Toy Story implications

[freezestime]

With the upcoming (or released idk which one) Toy Story 4, the numerous theories surrounding it made me think about what it would mean for the toys I have were I in that universe, like if you saw the toys move, what would you do?

What personalities would they have if they were second hand and their background was unknown, or those from your childhood?

I'm especially interested in prototypes, would they remain lifeless if they never entered the hands of a child? Or would it be enough for a adult collector to pose them and give them their own personality to bring them to life?

Would those in MIB ever come to life? Because in Toy Story 2, Stinky Pete is still in his box but he can move around freely within that restriction.

And what about customs? Is that akin to involuntary surgery? and head swaps on Barbies? What kind of stuff would that do to their psyche?

What are your thoughts on this?

[Nemesis]

• If I saw the toys move... That would be awesome! I would totally try to integrate myself into their little toy community.
• Prototypes... Hmm, I think they’d just be like any other toy. Like the toys at Al’s Toy Barn in Toy Story 2, who have never been played with, but just kinda hang out amongst themselves. Maybe they’d have some kind of complex about being a prototype, lol?
• I think MIB toys would be very much like Stinky Pete. They’d just hobble around inside their packaging... I could see some MIB toys having a phobia of getting scratched or otherwise damaging their “mint condition” status, lol.
• Customs/head swaps/etc.... Well, you remember Sid’s room, right? He was something of a budding customizer.

[banditpony]

If I saw toys move-- I would try to destroy them.

[Galactica]

I think that movies like Toy Story (and before that Brave Little Toaster) are why so many of us are afraid to toss old or broken toys for fear of breaking their hearts or hurting their feelings- and why we cringe to see some hapless toy in the hands of a monster pre-schooler...

If they really were sentient?  A terrifying thought.  (Thinking of my son's favorite stuffie whose eyes were chewed out and who currently resembles a mangled weasel more than the cat he started out life as)

[Einhornbaby]

I.... jave got to admit that I never saw one of the Toy Story movies. 

I though watched a similar movie as a kid, no idea of the name but it was a Henson film and one of the main characters was... a stuffed toy I think, a tiger maybe *think* Hm. gotta google that. I though know that it scared me a lot as a kid because one of the problems the toys were facing was : whenever a human would see them move they had to "die", meaning they would not be able to move or talk or do anything anymore. I spend the rest of my childhood silently warning my toys before I entered my room


So, whatever... On to the questions :


What personalities would they have if they were second hand and their background was unknown, or those from your childhood?
Good question! I guess they would have their original personality but maybe change a little everytime I played with them!

I'm especially interested in prototypes, would they remain lifeless if they never entered the hands of a child? Or would it be enough for a adult collector to pose them and give them their own personality to bring them to life?
I think a toy that has never encountered a kid or at least an adult with a strong inner child would remain lifeless. An adult collector who has lots of fantasy and a strong inner child would be able to "wake" it though (wow its like this is becoming real lol, didnt think about things like that for a long time but its kinda fun!)

Would those in MIB ever come to life? Because in Toy Story 2, Stinky Pete is still in his box but he can move around freely within that restriction.
I dont think so. Well I didnt see any of those movies but for my own thoughts I dont think this would happen.

And what about customs? Is that akin to involuntary surgery? and head swaps on Barbies? What kind of stuff would that do to their psyche?
A custom pony... So, when I am making a custom I will always do the eyes last, when everything else is done and no earlier. Because... (oh yeah this WILL sound weird, brace yourself!) im afraid they would be in pain from rehairing and such (I mean, 4729473x needles stuck into your body must be horrible!). So giving them eyes is like giving them a new life! Once their head is of, the hair is gone and so on it feels like the original pony is gone. And with giving them new paint, new hair and new eyes its like a whole new pony <3
A head swap... Ive never done this on purpose because it would freak me out! Who is it, the head or the body that is "talking" to me? Nope, no go.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

If anyone has read "oddkins" by dean koontz, that sums up my feelings on toys and their life. Yes I believe they are alive in a sense... at least they are entities that be filled with bad or good energy.

[Nemesis]

Einhornbaby: The movie you’re thinking of is “The Christmas Toy”.

[Zapper]

I wondered this as a kid after watching Toy Story. We even tried to spy through the keyhole to see the toys do stuff.

Most of my collectibles would just be angry at me because I keep them in storage.
I only have one shelf I allow toys on and one glass display case, so that would create lots of tension between the toys.

I guess customs would just feel like they got make-overs.
Prototypes would be like the wise ancestors. "You came from MY mold you uppity youngsters!" Maybe some ponies would create a cult around The First Mold like the aliens in Toy Story worshipped that claw.

Now what would fakies be? Would they be shady imposters or just family twice removed?

[brightberry]

I think that movies like Toy Story (and before that Brave Little Toaster) are why so many of us are afraid to toss old or broken toys for fear of breaking their hearts or hurting their feelings- and why we cringe to see some hapless toy in the hands of a monster pre-schooler...

If they really were sentient?  A terrifying thought.  (Thinking of my son's favorite stuffie whose eyes were chewed out and who currently resembles a mangled weasel more than the cat he started out life as)

I agree! I wouldn't want them to actually be sentient.

That emotional connection is exactly what the toy creator wants us to have.  It's hard for me to think of most human made objects as just junk considering all the work and creativity that went into it.  But we are all just so overwhelmed with stuff we can't appreciate it anymore.

[Mewtwofan1]

I’ve pondered this a lot, as I have difficulty letting go of physical objects like toys. I feel there is a connection to the object, even though I know (or at least to my knowledge) it is non sapient, and doesn’t have feelings. Anyways, onto these existential toy life questions!
1. If a toy who’s past was unknown came in, I do not think it’s personality would change the more it was played with by its new child/collector. Lotso maintained his own ideology and personality despite being played with daily. I would think that a toys personality is determined based on the first human to play with it, and will change in the same way human personalities change with experiences.
2. Prototypes would probably fall under the sentient toy umbrella once either in a collector or child’s hand. I’m not sure how the other toys would react to them, or how the prototype would see itself. But it would probably be like most other toy story toys, just a different way.
3. A part of me wouldn’t actually want for MIB’s to be sapient or sentient. Imagine being trapped in a plastic bubble forever, with the outside world just beyond your plastic reach! But if they were sentient, perhaps they would have a complex about being mint in box, and be fickle about who touches the box.
4. A custom? I’d imagine the initial realization would be terrifying, but the toy would hopefully be cool with it. It might maintain its original personality, just with a new outer shell. And head swapping barbies or other dolls? Hmm...I feel like the consciousness would be in the head, as the potato heads were fine with parts removed and swapped. So it would probably be alarming for those without that capability. Sid’s toys were clearly troubled by their experience, so it can be assumed they can either feel pain, or some form of mental pain when parts are removed.

[Zapper]

Sid’s toys were clearly troubled by their experience, so it can be assumed they can either feel pain, or some form of mental pain when parts are removed.

I think this is kinda weird because in all TS movies the toys got their limbs yanked/ripped/broken off and did not show pain at all. They just reattached them.

Spoiler

In the new movie there is a plush toy who loses half of his body to a cat and you can see them all joke about it later on with the sentient half sitting around laughing.

With Sid they said he "tortures" toys. So maybe torture is more about disfiguring them. Like a custom gone wrong vs a custom gone right.

[freezestime]

Just to add, I think things like removing and painting eyes could be a literal nightmare for a toy. If their paint is completely gone, their eyeball is probably the same colour as their skin. Just imagining that on a real person is terrifying.

[kCherry]

Moving to the Toy Box since Dolls are not the main topic of this post.
Dollhouse Mod, Cherry