The first full-length computer-animated feature film ever made almost didn’t happen. Disney shut down production on Toy Story partway through because the early version of Woody was, by everyone’s account, a sarcastic jerk nobody wanted to root for. Pixar got a two-week window to fix it. Two weeks to save the movie that would change animation forever. That kind of detail is what makes Toy Story trivia so satisfying to run in a room. Everyone thinks they know these movies. They grew up with them, they’ve rewatched them with their own kids, they can quote Buzz’s catchphrase in their sleep. But the space between what people remember and what actually happened on screen is enormous, and that gap is where the best questions live.
I’ve been running Toy Story rounds for years. What I’ve learned is that the people who are most confident are usually the ones about to get wrecked. These 50 questions are arranged the way I’d run them at a real event. Some will feel like a warm handshake. Others will make you question whether you’ve ever actually watched these films.
Andy’s Room
1. What is the name of the moving company whose boxes fill Andy’s house in the first Toy Story?
This one separates people who watched the movie from people who studied it. The boxes are everywhere in those early scenes, and almost nobody reads them.
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Eggman Movers. The logo features an egg-shaped man, and it’s a recurring Pixar background detail. Most people guess something generic like “Allied” or make something up entirely.
2. What is the design on Andy’s bedsheet and wallpaper in the original Toy Story?
You’d think this would be obvious given how much time we spend in that room. But memory is a liar, and people confidently guess stars, rockets, all kinds of things.
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Clouds. White clouds on blue, which is also the pattern used for the iconic sky background throughout the franchise. Common wrong answer: stars. The cloud pattern is so associated with Toy Story that people forget it started as Andy’s actual bedroom decor.
3. What is Woody’s full name as revealed in Toy Story 2?
Most people know it’s more than just “Woody,” but getting the whole thing right is another matter.
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Sheriff Woody Pride. The surname “Pride” catches people off guard every time.
4. What is written on the bottom of Woody’s boot?
I’ve seen grown adults almost come to blows over the spelling. Not what’s written. The spelling.
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ANDY. Written in a child’s handwriting. In Toy Story 2, you can see it was originally written over an older, faded name. In Toy Story 3, the moment Woody shows Buzz his boot is one of the emotional turning points of the entire franchise.
5. What kind of toy is Mr. Spell?
He’s in the background of so many scenes that people recognize the name but can’t place the toy.
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A Speak & Spell electronic learning toy. He’s one of Andy’s toys who doesn’t get much screen time but is visible throughout the first film.
The Part Where Everyone Gets Cocky
6. What is Buzz Lightyear’s spaceship called?
This is the question that teaches people humility. They know Buzz. They love Buzz. They have no idea.
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There isn’t one explicitly named in the films. His cardboard spaceship box just says “Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger.” If someone says “Star Command Cruiser” or something specific, they’re bluffing. The question itself is the trap.
7. What year was the original Toy Story released?
People know it was the mid-90s. The debate is always whether it was ’94, ’95, or ’96. And the people who say ’94 say it with absolute conviction.
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1995. Released November 22, 1995. Common wrong answer: 1994. People confuse the production timeline with the release date.
8. Before Tim Allen, who was originally considered to voice Buzz Lightyear?
This one always gets a reaction because the answer changes how you hear every Buzz line in your head.
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Billy Crystal was offered the role and turned it down. He’s said publicly that it’s the biggest regret of his career. He later voiced Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc., which feels like Pixar’s way of giving him a second chance.
9. What is the name of Andy’s next-door neighbor, the toy-destroying kid?
Everyone knows this one. Or they think they do. The question is really a setup for the next one.
10. In Toy Story 3, Sid makes a brief cameo. What is his job?
This is the payoff. Most people have no idea Sid shows up again, and when they hear the answer, they want to immediately rewatch the movie.
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He’s a garbage collector. You can spot him by his skull t-shirt. It’s a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, but it’s one of Pixar’s most satisfying callbacks. A kid who destroyed toys now picks up trash for a living.
11. What board game are the toys playing at the beginning of the first Toy Story?
This is a detail question that rewards people who pay attention to the first five minutes instead of fast-forwarding to Buzz’s arrival.
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Battleship. The toys are playing it when Andy comes upstairs for his birthday party.
