboy don’t sound like a good matchup, but believe us when we say
these two will be with each other to infinity and beyond!
Coming into second place, we’re giving the Silver Medal of Healthiness to Buzz Lightyear
and Jessie the cowgirl!
The first of several romantic relationships on the list, Buzz and Jessie also serve as
the best example of such a relationship in the films.
When they first meet, Buzz is already beginning to form a crush a Jessie, although he’s
a little shy about it when near her.
Jessie is just as outgoing around Buzz as she is with any of the other toys, which in
turn gives Buzz the confidence to be more outgoing himself.
As we get to the third film, while Buzz is a little antagonistic towards her after being
reset, he does eventually save her from dire straights once he’s back on the home team.
Then, by the fourth film, both are working together to hold down the fort while Woody
is gone, showing that they are now on equal terms in a way they weren’t when they first
met.
Buzz Lightyear and Jessie have the strongest romantic bond out of any characters featured
in the Toy Story films, and that is the main reason they get this spot.
Although their relationship doesn’t have quite as much depth as Woody and Buzz’s
has, these two toys most certainly were made for each other!
Finishing off the top three is another notable couple seen in the films, we give the Bronze
Medal of Healthiness to Woody and Bo Peep!
When the films begin, Woody and Bo Peep are already established as being in a romantic
relationship.
The two have a great kinship in the film, apart from Bo being one of the many toys upset
at Woody when he knocks Buzz out of the window.
Their relationship, however, isn’t properly explored until the fourth film.
After she was absent from Toy Story 3, Woody becomes reacquainted with Bo Peep, and we
get a level of depth to their relationship that wasn’t there before.
We learn that Woody was the last of Andy’s toys Bo ever spoke with before being given
away, which paints them in a far more romantic light than anything the prior movies had done.
However, all that time being away from one another has led to Woody and Bo not being
entirely on the same page.
Woody believes that toys should be with their owner and their owner alone, while Bo insists
that there’s a life for toys beyond just their owner.
This becomes a big source of conflict for the two during the movie, and it’s only
during the climax that Woody has a change of heart and sees Bo’s perspective, choosing
to leave with her rather than return to Bonnie.
Woody and Bo Peep’s relationship is lower on the list than others because they don’t
have nearly as much screen time together as the preceding ones do, as well as those aforementioned
moments of conflict, but they still maintain one of the healthier relationships shown in
the films.
Besides, if Woody’s going to leave Buzz and the other toys behind, you know that these
two have a great bond!
Rounding out the healthy relationships are two famous spuds, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head!
First seen together in the second film, they are described by Andy as being “madly in
love” with each other, and quite frankly, that isn’t too far from the truth!
Although Mr. Potato Head is one of the grouchier characters featured in the movies, his marriage
shows a far nicer and more pleasant side to his character.
The two are almost always at the other’s side, and they’ll always be assisting the
other in their hour of need.
Mr. Potato head helps the Mrs. find her lost ear during the opening of the second movie,
and later in the same film, she helps Mr. Potato Head pack as he embarks on the quest
to find Woody.
While their relationship is overall positive, Mrs. Potato Head does make a few decisions
that her husband isn’t a big fan of, however.
For example, Mr. Potato Head is not particularly fond of his wife’s decision to adopt several
of the little green men.
Their placement on the list is also a little hurt by how little screen time they have when
compared to a lot of other relationships on this list.
However, that doesn’t at all take away from the fact that these Potato Heads are great
fits for each other, and deserve this spot on the list!
After all, do you know how hard it is to get on Mr. Potato Head’s good side?
That’s it for the healthy relationships!
Now, it is time to cover the relationships that aren’t what we would call healthy,
but are still ways away from being completely toxic.
These relationships exist in the gray area.
Up first is the only relationship on our list featuring three characters, Buzz, Ducky, and
Bunny!
These three have what we would call a “love-hate” relationship.
Buzz first meets these plush toys after getting trapped in a carnival game, and when he asks
them for help escaping, they kick him in the head!
After Buzz frees himself and them, they don’t become the best of friends or anything like
that.
Ducky and Bunny are actually upset with Buzz for getting them out, as it robbed them of
the opportunity of getting taken home with a new owner.
As they follow Buzz during his mission to find Woody, the two don’t get any nicer
towards him.
Even Buzz’s reassurance that he will get them a new owner doesn’t make them any more
polite.
On the other side of the coin, Buzz is particularly annoyed by the two in a way he wasn’t really
with any other character seen in the films, with the possible exception of the utility
belt Buzz in the second film.
At the end of the movie, Ducky and Bunny part ways with Buzz in favor of staying with Woody
and Bo Peep, and although they are on better terms at that point than when they first met,
it would be a stretch to say they were good friends or anything like that.
As we said, Buzz, Bunny, and Ducky are a prime example of a love-hate relationship, which
makes them a perfect fit for the grey area.
Not quite friends but also far from being enemies, their bond is one of the more unique
in the series, and a good start for this section of the list!
