It all started with a hat.
Several months ago, one of my anonymous Pixar Theory Interns (that’s a thing on a resume) came to me with a crazy proposition: Andy’s mom is Emily, Jessie’s previous owner.
I laughed. I then agreed.
For some time, I compiled all of the evidence and found some incredible support for this theory. For one thing, take a close look at Andy’s cowboy hat he frequently wears in the movies:
Here’s another close look:
As you can see, Andy’s hat is noticeably different from Woody’s. Why is this? Why wouldn’t Andy want to wear a hat that closely resembles the one worn by his favorite toy?
It’s no secret that Andy has a close connection with Woody. In Toy Story 2, his mom (who we only know as Ms. Davis) mentions that Woody is an old family toy.
Remember that Woody doesn’t even recall that he is a collector’s item – a toy made in the 1950s. This is a deviation from other toys who know full well where they come from. It’s possible that Woody doesn’t know because he’s been in Andy’s family for a long time, possibly belonging to his father.
But we need more evidence. Take a close look at Jessie’s hat:
Ah, this hat looks familiar. It’s the same red hat with white lace that Andy wears. The only difference is that Jessie’s hat has a white lace around the center. But look at Andy’s hat again.
There’s a faded mark where the white lace should be. Why do you think that is? And what does Jessie have to do with this?
(Bob Saget’s voice) Kids, you remember the story of Jessie. Her owner Emily grew up with her, much the same way as Andy. She was incredibly loved, but Emily eventually gave her away when she grew older. Jessie ended up in storage for a long time, as confirmed by her in the movie when she has a literal panic attack over having to go back.
Now, take a close look at what’s on this bed in Emily’s room:
That is a hat that looks extremely similar to, you guessed it, Andy’s. The room is also pretty old-fashioned, leaving room for this to take place years before Andy was born.
In fact, you can clearly tell that this isn’t modern day with shots like these:
The only difference between the hat that Emily wears throughout this sequence and Andy’s hat is an extra white lace around the center, which is visibly missing from Andy’s hat. Otherwise, the hats are identical.
Also, in the donation box that Emily puts Jessie in, we don’t see the hat. We do see other remnants of her connection with Jessie, but the hat is noticeably absent. The box isn’t even big enough to hold it. So Emily held onto that hat…and maybe passed it on to her child, who would grow to also love a cowboy doll.
We never get a closeup of Emily’s face, but we do see that she has light, auburn hair as a teenager. Also, it is very short.
Compared to:
The middle picture is closest to the strawberry blonde color we see when Emily is young. It’s perfectly reasonable to assume that her hair lightened as she aged, which is clearly the case in these photos (or she could have dyed it).
Here’s what we know for sure:
We don’t know the first name of Andy’s mom. We don’t know Emily’s last name. We know that Andy’s hat and Emily’s hat are the same. We know that Emily is old enough to be Andy’s mom. We definitely know that Pixar is perfectly capable of sneaking this in without being overt about it.
You may be wondering how the two characters could be the same if Emily was willing to give Jessie up so easily, while Andy was far more hesitant.
Actually, the scenarios are quite similar. Andy forgot about Woody as he grew up too, despite their strong connection. Andy even gave Woody away, albeit in a different manner than Emily.
In the end, it makes perfect sense that these two concurrent stories are so similar because they’re related by blood. It’s also a freak of destiny that Jessie would one day belong to her owner’s son, though we never get to see the mom’s reaction to seeing Jessie again.
She was probably indifferent and believed it to be a different version of the same toy. How would you respond if you saw your child with a toy that looked like one that you had as a kid? Your first assumption probably wouldn’t be that they’re the exact same toy.
What do you think? Do you believe that the two characters are the same and that Andy’s mom/Emily found redemption through the love her son had for the toy she left behind? Or, do you hate fun, love, and destiny? Let me know.
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All images courtesy of Disney/Pixar
Enough with the hat Emily donated all her Jessie stuff in a box and probably bought Andy a cheap cowboy hat at the store HENCE THE RED. However…Emily a Jessie Cowgirl type meets (Andy’s Dad) a Woody cowboy type get together but he never gave up his cowboy toy and so Emily gave it to their son ANDY when his dad left, for what ever reason. Now fits better in this theory than the already disproved hat bit.~~
And just when was the hat bit disproved? You just said, “That can’t be right” and held that as evidence. I think the case for the contrary is far more founded.
Proof they are different hats, with different shapes and sizes: http://s1373.photobucket.com/user/IraEds/media/ToyStoryhats-AndysvsEmilys_zpsc97b1847.jpg.html
(images © Disney/Pixar)
The crowns of Andy’s and Woody’s hats are rounded-triangular shaped, but Emily’s and Jessie’s are circular – and shorter.