12. What is the name of the toy store in Toy Story 2?
People remember the chicken mascot. They remember the old man. The name itself gets fuzzy.
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Al’s Toy Barn.
13. What does Al, the toy store owner, dress up as for his TV commercials?
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A chicken. His commercials feature him in a full chicken suit, and they’re deliberately terrible, which makes them memorable.
14. How many eyes does the Little Green Aliens’ “claw” machine have on its exterior?
Trick territory. I include this one because it starts a conversation, not because the answer matters.
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This is one of those questions where the real answer is that people start arguing about which scene you mean. The Pizza Planet claw machine is the iconic one, and the aliens inside it worship “The Claw.” The exterior details vary by scene, and the question is designed to make people realize they’ve never actually looked.
The Songs You Can’t Unhear
15. Who wrote and performed “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”?
I told you you’d hear it. This is the gimme that lets the table catch its breath.
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Randy Newman. He’s scored all four Toy Story films and was nominated for an Academy Award for this song.
16. In Toy Story 2, who performs the song “When She Loved Me”?
This is the question that makes a room go quiet. Not because it’s hard, but because people remember the scene and it still gets them.
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Sarah McLachlan. The song plays during Jessie’s backstory montage, which is widely considered one of the most emotionally devastating sequences Pixar has ever produced. Written by Randy Newman, performed by McLachlan. I’ve seen people tear up just from hearing the question.
17. What song does Wheezy sing at the end of Toy Story 2 after getting his squeaker fixed?
Show Answer
“You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” Voiced by Robert Goulet for the singing part, which is a detail that makes people do a double take.
18. In Toy Story 3, what song does the Bookworm play when Buzz is reset to Spanish mode?
The Spanish Buzz sequence is one of the funniest things in any of these films. But nobody remembers the music.
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“Hay Un Amigo En Mi” (the Spanish version of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”) plays during the dance scene. The actual flamenco-style music during the reset and subsequent scenes uses traditional Spanish guitar arrangements.
Sequels and the Slow Erosion of Certainty
19. In Toy Story 2, what TV show was Woody originally a character from?
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“Woody’s Roundup.” A black-and-white puppet show from the 1950s. The discovery that Woody is a valuable collectible from this show drives the entire plot of the second film.
20. Name all four members of the Woody’s Roundup gang.
Everyone gets three. The fourth is where friendships are tested.
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Woody, Jessie, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete (the Prospector). Stinky Pete is the one people forget, which is ironic given that he’s the villain.
21. Who voices Jessie the Cowgirl?
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Joan Cusack. She brings an energy to Jessie that’s immediately recognizable but people often guess other actresses. Her brother John Cusack has never been in a Toy Story film, which I mention only because someone always brings it up.
22. Who voices Stinky Pete the Prospector?
This one gets a genuine gasp about half the time.
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Kelsey Grammer. Frasier Crane himself, playing a bitter, mint-in-box villain. Once you know, you can’t unhear it.
23. What is the name of the little girl who owned Jessie before donating her?
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Emily. The “When She Loved Me” montage shows their relationship from childhood through Emily growing up and eventually leaving Jessie in a donation box.
24. In Toy Story 3, what is the name of the daycare center?
Show Answer
Sunnyside Daycare.
25. Who voices Lotso, the strawberry-scented bear in Toy Story 3?
Lotso is one of those villains where the voice performance is so warm that you forget he’s a tyrant running a toy prison.
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Ned Beatty. His folksy, grandfatherly delivery makes Lotso’s cruelty land even harder.
26. What does Lotso smell like, and why?
Show Answer
Strawberries. He’s a Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear, and the strawberry scent is part of his original toy design. In the film, characters comment on the smell when they first meet him. The scent never fades, even after everything he’s been through, which is a small detail that makes him feel more real.
27. In Toy Story 3, what happens to the toys at the dump that nearly kills them all?
This is the scene that traumatized an entire generation of parents who thought they were watching a kids’ movie.
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They’re heading toward an incinerator. The toys hold hands and accept what seems like the end before the Little Green Aliens save them with the claw crane. “The Claaaaaaw.”
28. What is the name of the little girl Andy gives his toys to at the end of Toy Story 3?
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Bonnie. Bonnie Anderson. She becomes the main child character in Toy Story 4.