Up next is perhaps the most iconic couple in all of children’s playthings, Barbie
and Ken!
When the two first meet at the Sunnyside Daycare, Ken and Barbie almost instantly begin to hit
it off.
The two get along very well, and it appears that they are starting what will be a strong
romance.
However, that soon gets upended when it is revealed that Ken is a member of Lotso’s
evil gang, and played an instrumental role in resetting Buzz.
Barbie breaks up with Ken as a result of this, and Ken responds by imprisoning her.
Barbie is later able to break free after tricking Ken, and this is where their relationship
slowly but surely begins to rekindle.
After this, Ken tries to stop Lotso from disposing of Barbie and the rest of Andy’s toys, and
proves just how much he loves Barbie.
He says that while there are many Barbies, she is the only one for him, and this becomes
a crucial moment in his redemption.
Once the movie is said and done, the two once again are in a relationship, and are the newer
and much friendlier heads of Sunnyside Daycare.
Although Barbie and Ken’s relationship has a healthy end, the road to that destination
is paved with lots of bumps and bruises, thus making it hard to not give it a spot in the
grey area.
Still, we cannot deny that Barbie and Ken are a great fit for each other.
They are from the same product line, after all!
Jumping into our next spot, we have utility belt Buzz Lightyear and his evil nemesis,
Emperor Zurg!
Two toys that genuinely believe themselves to be the real deal, Buzz and Zurg are the
perfect embodiment of the classic hero and villain pairing respectively.
After he is freed from Al’s Toy Barn, Zurg has the singular goal of destroying Buzz Lightyear,
which he very nearly does as the toys leave Al’s apartment.
Buzz hates Zurg for all of the evil his empire has created, and especially for killing his
father, but he is shocked when he learns that Zurg is in fact his real father.
After the two battle, Zurg and Buzz are, surprisingly, on good terms with each other!
The two decide to catch up on lost time, and are last seen in the film engaging in a game
of catch.
To say the relationship between this hero and villain is a strange one would be an understatement.
We would even go as far as to say they have the strangest camaraderie in the entire series!
Their rivalry with one another is enough to keep them out of the healthy area, but seeing
as they end up on better terms, we can’t exactly call this a toxic relationship, either.
Still, their relationship is definitely healthier than their Star Wars equivalent, that’s
for sure!
As we move out of the grey area, let’s take a look at the most undesirable of relationships.
These relationships are toxic.
Earning the Silver Medal of Toxicity is Lotso and his right-hand man…or, we guess, baby,
Big Baby!
Lotso and Big Baby began life under the watchful eye of the same child, until a trip left them
behind.
Although they survive the perilous journey back home, they are heartbroken to find out
that they have been replaced.
Lotso becomes a hateful and vengeful toy because of this, and manipulates Big Baby into believing
their owner didn’t actually care about them.
Big Baby buys into this notion, and soon finds himself as one of Lotso’s top henchmen at
Sunnyside Daycare.
Lotso is just as nasty toward Big Baby as he is toward any of the other toys.
He constantly bosses him around, and he never allows him to do anything of his own choice,
reinforcing Lotso’s tyrannical nature.
However, as the film approaches its final act, Big Baby finally has enough of Lotso’s
demeanor and tosses him into a dumpster, allowing Woody and the other toys a chance to escape.
After Lotso is gone from the daycare, all of the toys find themselves having far more
pleasant lives, and that includes Big Baby.
Lotso is a truly toxic and mean-spirited individual, so it should come as no surprise that his
most prominent relationship in the film is one of the most toxic on our list.
Last but certainly not least, we have our Golden Medal of Toxicity recipients, Woody
and Stinky Pete!
Although Pete was a friendly side character to Woody in the Woody’s Roundup TV series,
the toy Stinky Pete couldn’t be farther from that depiction.
While he presents himself as a kind and pragmatic individual to Woody initially, that is nothing
more than a facade to keep Woody from leaving.
He manipulates him into staying several times throughout the film, and even sabotages his
escape attempts.
He pretends to have Woody’s best interests at heart, but in reality, he only wants what
is best for himself, and cares little for how anyone else feels.
He refuses to let Woody escape, and finally reveals his true colors as Buzz and the other
toys attempt to free Woody.
As they reach the airport, Stinky Pete continues to thwart Woody at every turn, and very nearly
cuts him down to pieces while they are in luggage.
This makes the old prospector one of the few characters in the films to try and kill another
toy.
What makes it worse is how direct he is with this attempt.
Even Lotso just planned on letting the incinerator deal with them instead!
With that kind of infamy, how could this relationship not be considered the most toxic?
Stinky Pete is quite possibly the most mean-spirited toy in the entire series, so it’s not at
all a surprise that the relationship he strikes up with the kindest toy is the most toxic
in the entire series.
They don’t call him Stinky Pete for nothing!
But let us know in the comment section if you agree with our ranking.
And tell us what we should cover next.
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