For more (like, Andy’s mom’s name isn’t Emily), and for why this theory, however cute, actually detracts from what the Pixar geniuses created in the Toy Story movies, read this well observed piece: http://www.disneygeekery.com/2014/02/25/emily-not-andys-mom-in-toy-story/
I say that this settles it. The pictures are very clear. These are not the same hat. She is not the first owner.
I read the posts and links “G” put up and it’s really substantial.
Reblogged this on astridvander.
I think that this story would make an amazing prequel to the Toy Story Franchise!
It’s not an implausible theory and Pixar have certainly allowed there to be similarities to fuel it.
The Candyland board game in Andy’s room stained from dust and looking very old amongst the other board games. Then the same game appearing under Emily’s bed of old things, collecting dust. Emily looking a lot like Andy’s mother. If you watch when Jessie is seeing Emily’s room change there is a photo of the two that is replaced with Emily and some guy. Symbolically you could see it as Emily when she was younger and the thing she loved most (Jessie) and then as she grew up and things changed, it became the man in the photo she loved most (Possibly Andy’s father?!). Andy and Emily sound similar, the way they are with their toys etc. Women are also quite different to men and it makes sense Emily grew up faster and didn’t care as much. Perhaps not needing to think about donating her once favourite thing in the world. Andy however, couldn’t let go at first. It was his mum that convinced him.
I also feel it would explain why Andy stopped calling Jessie bazooka Jane. His mother could have explained the dolls name was Jessie.
There’s more but I need to get going for now =P
It’s actually an impossible theory, as anyone can see by paying the slightest attention to detail. I noticed the very first time I saw TS2. In case you missed my other comment, here are the decisive flaws with the theory, which Negroni (and others) didn’t share:
Andy’s hat looks brand new in TS1, with a clean red band. The band is only faded in TS2, when, of course, it’s older. (And it is a band, not a faded mark where a band had once been.)
Andy’s hat – just like Woody’s – has a CANDY-CORN / ROUNDED-TRIANGULAR shaped crown. But Emily’s hat, like Jessie’s, has a CIRCULAR crown – and it’s shorter.
Here’s the visual proof they are different hats, with different shapes and sizes: http://s1373.photobucket.com/user/IraEds/media/ToyStoryhats-AndysvsEmilys_zpsc97b1847.jpg.html
(images © Disney/Pixar)
For more (like: Andy’s mom’s name isn’t Emily), and for why this theory, however cute, actually detracts from the brilliant broad story the Pixar geniuses created throughout the Toy Story trilogy, read this well observed piece: http://www.disneygeekery.com/2014/02/25/emily-not-andys-mom-in-toy-story/
These movies are spectacular and fun just as they are. No need to make things up about them. They do have genuine “Easter eggs.” But they’re not deep, story revelations. Just visual gags.
I was looking for this certain info for a very long time. Thank you and best of luck
Wouldn’t Jessie and Emily recognize or acknowledge each other?
My friends who are also fans of Pixar talked about this back when TS3 came out; I’m surprised some people haven’t seen this. I forgot if we debunked it or not, but we did talk about the hat and generation thing. We did wonder how Andy didn’t find out his toys were rare, you think he would look it up since he first called Jessie “Jane”. If his mom told him her name, you think she would look Woody’s Roundup after all those years.
FWIW, it’s debunked above.
What about the theory that Sid from TS1 is the trash collector in TS3 – note the T Shirt he is wearing
that’s not a theory because THAT WAS SID you can check IMDB.com if you want or the MOVIE credits.~
That is a very interesting theory! I definitely agree that Emily could be Andy’s mom’s age now, but I question it because of—as you mentioned—the lack of sentimental or nostalgic reaction to seeing the doll she loved as a child. As far as the hat goes, I believe Andy’s hat is a version of Woody’s because the designs are the same. They both have the triangular shape, upturned brim, and brown (or reddish brown) bands. I equate the difference in color to the possibility that the hats are made out of different materials. We know that Woody’s hat is polyvinyl from what Al of Al’s Toy Barn says in Toy Story 2. Andy’s hat would likely have been made out of leather or felt.
Jon Negroni you have done it again adding to the Pixar Theory I am a big fan of Pixar and have always wanted to work there and when I see these connections I want to faint. You are amazing
Sorry but the theory of the hat doesn’t make any sense. I worked on TS2 and we simply used a generic “hat” model with various parameters for Andy, Jessie and Woody. Same geometry, different colors/texture and some articulation parameters to change shapes or “invis” pieces
I think you have a very interesting theory. Also remember that Pixar is known for inconsistencies in their movies. Monsters Inc. has a scene that says Mike and Sully met as kids but in Monsters University they meet for the first time on campus instead. So it very well could be Andy’s mother’s hat but Pixar didn’t stay consistent with it’s shape/look. You never know. I love your theory and attention yo detail Jonne. I will definitely be keeping an eye on your website.
hahahaha what a good article u made here! We know that Woody’s hat is polyvinyl from what Al of Al’s Toy Barn says in Toy Story 2. http://num.to/37-28-92-45-45-70