Jessie Toy Story: Who She Is and Who Voices Her
Jessie in Toy Story is the cowgirl toy from the Woody's Roundup collection, voiced by Joan Cusack in Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3, Toy Story 4 and Toy Story 5. She debuts in Toy Story 2, and in Toy Story 5 (2026) she takes the lead in the toys' effort to win Bonnie back from a tablet.
Who Plays Jessie (voice)?
Who Is Jessie in Toy Story?
Jessie is a cowgirl toy who first appears in Toy Story 2 (1999), directed by John Lasseter, as part of the Woody's Roundup collection alongside Bullseye the horse and Stinky Pete the Prospector. So, what kind of toy is Jessie? She is a cowgirl character from an old TV show called Woody's Roundup, and she is one of the toys Woody meets in the apartment of the collector Al McWhiggin after Al steals him. Al plans to sell the whole set to a toy museum in Tokyo, and the set is only complete with Woody.
The name of the cowgirl in Toy Story 2 is Jessie, and she is voiced by Joan Cusack. Does the voice ever change? Not according to the credits. Cusack voices Jessie in toy story 2, toy story 3, toy story 4 and toy story 5. She is billed third in Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3, thirteenth in Toy Story 4 and first in Toy Story 5, which tells you something about how the character's weight in the saga has moved over time.
If you are working through the saga for the first time, our toy story movies in order guide shows where each of her four films sits, and the full list of toy story characters has the rest of the room.
Jessie (voice) Films
Jessie's Story Across Toy Story 2, 3, 4 and 5Spoilers
Jessie's story runs through four films, and each one gives her a different job: tempter, survivor, rallying voice and finally leader. In Toy Story 2, she and the other Roundup toys urge Woody to come to Japan, where they would be on display and never be outgrown. Woody is tempted, but he decides he wants to go back to Andy. Stinky Pete tries to stop him, and Buzz Lightyear and Andy's other toys push on to reach him. Woody and his friends escape, and Jessie and Bullseye come back with them. They narrowly get away from Al and the airport baggage system, and both of them join the family of toys in Andy's room.
In Toy Story 3 (2010), directed by Lee Unkrich, Andy is about to leave for college and his mother accidentally puts the bag of toys out with the trash. The toys end up at Sunnyside Daycare, where Lotso rules like a dictator, and they later fight their way out through a garbage truck and a landfill with an incinerator. Jessie is billed third among the voice cast. Andy later gives all the toys to Bonnie, and the toys settle in with her.
What happened to Jessie in Toy Story 4? The film (2019), directed by Josh Cooley, belongs to Woody, Bo Peep and Forky, and Jessie has a smaller part. She and Buzz rally the other toys to drive the RV back to the fair, and she is among the toys who say a tearful goodbye when Woody chooses to stay with Bo as a lost toy.
Toy Story 5 (2026), directed by Andrew Stanton, moves her to the front. Bonnie, now older, falls for Lilypad, a tablet with a social app, and stops playing with her old toys. Jessie takes the lead in trying to get Bonnie to look up from the screen, and Woody and Buzz join the effort. She and Bullseye get separated from the others and end up at the home of Jessie's first owner, Emily, where a girl named Blaze now lives.
Who Are Jessie's Closest Friends and Rivals?
Jessie's closest companions are Bullseye, the Roundup horse who is with her in Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 5, and Woody, her best known pairing. Did Jessie like Woody in Toy Story? In Toy Story 2 she is a fellow member of the Roundup set, and she and the others urge him to come to Japan because the set is only complete with him. When Woody decides to go home, Jessie and Bullseye come back with him and join the toys in Andy's room. You can read more about him at woody toy story.
Her partnership with buzz lightyear shows up when it counts. In Toy Story 4 the two of them rally the other toys to drive the RV back to the fair, and in Toy Story 5 Buzz and Woody both join her campaign to bring Bonnie back to her toys. Stinky Pete and Al McWhiggin are the Roundup set's opposition in Toy Story 2, since Pete tries to stop Woody from leaving and Al wants to sell the collection to Tokyo.
The relationships with children matter just as much. Bonnie is the owner she tries to win back in Toy Story 5, and Emily is named as her first owner. Blaze, who lives in Emily's home, becomes the friend Jessie believes Bonnie needs. Lilypad, the tablet, is the opponent who turns out not to be a villain, because she believes she is helping Bonnie. Jessie also appears alongside bo peep toy story and forky toy story as part of the larger ensemble in Toy Story 4.
