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Still from Toy Story 5 (2026)
Pixar Easter Eggs · by Tessa Marlowe

Toy Story Easter Eggs: Pixar Nods, Cameos and Credits Gags

Toy Story easter eggs include the Pizza Planet restaurant in Toy Story (1995), the A Bug's Life blooper reel in Toy Story 2, and, in Toy Story 5, the Zurg toy tease and Bad Bunny's Pizza With Sunglasses. Lightyear, Forky's mid credits romance and a Billy Crystal casting story round out the list, and a ranking of my favorites closes it.

Image: TMDB

Toy Story easter eggs

  • Pizza Planet, Toy Story

    Pizza Planet

    Toy Story (1995)

  • A Bug's Life blooper reel (Flik and Heimlich), Toy Story 2

    A Bug's Life blooper reel (Flik and Heimlich)

    Toy Story 2 (1999)

  • Billy Crystal turned down Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story

    Billy Crystal turned down Buzz Lightyear

    Toy Story (1995)

  • Lightyear, the Buzz Lightyear spin-off, Lightyear

    Lightyear, the Buzz Lightyear spin-off

    Lightyear (2022)

  • Forky and Karen Beverly, Toy Story 4

    Forky and Karen Beverly

    Toy Story 4 (2019)

  • Army of next generation Buzz Lightyears, Toy Story 5

    Army of next generation Buzz Lightyears

    Toy Story 5 (2026)

  • Bad Bunny as Pizza With Sunglasses, Toy Story 5

    Bad Bunny as Pizza With Sunglasses

    Toy Story 5 (2026)

  • Zurg teases

  • Pixar slate: Gatto in 2027

Toy Story Easter Eggs: What Counts and Where to Look

A Toy Story easter egg is a small nod, cameo or cross reference tucked into a scene or the credits, usually pointing to another film, a real production story or a later chapter of the saga. The five main films (Toy Story in 1995 through Toy Story 5 in 2026) and the spin-off Lightyear (2022) all carry a few, and each one below comes with a scene you can rewind tonight.

If you want to hunt in order, start with the Toy Story movies in order page. Every film is on Disney Plus in the US, UK and Australia, according to JustWatch data via TMDB checked on November 3, 2026, and the full breakdown sits on where to watch Toy Story. For the people behind the voices, see the Toy Story cast.

If you searched for A113, The Shining, Star Wars or Toy Story Land, know that these are popular names on Pixar easter egg lists. Disney, the trade papers and major news outlets have not confirmed those as references in the Toy Story films, so they are left out. Each egg below is tied to a named source.

Pizza Planet: The Restaurant That Starts the Chaos

Pizza Planet is the pizza restaurant in Toy Story (1995), directed by John Lasseter, and it is where Woody and Buzz land after their stranding at a gas station. The trip is meant to be a family outing for Andy, but it becomes the point where the two rivals are snatched by Sid, Andy's destructive neighbor.

Why does it matter to easter egg hunters? Because the restaurant is the hinge of the 1995 film, the moment a family treat turns into a rescue story. It is also a short stop that sets up the whole Sid sequence, so it rewards a rewatch. Anyone who goes looking for the Pizza Planet truck in Pixar films is really chasing the name of this restaurant, so the 1995 film is the place to start.

You can read the full story on Toy Story 1995.

Toy Story 2 Easter Eggs: The A Bug's Life Blooper Reel

The best known easter egg in Toy Story 2 (1999), also directed by John Lasseter, is the blooper reel that runs in the credits and features Flik and Heimlich from A Bug's Life. It is a joke that treats animated characters as actors who flub their lines, and it ties two films together in a single gag.

The reel was added to the film on December 25, 1999, a month after the movie opened in the US on November 24, 1999. It also gives younger viewers a reason to stay in their seats through the credits, and the joke lands best if they know the characters from the earlier film.

Our page on Toy Story 2 covers the rest of the film, including the Roundup toys and the rescue across town.

The Casting What If: Billy Crystal and Buzz Lightyear

Billy Crystal turned down the role of Buzz Lightyear and has called it his biggest regret. That makes it less an on screen easter egg and more a piece of behind the scenes trivia, though it is fun to keep in mind the next time Buzz declares himself a space ranger.

Tim Allen took the part in the 1995 film and has voiced Buzz in every main Toy Story film since, including Toy Story 5. The Crystal story was reported by Yahoo Entertainment.

If you enjoy casting trivia, the full voice list for each film is on the Toy Story cast page, and Buzz himself has a profile at Buzz Lightyear.

Lightyear: The Buzz Lightyear Spin-Off and Its Zurg Link

Lightyear (2022), directed by Angus MacLane, is the Buzz Lightyear spin-off, and it belongs on an easter egg list because it shares Buzz and Zurg with the Toy Story films, and a Zurg thread runs from its credits into Toy Story 5.

Chris Evans voices Buzz in Lightyear, while Tim Allen voices the toy in the main films, which is the simplest way to tell the two apart. The film follows Space Ranger Buzz and his commander Alisha Hawthorne on the hostile planet T'Kani Prime, with a robot cat named Sox and a villain named Zurg.

Lightyear earned about $226 million worldwide on a $200 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo and The Numbers. You can read the full entry at Lightyear.

Toy Story 4 Mid Credits: Forky and the Plastic KnifeSpoilers

The Toy Story 4 (2019) easter egg is a mid credits scene in which Forky falls in love with Karen Beverly, a toy made from a plastic knife and voiced by Melissa Villasenor. The film, directed by Josh Cooley, closes with Woody choosing to stay with Bo Peep, so this scene is the final laugh after an emotional goodbye.

