One challenge in writing a  sequel to a beloved story is expanding that universe. While readers and audiences want to see our old friends and join them on a new adventure, we also hope to meet some new friends along the way. If a sequel just same characters do the same things with nothing new added there is little point on telling the story. Further, a new character can make for a great foil for the old guard as they content with their own issues through them.

One such example comes in Toy Story 2. Already the writers and artists at Pixar had delivered two great characters in Woody and Buzz Lightyear, and surrounded them with a memorable gang of lovable toys, reminiscent of the local yokels in old sitcoms or the townies in a Frank Capra film with larger than life personalities, noticeable flaws, and lots of heart. For the sequel they had to add new characters, and it came through an entire gang of Old West themed characters known as “Woody’s Round-up” that included Bullseye the Horse, Stinky Pete the Prospector, and Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl. Woody meets these characters at a low point in his life where he starts to grapple with the question of his own mortality after his arm is ripped and he worries that his time is limited. This dilemma he faces is mirrored, Jessie.

Much like how Woody owes much of his inspiration from old Western TV and movie shows, so too does Jessie. “Woody’s Round-Up” is very much inspired by old children’s shows like Howdy Doody, making Jessie like Howdy’s counterpart, Heidi.

As  Claudia Mitchell notes in the book Girl Culture: An Encyclopedia in the entry on “Cowgirl Play”,

“Jessie the Cowgirl features as a reincarnation of the fifties cowgirl and more than offsets the hero, Woody the Cowboy, with her energy, her openness, and the depth of emotion… “

 She was a welcome addition to the franchise and quickly became a fan favorite. While the first film was certainly well loved, and praised for its technical achievements, the only female toy was a literal porcelain doll in form of Bo Peep. The sequel introduced more female toys to the mix, including Mrs. Potatohead, and Barbie. However, like Woody and Buzz, it would be an original character, Jessie the cowgirl, who would go on to become one of the three most important characters in the franchise. While Since  Jessie was an original character, which meant that the writers, artists and actress involved could create a new character unbeholden to notions of who she could be. More importantly because she was an original she could tell a story just as emotionally penitent as Buzz’s search for meaning, and Woody’s journey to growing up.

Her story asks one of the most heart breaking questions many of us avoid pondering.  As Steven Padnick notes in “Love and Sacrifice: an Appreciation of Toy Story 2” for Tor.com,

“And while Pete, who’s still in his box, can’t speak from experience, Jessie (Joan Cusack) can. Watching your owner outgrow and abandon you is a devastating experience for a toy. In Pixar’s first (but certainly not last) heartbreaking montage, we see how alive and fulfilled Jessie is playing with her owner Emily, and how broken she is when she’s left in a box. Even if Jesse’s still in good physical condition, she is an emotional mess, terrified of being abandoned again.”

After he’s been taken to the penthouse of the toy collector, Al, Woody is soon ambushed by the read haired bubbly cowgirl who is super excited to see him. Moreover, if Woody was baffled to learn Buzz didn’t know he was a toy, Jessie was seen more astonished to learn Woody didn’t know who he really was.

Woody is more surprised at the simple fact that they knew who he was. That is when he learns the truth after her overly enthusiastic greeting once she’s calmed down and the old Prospector Stinky Pete has introduced himself,

“It’s good to see you, Woody. Everyone knows your name, Woody. Why, you don’t know who you are, do you?”

She and Pete tell Woody who he is, where he came from and how he was part of this amazing product line, even showing him episodes of his old show. While Woody is certainly enhanced by this notion, he remains loyal to Andy and intends to get back home to Andy and his friends. This leads to several arguments between the two of them, and when he is almost caught when he tries to escape,  he is quick to assume that she was behind it.

   After he’s repaired and about to leave them, they have another fight about the matter. It’s only the sage advice of Stink Pete that leads Woody to reach out to her and ask what had happened that led her to this point in her life. As far as Woody knew every toy wants to be played with.

  That is when Jessie tells him,

“Let me guess. Andy’s a real special kid, and to him, you’re his buddy, his best friend, and when Andy plays with you it’s like… even though you’re not moving, you feel like you’re alive, because that’s how he sees you…Because Emily was just the same. She was my whole world.”

This leads to what many consider to be not only one of the most heartbreaking moments in the film, but one that frequently makes the list for saddest Pixar movie moments. Set to the song “When She Loved Me”, sung by the queen of heartbreaking songs, Sarah MacLachlan, we see Jessie’s story and her adventures with Emily. We see just how much she loved being with her, until one day Emily grew up, moved on to other interests and forgot about her leaving her lying under a bed. Then when it looked to Jessie like their friendship would be rekindled, she was put in a donation box on a side of a corner and abandoned.