The Deep Cuts
29. What is the name of the Pizza Planet delivery truck, and what makes it special beyond Toy Story?
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The Pizza Planet truck (a yellow Toyota pickup) appears in nearly every Pixar film. It’s one of the studio’s longest-running Easter eggs, showing up everywhere from A Bug’s Life to Coco. The only Pixar film widely agreed to not contain it is The Incredibles.
30. What is the name of Sid’s dog?
People remember the dog. They remember being afraid of the dog. They do not remember the dog’s name.
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Scud. A Bull Terrier who terrorizes toys throughout the first film.
31. What are the names of Sid’s mutant toys? Name at least three.
This is a question I ask when I want to watch a team implode. Everyone remembers the baby head on spider legs. Nobody agrees on names.
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Babyface (baby head on spider legs), Legs (a pair of Barbie legs attached to a fishing rod), Hand-in-the-Box (a jack-in-the-box with a wrestling figure’s hand), Roller Bob (a pilot torso on a skateboard), Ducky (a duck head on accordion-spring legs), among others. Most of these names come from production materials rather than dialogue, which is why nobody can agree.
32. In the original Toy Story, what does Buzz think he’s drinking at Sid’s house?
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He thinks he’s drinking Darjeeling tea at a tea party with Sid’s sister Hannah’s headless dolls. It’s the scene where Buzz is losing his mind after realizing he’s a toy, and Tim Allen’s delivery of the tea party lines is genuinely unhinged.
33. What is Buzz’s famous catchphrase?
I include this one here, after several hard questions, because watching a room full of people shout “TO INFINITY AND BEYOND” in unison is one of the great pleasures of running trivia.
Show Answer
“To infinity and beyond!”
34. What does Woody say to Buzz during their argument that accidentally activates the Magic 8-Ball?
Very few people get this one. But the people who do remember it frame-by-frame.
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This is a trick question of sorts. The Magic 8-Ball moment happens when the other toys are questioning whether Woody intentionally knocked Buzz out the window. Woody shakes the 8-Ball asking for help and it reads “Don’t count on it.” The specificity of the question is designed to make people second-guess a scene they think they know perfectly.
35. What is Rex’s biggest fear?
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Being replaced by a bigger, scarier dinosaur. It’s played for laughs throughout the franchise, but it’s also genuinely poignant. Rex is a T-Rex who is afraid of everything, and his anxiety about being inadequate mirrors the central theme of every Toy Story film.
36. In Toy Story 2, what video game is Rex trying to beat?
Show Answer
The Buzz Lightyear video game, shown during the opening sequence. Rex can’t beat Zurg, which sets up the real Zurg encounter later in the film.
37. What is the relationship between Buzz Lightyear and Emperor Zurg, as revealed in Toy Story 2?
This is a Star Wars joke hidden inside a Pixar movie, and it lands differently depending on the age of the person answering.
Show Answer
Zurg claims to be Buzz’s father, in a direct parody of The Empire Strikes Back. The Utility Belt Buzz (the one from Al’s Toy Barn) reacts with the same horror as Luke Skywalker. Then they play catch.
38. How many Buzz Lightyears appear in Toy Story 2?
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Two. Andy’s Buzz and the Utility Belt Buzz from Al’s Toy Barn, who still believes he’s a real space ranger. The two Buzzes interact throughout the film, and keeping track of which is which is part of the comedy.
Toy Story 4 and the Questions Nobody Expects
39. In Toy Story 4, what is Forky made from?
Everyone remembers Forky. But listing the exact materials is harder than it sounds.
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A spork, a pipe cleaner, a popsicle stick (broken in half for feet), googly eyes, a piece of clay or putty (for the mouth), and some wax from a red crayon. Bonnie makes him during kindergarten orientation. He immediately tries to throw himself in the trash because he has an existential crisis about whether he’s a toy or garbage.
40. Who voices Forky?
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Tony Hale. You know him as Buster Bluth from Arrested Development or Gary Walsh from Veep. His panicked energy is perfect for a spork having an identity crisis.
41. What are the names of the two plush toys who work for Gabby Gabby in the antique store?
Almost nobody gets this. The characters are memorable. The names are not.