What Happens to Jessie at the End of Toy Story 5?Spoilers
Jessie's fate is a happy one: by the final scenes of Toy Story 5 she is back in Bonnie's room, and the plan she set in motion is what puts her there. After the donation truck chase that rescues Lilypad, Blaze carries Jessie and Bullseye to Bonnie's door. Bonnie feels awkward about the toys for a moment, then relaxes, and the two girls end up playing together with the toys and the tablet in the same game.
The closing note of the film is that imagination and screens can share a room. Woody takes to the open road with Bo Peep, and a walkie-talkie keeps him in touch with Buzz, Jessie and the others. So, Jessie is not lost, retired or passed on to a new owner: she stays with Bonnie, and she is the reason the friendship with Blaze exists.
What comes next is not confirmed. No source reports a release date or production status for Toy Story 6, and the credits scenes of Toy Story 5 tease a high tech Zurg toy without promising a sequel. The latest is on our toy story 6 page, and the grosses are on the toy story box office page.
Jessie's Best Moments, Ranked by Heart
In my opinion, Jessie's best moment is her most recent one: the Toy Story 5 stretch where she and Bullseye end up at Emily's home and she decides that Blaze, who loves toys and imagination, could be the friend Bonnie needs. It could be argued that this is the first time the saga hands her a decision of her own, and it fits the care she shows in Toy Story 2 for a toy who needs a friend.
Second, perhaps, is the Toy Story 2 argument over Japan. Jessie and the other Roundup toys offer Woody a life on display where nobody can outgrow him, and the film lets that offer sound reasonable. For an adult viewer it reads less like a trap and more like a real choice, and that is why Woody's decision to go home lands the way it does. A child may simply enjoy the chase through the airport baggage system, which is a fine bonus.
Third is her turn with Buzz in Toy Story 4, rallying the other toys to drive the RV back to the fair. It is a small role, and the film is really about Woody and Bo, but it shows how the ensemble has grown around her. For a younger viewer, Toy Story 2 (rated G in the US) is the gentlest place to meet her, and Toy Story 5 (rated PG in the US) is the one to save for a child who already knows Bonnie and her toys.
Facts
- Joan Cusack voices Jessie in Toy Story 2 and is billed third. TMDB, checked 2026-11-03
- Joan Cusack voices Jessie in Toy Story 3 and is billed third. TMDB, checked 2026-11-03
- Joan Cusack voices Jessie in Toy Story 4 and is billed thirteenth. TMDB, checked 2026-11-03
- Joan Cusack voices Jessie in Toy Story 5 and is billed first. TMDB, checked 2026-11-03
- Toy Story 2, Jessie's first film, opened in the US on November 24, 1999. D23 (Disney), checked 2026-11-03
- Toy Story 3 opened in the US on June 18, 2010. Box Office Mojo, checked 2026-11-03
- Toy Story 4 opened in the US on June 21, 2019. Box Office Mojo, checked 2026-11-03
- Toy Story 5 opened in the US on June 19, 2026. Box Office Mojo, checked 2026-11-03
- Toy Story 5 runs 102 minutes. TMDB, checked 2026-11-03
- Toy Story 5 is directed by Andrew Stanton. TMDB, checked 2026-11-03
FAQs
Did Jessie like Woody in Toy Story?
In Toy Story 2 Jessie is a fellow member of the Woody's Roundup set, and she and the others urge Woody to come to Japan because the set is only complete with him. When Woody chooses to go home to Andy, she and Bullseye go with him, and in Toy Story 5 Woody joins her effort to bring Bonnie back to her toys.
What kind of toy is Jessie?
Jessie is a cowgirl toy from the old TV show Woody's Roundup, which Woody learns he once starred in during Toy Story 2. She is part of the same collection as Bullseye the horse and Stinky Pete the Prospector.
Why did Emily get rid of Jessie in Toy Story 2?
Toy Story 2 introduces Jessie as part of Al McWhiggin's Woody's Roundup collection, and no reason is given there for how she left her first owner. Emily is named as that owner in Toy Story 5, where Jessie and Bullseye end up at her home and meet Blaze, the girl who now lives there.
What happened to Jessie in Toy Story 4?
Jessie has a smaller role in Toy Story 4. She and Buzz rally the other toys to drive the RV back to the fair, and she is among the toys who say goodbye when Woody chooses to stay with Bo Peep as a lost toy. She stays with Bonnie and the group.
What is the name of the cowgirl in Toy Story 2?
The cowgirl in Toy Story 2 is Jessie, voiced by Joan Cusack. She is one of the Woody's Roundup toys Woody meets in Al McWhiggin's apartment, along with Bullseye and Stinky Pete the Prospector.
What is Jessie from Toy Story's birthday?
Jessie has no official birthday in the films or in Disney's material on them. Her screen debut is Toy Story 2, released in the US on November 24, 1999, and Joan Cusack has voiced her in every film since.