It’s Jessie who becomes the films ultimate emotional anchor, pulling Woody between his loyalty to Andy through Buzz and whatever new life the museum could offer. As Carina Belles for We Got This Covered noted in “Five Times Pixar Broke Our Hearts.”,

“Jessie tells Woody how she came to be a collectable – in song form. Sarah McLachlan takes over, telling the story of Jessie’s life with her original owner, Emily, whom she loved more than anything. As Emily grew older, she abandoned Jessie for music and makeup, eventually donating her just when Jessie thought she loved her again. Excuse me, I think I have something in my eye. If you’ve ever felt guilty about giving away your childhood toys, don’t worry, you have Jessie’s song to help you feel ten times worse.”

However, it goes on beyond just the idea of with playthings. Much as Woody ‘s friendship with Buzz in the first film mirrors a child’s emotional journey when a new sibling enters the picture, Woody and Jessie are grappling with feelings more akin to those that a parent feels as their children grow.

As The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw noted in “Toy Story 2 Is Completely Different To Me Now That I’m A Father” in which he reexamined his earlier review of Toy Story 2 through a new lens after showing it to his son,

“I thought at the time: that Jessie’s song was about the child afraid of being abandoned by the adult…Now, as a parent, the truth has hit me full in the face. I got it the wrong way around. Jessie’s song is about the adult’s fear of being abandoned by the child. Your kids will play happily with you while they are babies and toddlers, but they grow up. They don’t want to play and be cuddled. They will change and outgrow you. Of course, your relationship with your children has to change; as they become adults it becomes more rewarding. But never again will it have that complete innocent playfulness, and a part of you will wind up, like cowgirl Jessie, left under the child’s bed, forgotten.”

Jessie even says as much to Woody after her song, saying,

“You never forget kids like Emily…or Andy. But they forget you.”

Then Woody makes a choice, asking the rhetorical question of who is he to break up the round up gang. Now that he’s found them, he can’t force Jessie to be so miserable again.

In contrast to Jessie is the film’s antagonist, Stinky Pete, an old prospector doll who has never been let out of his box. When Woody first meets him he comes across as a kindly father figure to the younger toys, even referring to Woody as a prodigal son. Later when Jessie has a panic attack, he is quick to try and calm her down.

  As Woody explores their world, it’s Pete who explains just why Woody had been taken and the full collectible value of Woody and the gang as he tells him,

     “Well, we’ve been in storage for a long time waiting for you. The museum’s only interested in the collection if you’re in it, Woody.”

Later, after Woody’s arm rips off completely Pete tries to calm him down. When Jessie even suggests they should just let him go back to Andy as is, Pete says,

“Oh, it’s just a popped seam, easily repaired…You should consider yourself lucky… Why, Jessie, you know he wouldn’t last an hour on the streets in his condition. It’s a dangerous world out there for a toy.”

He even tries to keep the peace between the two of them after Woody makes an escape attempt  and the TV mysteriously turns on, something Woody blames Jessie for. Then after Jessie tells her story, Stinky Pete dangles a carrot in front of the wounded Toy as he offers him as the old Prospector slinks into a tempter role.

    “How long will it last, Woody? Do you really think…Andy is gonna take you to college or on his honeymoon? Andy’s growing up,and there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s your choice, Woody. You can go back, or you can stay with us and last forever. You’ll be adored by children for generations.”

Pete claims to have Woody and Jessie’s best interest in mind, and they’ll be free of pain, suffering, and rejection. However, despite his fatherly feel, this is all part of his mind game. This is best seen when Woody mentions that he had been stolen at the yard sale when he was trying to save another toy. Pete won’t let him explain the dilemma and even questions just how much Andy loves Woody if Woody had been damaged. This starts to plant a seed of doubt in Woody if he can really be with Andy for much longer, or if Andy really loves him.

Later, after Andy’s toys intervene and Woody hears his song “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” and he’s reminded what his true purpose is, he extends his own invitation to Jessie and Pete,

“Hey, you guys– Come with me…Andy will play with all of us. I know it! …Wouldn’t you give anything just to have one more day with Emily? Come on, Jessie. This is what it’s all about to make a child happy. And you know it. Bullseye, are you with me?…Okay, good boy. Prospector, how ’bout you?”