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The Bensons. They’re ventriloquist dummies, not plush toys. If you said plush toys, the question just caught you nodding along. The Bensons are creepy, silent ventriloquist dummies who serve as Gabby Gabby’s henchmen in the Second Chance Antiques shop.
42. Who voices Gabby Gabby?
Show Answer
Christina Hendricks. She brings a vulnerability to the character that keeps Gabby Gabby from being a straightforward villain. By the end, she’s sympathetic in a way that most Toy Story antagonists aren’t.
43. What is the name of Keanu Reeves’ character in Toy Story 4?
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Duke Caboom, a Canadian stuntman action figure. He’s based on the Evel Knievel toys of the 1970s and is deeply traumatized by the fact that he couldn’t perform the jumps his commercial promised. Keanu Reeves doing a Canadian accent while having a breakdown about toy advertising is exactly as good as it sounds.
44. At the end of Toy Story 4, what major decision does Woody make?
This question splits rooms. Not because people don’t know the answer, but because they still have feelings about it.
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Woody chooses to stay with Bo Peep as a “lost toy” rather than return to Bonnie. He gives his sheriff badge to Jessie. It’s the first time in the franchise that Woody chooses himself over a child, and depending on who you ask, it’s either the perfect ending or a betrayal of everything the character stood for.
Behind the Curtain
45. Who directed the original Toy Story?
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John Lasseter. He also directed Toy Story 2. The original film was his feature directorial debut.
46. Toy Story was the first feature-length film made entirely with what technology?
Show Answer
CGI (computer-generated imagery). Every frame was rendered on computers, which was unprecedented for a feature film in 1995. The render farm used to produce the film was less powerful than a modern smartphone.
47. Which Toy Story sequel was originally planned as a direct-to-video release?
This is one of those production facts that changes how you watch the movie. The quality of Toy Story 2 is remarkable specifically because of where it started.
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Toy Story 2. Disney initially planned it as a straight-to-video sequel, like most of their animated sequels at the time. Pixar fought to make it a theatrical release and essentially scrapped the original version nine months before the deadline, rebuilding the film from scratch.
48. What famous comedian was the original voice of Woody in early test footage before Tom Hanks was cast?
This is a common misconception question, and it’s designed to catch people who’ve read half a Wikipedia article.
Show Answer
Tom Hanks was always the choice for Woody. His brother Jim Hanks has provided Woody’s voice for various video games and merchandise, which might be what causes confusion. Early story reels used temporary voice work from Pixar staff, but the character was written with Tom Hanks in mind from the start.
49. What real toy company’s products appear most prominently throughout the Toy Story franchise?
There are several correct answers depending on how you count, but one company dominates the screen time.
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Mattel. Barbie and Ken are major characters in Toy Story 3 (voiced by Jodi Benson and Michael Keaton, respectively), and various Mattel products appear throughout all four films. Hasbro products like Mr. Potato Head and the Etch A Sketch are also prominent. Fun detail: Mattel initially refused to let their products appear in the first Toy Story because they didn’t want to be associated with a film that might fail. After the movie became a massive hit, they were very eager to participate in the sequels.
The Last One
50. In the original Toy Story, what does Woody say to Buzz that finally convinces him being a toy is worth something?
I save this question for last at every event, and I don’t put it on a screen. I just ask it out loud and let the room sit with it. Because the answer isn’t really a trivia answer. It’s the thesis of the entire franchise, four movies and 24 years compressed into a handful of words spoken by a cowboy doll to a spaceman who just realized he can’t fly. And the room always goes quiet. Not because they can’t remember it, but because they can.
Show Answer
“That wasn’t flying. That was falling with style.” Woody says it first as a taunt. Then Buzz reclaims it during the rocket sequence at the end: “To infinity and beyond!” But the line that actually shifts Buzz’s perspective comes earlier, on Sid’s porch: “You are a toy! You’re a child’s plaything! You are a cool toy.” It’s the word “cool” that does it. Three letters that tell Buzz his value doesn’t come from being a space ranger. It comes from being wanted. Every Toy Story film since has been a variation on that idea. Being wanted is enough. Being wanted is everything.
Music and film rounds are where trivia nights either come alive or fall flat. I've been writing them in Minneapolis, MN for 9 years, and I believe a good music question should make everyone at the table feel something, even when they get it wrong. I've written for JetPunk trivia, and I take the same care with every set I write.
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