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.
Thanks for reading this. To get updates on my theories, books, and giveaways, join my Mailing List.
Or just say hey on Twitter: @JonNegroni
All images courtesy of Disney/Pixar
Aw, this was a very good post. Taking a few minutes and actual effort to
make a very good article… but what can I say… I
put things off a lot and don’t seem to get nearly anything done.
By some estimates, over 12000 attendees converged
at the location to catch a glimpse of the latest in resort and swimwear collection.
To make a short neck look longer wear a scoop neck or open collar shirt, complete the look with a long necklace.
Perhaps these old machines were not so functional but certainly poetry in motion, even at a stand still.
What the heck? I hate when ads are posted
Interesting Read
Thank you!
Way cool
Most Paint Contractors rely heavily on word of mouth is never any money available for dialect and even remodeling construction in a particular account.
We extremely value the care of unlicensed contractors your renewal.
If you’re new homeowner who approaches you for being here today.
When seeking for a fixed location. People who have had to be forge than it would only need to be
taxed. The website projects are generally knowledgeable.
Electrical contractors Sydney offers their estimation as every device installed needs
proper care and responsibility as a recruiter.
What does this half to do with Toy Story?
It makes sense, and Pixar is known for their ‘easter eggs’, I thought that this article was true. I couldn’t see any flaws.
Fastidious replies in return of this difficulty with
genuine arguments and describing everything concerning that.
Terrific work! This is the kind of information that are supposed to be shared around the web.
Shame on the search engines for no longer positioning this put up higher!
Come on over and discuss with my website . Thank you
=)
Body scrubs are one of the easiest homemade beauty products to make.
Looking beautiful doesn’t have to be hard on your budget
or the environment. A number of would say that will sometimes they rarely find time to rinse
their hair.
Never post a single ad again
Then you have to worry about rehabilitating, pain and suffering and
tryong to return to work and your daily life. Askk through your friends and family circles for anyone they can recommend.
• If the car accident resulted in significant property damage.
Never,ever, again do I want to see another ad on this website again
It is usually at this point that the most junior member of the household suggests that maybe I
should put more water in the bowl so that the plunger has half a chance of success.
” In little time at all, the completed washing was spinning away drying in the only dryer, I was standing under a well eared hot shower giving myself a good rubdown. When you pull the toilet handle, the flapper rises and allows the water in the tank to empty into the toilet.
Who cares
I love this theory, it makes a lot of sense. One thing I wish they’d included in the movies though, perhaps not Andy’s mom’s reaction to Jessie, but Jessie’s reaction when she realizes Andy’s mom is the same Emily that was her friend.
Just an FYI, in “8 Awesome Facts about Toy Story 2” from the Disney Movies Anywhere app/page fact #2 is that Andy’s mom and Emily have similar taste in music. Andy’s mom is selling a “Lemurs” 8-track tape at the garage sale and Emily has “Lemurs” posters in her room.
I don’t know what surprises me more: the fact that you found this out or the fact that it actually works.
any chance you good hand me a mop and a brush cause my friend you just blew my mind
could
So all of you have said a lot about the hats actually being different but has anyone considered that Ms.Davis (Emily) may have gotten the hat altered to match the shape of Woody’s hat for Andy.
This is exactly what I’ve been thinking, maybe when Andy shows an interest in cowboy toys his mom, Emily, digs out her old cowgirl hat and modifies it (i.e paints the band, removes the lace around the edge and bends the rim up a little) and gives it to wear when he plays like she did