That is when Pete shows his true colors as he locks the air grate behind them, preventing their escape. Then like an abusive authority figure, he pins the blame on them as he explains his motives,

“I tried reasoning with you, Woody, but you keep forcing me to take extreme measures…Look, we have an eternity to spend at the museum together. Let’s not start by pulling fingers, shall we?…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 gonna mess it up for me now!…It’s too late, Woody! That silly Buzz Lightweight can’t help you.”

While Jessie had an owner who loved her and abandoned her, Pete was the toy that nobody wanted to play with. This is something that deepened the emotional stakes in the Toy Story franchise. These toys “need” their owners to be given lives, and thus develop their personalities. Jessie may suffer from claustrophobia, and anxiety, but she has life. Pete however seems as cold and sterile as his packaging.

As Roger Ebert noted in his review of Toy Story 2,

“I forgot something about toys a long time ago, and Toy Story 2 reminded me. It involves the love, pity and guilt that a child feels for a favorite toy. A doll or an action figure…is yours in the same way a pet is. It depends on you. It misses you. It can’t do anything by itself. It needs you and is troubled when you’re not there…Toy Story 2 knows this, and for smaller viewers that knowledge may be the most important thing about the film–more important than the story or the skill of the animation. This is a movie about what you hope your toys do when you’re not around–and what you fear. They have lives of their own, but you are the sun in the sky of their universe, and when you treat them badly, their feelings are wounded.”

Like a disgruntled misfit toy from the island of Misfit Toys in the Rankin/Bass Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer  Christmas special, Pete built up years of resentment towards children and cool space toys, and thus it made him unwilling to accept any form of love or friendship. In contrast, while Jessie may be reluctant to accept Woody’s offer, she becomes even more willing to come with him when she learns Andy has a younger sister. To her this means she can be loved longer.

It’s a painful risk, but it’s one she’s willing to make. As Mari Ness notes in “Even Toys have Responsibilities: Character Growth in Toy Story 2” for Tor.com,

“What do you do, Toy Story 2 asks, when your original reason to live and find joy in life vanishes? When you lose your best friend? When you are abandoned, or at least feel abandoned? This might seem like deep questions to ask small children, but that’s also a group that can readily understand this. Small children can and do face huge changes on a regular basis—in some cases, all the seemingly larger because they’ve had such limited experience with change. What happens to Woody and Jessie and Stinky Pete feels real because it is real: the feeling of getting hurt, the feeling of being replaced, the feeling of losing a friend…Left behind on a shelf with no chance to ever play with a child, Stinky Pete sets his hopes on life in a museum, which at least means a long life, if nothing else. Jessie, convinced that losing someone that you love is far worse than never having that person in the first place, is more easily persuaded. ”

This is best seen during the climax of the movie. As the gang tries to save Woody at the airport Pete fights them off, even popping Woody’s arm with his pick ax and using it to as a bargaining chip for Woody to comply. The other toys catch up to him and toss him in a backpack of a little girl where he is greeted by a Barbie Doll. All the while he is heard ranting to other toys as if hoping one of them may join him,

“Idiots! Children destroy toys! You’ll all be ruined, forgotten! Spending eternity rotting in some landfill!”

In contrast while Jessie is afraid, she accepts Woody’s hand and they swing to safety on Bullseye with Buzz and head back to Andy’s room. Once there, to her surprise she is promptly inducted into their new little family and she and Buzz soon become smitten with each other. She even starts to see that, despite what Pete had said, Space toys are not that bad.

Further, she quickly grows into her role in the group. While Woody is the default leader as the “town sheriff” and Buzz takes on the deputy role as an enlisted officer as a Space Ranger, Jessie’s default personality on the show was the loyal friend to all, in particular animals. When Andy’s dog Buster desperately needs to go outside to go to the bathroom she leaps into action and gets he door open for him an a maneuver that impresses Buzz. Later when other toys are hurting or upset, as is the case of Barbie when Andy’s younger sister outgrows the popular fashion doll is the most compassionate to her, understanding what it’s like and giving her a sympathetic shoulder to cry on.

However, the years pass, and in Toy Story 3 Jessie soon finds herself, alongside Woody, Buzz and the core of the gang, Slinky Dog, Hamm, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head and Rex in Andy’s old toy box, just waiting for the chance to be played with again. Whether it’s the fact she isn’t alone this time, or the fact the toy chest is much more spacious then the box she was dumped in, she maintains the same sense of hope that Andy may one day play with her and the rest of the gang again.