The gag works because it plays on how Forky was born: Bonnie built him from a spork and craft supplies, so a toy made from a knife is the same kind of homemade creation. The ending also states that Bonnie makes a companion for Forky from a plastic knife, which gives the credits scene a small story payoff.

If you have a younger child watching, the scene is a gentle exit after a sad moment. Forky has his own profile at Forky, and the full film is covered on Toy Story 4.

Toy Story 5 Easter Eggs: The Army of Buzz LightyearsSpoilers

The army of Buzz Lightyears in Toy Story 5 (2026), directed by Andrew Stanton, is a crowd of next generation Buzz toys that float ashore and set off on their own adventure. The film keeps cutting back to them as a second storyline.

The payoff comes in the climax. When the toys chase Lilypad onto a donation truck, the army of Buzzes, which can turn into drones, flies everyone to safety. In other words, a gag that looks like a visual joke becomes the rescue.

For a full breakdown, read Toy Story 5. The film earned about $1.149 billion worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

Bad Bunny and Pizza With Sunglasses in Toy Story 5Spoilers

Bad Bunny's Pizza With Sunglasses leads a short musical interlude near the end of the Toy Story 5 credits, where characters dance and sing. It is a one scene cameo, easy to miss if you leave early.

The name is a pizza joke wrapped in a sunglasses joke, and in my opinion a pizza character leading the number is a nice echo for anyone who remembers Pizza Planet from the first film.

The credits also open with a separate animated sequence set to Taylor Swift's song "I Knew It, I Knew You", directed by Kenna Harris, so stay for both. Song titles for the film are collected on Toy Story soundtrack.

The Zurg Teases: From Lightyear to Toy Story 5Spoilers

Zurg is the thread that links Lightyear and Toy Story 5. In Lightyear, a scene during or after the credits indicates that Zurg survived the explosion that appeared to destroy him. In Toy Story 5, the end of the credits scenes shows a child pulling out a high tech Zurg toy, after a sequence in which kids each get a next generation Buzz.

Does that mean Zurg is coming back in Toy Story 6? Not according to any confirmed report. The credits scenes tease a high tech Zurg toy, but they do not confirm a sequel, and no source gives Toy Story 6 a release date or a production status. Any date you see elsewhere is unsourced rumor.

For what is actually known, see the Toy Story 6 page, and for the villains across the saga, see Toy Story villains.

What Comes Next at Pixar: Gatto and Beyond

Pixar's slate, as reported by TheWrap, does not include a Toy Story 6. The piece lists Gatto for 2027, and Incredibles 3 plus an original film for 2028, and it does not mention a sixth Toy Story. Trade coverage treats a sixth film as a possibility rather than an announced project.

That matters for easter egg hunters because the Zurg tease and the army of Buzzes are, for now, loose ends rather than a promised setup. Until a studio announcement arrives, the safest way to enjoy them is as a good joke that points forward.

We track every update at Toy Story 6, and you can find the existing films' trailers at Toy Story 6 trailer.

Toy Story Easter Eggs Explained: My RankingSpoilers

Which Toy Story easter eggs are the best? In my opinion, the ranking comes down to how much each one adds to the story rather than how hard it is to spot.

First place goes to the A Bug's Life blooper reel in Toy Story 2, a simple joke that links two films and still works on a rewatch. Second is the Toy Story 5 army of Buzzes, because it starts as a gag and ends as the rescue.

Bad Bunny's Pizza With Sunglasses comes third: fun and brief. The Zurg teases, which run from Lightyear into Toy Story 5, sit fourth, since they promise more than anyone has confirmed. The Forky knife gag and the Billy Crystal story are the gentlest, and I would pick them for a parent who wants a laugh rather than a puzzle.

If you are choosing a film for tonight, Toy Story 2 is the easiest one to share with younger kids, and the blooper reel gives them something to look for. For a broader look at every film, see Toy Story movies ranked.

Facts

FAQs

Is there a scary Toy Story?

Toy Story, Toy Story 2, 3 and 4 are rated G in the US, while Toy Story 5 and Lightyear are rated PG. The most intense stretches, in my opinion, are Sid's house in Toy Story (1995), where he wrecks toys, and the landfill and incinerator sequence in Toy Story 3. Parents of very young children may want to preview those scenes.

Who is the blonde girl in Toy Story?

The films have several girl characters, and the credits do not list hair color for any of them. Toy Story (1995) credits Hannah, voiced by Sarah Rayne, while Bonnie appears in Toy Story 3, 4 and 5, and Blaze appears in Toy Story 5. Emily was Jessie's first owner. If you remember a specific scene, check it against these names.

Was 90% of Toy Story 2 deleted?

The documented history is that Toy Story 2 began as a direct to video project, was announced as a theatrical release in 1998 and opened in US theaters on November 24, 1999. The film was made digitally from the start, according to Disney's D23. No documented account gives a figure for deleted work.

What are some interesting facts about Pixar movies?

Toy Story (1995) was the first all computer animated feature film, and John Lasseter received a special Oscar for it, according to Disney's D23. Toy Story 2 started life as a direct to video project before it became a theatrical release in 1998. Toy Story 5 (2026) has earned about $1.149 billion worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, and its credits include a musical interlude led by Bad Bunny's Pizza With Sunglasses.

Where can I watch the movies to hunt for Toy Story easter eggs?

All five main films and Lightyear stream on Disney Plus in the US, UK and Australia, according to JustWatch data via TMDB checked on November 3, 2026. Rent and buy options also exist on services such as Apple TV and Amazon Video.

Are A113, The Shining, Star Wars or Toy Story Land Toy Story easter eggs?

They turn up often on Pixar easter egg lists, but Disney, the trade papers and major news outlets have not confirmed them as references in the Toy Story films or Lightyear. The eggs worth seeking out are the ones Disney, trade papers or box office sources back up.