However after the gang is accidently thrown away, she shows that much like Buzz, she took Woody’s credo to heart. When Woody insists they  go back to Andy she admits that maybe he’s moved on and it’s time that they do the same and make other kids happy and is among the first to decide that they should be sent to Sunnyside Daycare Center. In learning from Lotso that they will never be outgrown as every year there will be new kids to love, she is elated, thinking this is a dream come true.

After getting the tour, she begs Woody to stay with them,

 “We can have a whole new life here, Woody. A chance to make kids happy again. You can make a new kid happy.”

However, Jessie soon learns that things are not what they seem as Lotso intends to metaphorically and literally break their wills to get them to join him by placing them in an age inappropriate room. Things get worse for her when Buzz is brainwashed by Lotso’s men and acts as their prison guard. Despite this, the hints at their relationship are still present as he admits to being immune to her bewitching good looks. Once Woody arrives they hatch a plan to escape the confines of the daycare center, starting with trying to reset Buzz.

Later, when Lotso confronts them as they await the garbage truck to carry them to safety, we see that she doesn’t give into mind games anymore .having been taken in once by Pete, and fooled by Lotso she won’t be fooled again as Lotso demands they come back and be part of his family.

Jessie then replies,

“This isn’t a family! It’s a prison! You’re a liar and a bully! And I’d rather rot in this dumpster than join any family of yours!”

After their hair raising experience in the dump, she finds a new home with a little girl named Bonnie. For the most part in the trilogy Jessie is a supporting player, and doesn’t get much time to shine and overcome her insecurities until the Toy Story: Of Terror Halloween special.  

Despite some initial reluctance for the franchise to go on after Toy Story 3 among the fans, the special quickly won over the fans and critics by delving deeper into some of the other characters. Much like Woody needed to overcome his jealousy and fear of being replaced, and Buzz his naiveté and discover what he’s meant for, Jessie has to overcome her own insecurities in the a story reminiscent of old school horror films by allowing a hero or heroine to conquer their fears.

As Drew Taylor noted in “Toy Story of Terror! A Hauntingly Great Halloween Special” a rave review of the Halloween special for the website IndieWire,

“(O)ne of the more refreshing aspects of “Toy Story Of Terror” is that it doesn’t break the rules of the franchise. It doesn’t suddenly become supernatural, awash in phantasmagoric spookiness. Instead, it’s rooted very much in the “Toy Story” world, with threats that matter to toys and (especially) to these characters. A number of fears are played up (not just Jessie’s claustrophobia) and they’re handled in a delicate, thoughtful way. This is not a “Toy Story” special with ghosts and goblins and sparkly vampires. This is very real world and very “Toy Story.” 

Her adventure starts out innocuous enough as she and her friends are traveling with Bonnie to her grandmother’s house. When the car breaks down they pull into a nearby motel to wait for roadside assistance. However they are barely there for less than an hour when one by one, Jessie friends mysteriously vanish. While hiding out, she soon discovers thanks to the aid of a Combat Carl action figure,  that this is an elaborate ongoing scheme by the hotel manager. His trained lizard steals toys from their owners and sells them off on the internet.

The lizard nabs Jessie and she’s placed alongside her friends where Woody is quickly sold on line. Desperate to save her friend she is forced to place herself in a shipping box in order to get him out and expose the hotel owner. It’s a nerve wracking moment or her, but she steels herself and repeats her new found mantra, Jessie never gives up, Jessie finds a way. In the traditions of classic horror films what is not seen is scarier than what people can see, and in this case, the great terror isn’t the lizard but her fear of the box and tightly enclosed spaces.

                As Matt Goldberg  of Collider noted in his review of Toy Story of Terror,

“And when it comes to Jessie, her terror is the most profound.  As we learned when we first met her in Toy Story 2, Jessie has a serious case of claustrophobia, and that very real fear becomes something she has to face in Toy Story of Terror! (Writer Angus) MacLane could have simply rested on a far softer story, but by putting the emphasis on Jessie having to confront her fear, he comes up with a strong conflict that has us cheering for the character as she deals with serious odds.”

 Jessie had every reason to hunker down and give into her fear. She had been rejected before, and knew how hard it can be to push past that pain. However, in the process of letting go she found something even better as she gained a new family alongside Woody, Buzz and their friends. It was this little group she was willing to risk everything for and face conquer her fears.

As the late Dale Evans, wife of singing cowboy Roy Rogers, was quoted to having said in her exhibit at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame, which was recounted by Linnea Crowther in “Dale Evans, Queen of the Cowgirls”,

“’Cowgirl’ is an attitude really. A pioneer spirit, a special American brand of courage. The cowgirl faces life head-on, lives by her own lights, and makes no excuses. Cowgirls take stands; they speak up. They defend things they hold dear.”

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Belles, Carina. “Five Times Pixar Broke Our Hearts.” We Got This Covered, 12 May 2014, wegotthiscovered.com/movies/times-pixar-broke-hearts/.

Bradshaw, Peter. “Toy Story 2 Is Completely Different to Me Know That I’m a Father.” The Guardian, Guardian News & Media Limited , 21 Jan. 2010, http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2010/jan/21/toy-story-2.

 “Cowgirl Play.” Girl Culture: an Encyclopedia, by Claudia Mitchell and Jacqueline Reid-Walsh, Greenwood Press, 2010, p. 248.

Crowther, Linnea. “Dale Evans, Queen of the Cowgirls.” Legacy.com, 13 June 2018, http://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/article/dale-evans-queen-of-the-cowgirls.

Ebert, Roger. “Toy Story 2 Movie Review & Film Summary (1999): Roger Ebert.” RogerEbert.com, Ebert Digital Media, LLC, 24 Nov. 1999, www.rogerebert.com/reviews/toy-story-2-1999.

Goldberg, Matt. “TOY STORY OF TERROR! Review.” Collider, Collider, Inc., 12 July 2014, collider.com/toy-story-of-terror-review/.

Ness, Mari. “Even Toys Have Responsibilities: Character Growth in Toy Story 2.” Tor.com, Macmillan, 29 Mar. 2017, http://www.tor.com/2017/03/30/even-toys-have-responsibilities-character-growth-in-toy-story-2/.

Padnick, Steven. “Love and Sacrifice: an Appreciation of Toy Story 2.” Tor.com, 24 Mar. 2015,

http://www.tor.com/2012/06/13/love-and-sacrifice-an-appreciation-of-toy-story-2/.

Taylor, Drew. “Review: ‘Toy Story Of Terror!’ Is A Hauntingly Great Halloween Special.” IndieWire, Penske Business Media, LLC., 14 Oct. 2013, http://www.indiewire.com/2013/10/review-toy-story-of-terror-is-a-hauntingly-great-halloween-special-92681/.

Toy Story.Dir .John Lasseter. By Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow, Pete Docter, John Lasseter, and Joe Ranft. Perf: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, Laurie Metcalf, John Morris, Erik von Detten, and R. Lee Ermey. Pixar/Walt Disney Studios. 1995. DVD.

Toy Story 2. Dir .John Lasseter.  By Andrew Stanton, Rita Hsiao, Doug Chamberlin, Chris Webb, John Lasseter, Pete Docter, and Ash Brannon. Perf: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, Estelle Harris, Laurie Metcalf, John Morris, Jodi Benson, R. Lee Ermey, and Wayne Knight. Pixar/Walt Disney Studios. 1999. DVD.

Toy Story 3. Dir. Lee Unkrich.By Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Lee Unkrich.Perf: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Down Rickles, Estelle Harris, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Blake Clark, Laurie Metcalf, Ned Beatty, Michael Keaton, Whoopi Goldberg, Timothy Dalton, Kristen Schaal, Bonnie Hunt, Jeff Garlin,  Jodi Benson, and John Morris. Pixar/ Walt Disney Studios. 2010. DVD.

Toy Story of Terror.Dir. Angus MacLane. By Angus MacLane. Perf: Joan Cusack, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Carl Weathers, Stephen Toblowsky, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, Timothy Dalton, and Kristen Schall. ABC KSTP-5. Original Airdate: Oct. 16, 2013.

Toy Story That Time Forgot.Dir. Stephen Purcell. By Stephen Purcell. Perf. Kristen Schall, Kevin McKidd, Wallace Shawn, Tim Allen, Emily Hahn, Steve Purcell, R. C. Cope, Emma Hudak. ABC KSTP-5. Original Airdate: Dec. 2, 2014.          

PHOTO CREDIT:

2010 Disney/Pixar.

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This Blog is not authorized, endorsed, or approved by Walt Disney Studios, Pixar Animation Studios other entities any other parties involved in the creation, development, and ownership of the Toy Story franchise. The views and opinions in this blog are strictly those of its author, and do not reflect the views or ownership of the respected owners of Toy Story.