Al's Toy Barn is a toy store in Disney•Pixar's Toy Story franchise. It is first shown in a TV commercial advertising Buzz Lightyear toys while Woody and Buzz are at Sid's house in Toy Story, though it makes its first physical appearance in Toy Story 2. It is owned by Al McWhiggin, an obsessive and greedy toy collector who steals Woody at the beginning of the second film.
Background[]
Official Description[]
- For the cast of Toy Story 2, the trip to Al's Toy Barn was both perilous and otherworldly. Using only modest exaggeration, the filmmakers presented the retail toy store as towering and awe inspiring, especially when viewed from the very low angle of the characters. It also provided Buzz the existential experience of confronting himself, facing hundreds of identical Buzz Lightyears still in their packages.
Places of interest[]
- Entrance: Buzz Lightyear, Hamm, Rex, Mr. Potato Head, and Slinky Dog enter the store by jumping onto a door sensor mat at the same time to trigger the automatic doors opening. After they enter, Rex finds a strategy guidebook to the Buzz Lightyear video game he had been playing earlier on a shelf next to the door. Later, when Buzz is exiting the store, he knocks over a stack of boxes onto the door sensor mat to open the doors, unknowingly releasing a Zurg action figure in the process. When the automatic doors open, a cow mooing sound effect is played (due to the store's barn theme).
- Barbie aisle: This is where Hamm, Rex, Mr. Potato Head and Slinky encounter a bunch of Barbie dolls having a party and meet one of them, Tour Guide Barbie, who volunteers to help the toys in their search.
- Hot Wheels aisle: Tour Guide Barbie opens up the tour by taking the toys into this aisle. The bouncy balls machine that the toys crash into is located in this aisle.
- Buzz Lightyear aisle: This is an aisle full of new Buzz Lightyear toys that Andy's Buzz encounters while on his search. Here, he gets into a fight with another Buzz Lightyear action figure, who behaves much like him in the first film. He mistakes the real Buzz for a rogue space ranger, ties him up into a box, and places him on the shelf with the other Buzz Lightyear action figures. Tour Guide Barbie takes the toys into this aisle where they pick up the newer Buzz (mistaking him for Andy's), leaving the real Buzz behind. Buzz manages to escape soon after and gives chase to the toys.
- Al's office: Al McWhiggin, the owner of Al's Toy Barn, maintains his office here. There is a Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots playset on his desk.
Appearances[]
Toy Story[]
Al's Toy Barn made a cameo appearance in the first film. It is seen in a commercial that Buzz watches, making him realize what he really is.
Toy Story 2[]
In the second film, it again appears in a commercial on Andy's TV twice at the beginning of the film. When Andy's toys arrived at the store in search of Woody, they use a shopping cart, with Buzz pushing it, to cross the parking lot. The store is closed however, but Buzz notices that they can still enter after seeing an employee enter through the automatic doors. He has the others proceed, ignoring Rex telling them that the store isn't open yet. Reaching the entrance, they have to jump on the sensor mat altogether to make the door open. Once inside, Rex discovers a guide that shows how to beat the video game that he can't beat and takes one. They split up into three groups: Hamm and Mr. Potato Head, Rex and Slinky, and Buzz alone. Buzz comes across the Buzz Lightyear aisle where he, out of curiosity, examines and confronts Utility Belt Buzz, who is hostile towards him. After they fight, Andy's Buzz is defeated, imprisoned in a box, and put on the shelf with the other Buzz Lightyear toys.
Meanwhile, Rex and Mr. Potato Head are searching another aisle before Hamm and Slinky arrive driving a toy car that they found so as to explore the store faster. Mr. Potato Head takes the wheel as he and Rex board the car. After hitting the shelves while trying to get the car to move forward (as a result of it facing sideways and the aisle being quite narrow), they finally succeed, but also accidentally knock over some containers as they leave the aisle. They next enter the Barbie aisle where they come across some Barbie dolls having a pool party and are awed by their beauty. Hamm asks them for advice on how to find Al and Tour Guide Barbie comes to help them. She takes them to the Hot Wheels aisle first. Rex, excited that he found out how to beat Zurg in the game guide, shows it to the others, but this blocks Tour Guide Barbie's view and makes her crash into a ball dispensing machine. This causes many bouncy balls to spill out, causing their car to spin out of control as they try to escape and Rex to lose his game guide, which slides under one of the shelves. Unable to retrieve it, he runs after the car, to which it stops to let him back onboard. Their final stop is the Buzz Lightyear aisle, where they meet Utility Belt Buzz, whom they mistaken for Andy's Buzz. He joins them after Rex tells him about how he can defeat Zurg, unaware that he was referring to his video game, not the real Zurg. After they leave, Andy's Buzz unsuccessfully tries to get their attention.
Once in Al's office, the toys search for Woody, but cannot find him. They hide when Al arrives and after seeing a picture of Woody, they all jump inside Al's bag as he picks it up and exits the office excited. Meanwhile, Andy's Buzz frees himself and notices Al. He sees Rex's tail sticking out of his bag, which Al doesn't notice, and thinks they've been captured. He follows Al, tripping over the same balls from before. He does some stunts up some shelf racks and lands on a rack with baseball bats. Using one to give him a boost, he jumps on a trampoline and uses a zipline to faster catch up to Al, but fails to get out the door before it closes. Because he's not heavy enough to trigger the sensor mat, he gets the idea to knock down some boxes to trigger the mat. His plan works, but it also unintentionally frees a toy Zurg due to his box getting caught in between the doors, who chases after Buzz.
The store made one final appearance at the end of the film in a commercial where Al is devastated by the loss of the Roundup Toys.
Disney Parks[]
Al's Toy Barn served as a backdrop for a Toy Story meet and greet at Disney's Hollywood Studios that ran from 2002 to 2008.
Al's Toy Barn would later appear at Shanghai Disneyland as the gift shop for their version of Toy Story Land.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Al's Toy Barn appears to be a parody of Toys "R" Us, which shut down in 2018, but The American Dream Mall recently opened a new flagship store.
- When Etch A Sketch draws a map to Al's Toy Barn, the address displays 1001 W. Cutting Boulevard, which was the then-current address of Pixar Animation Studios in Richmond, California.
- Just before the toys reach Al's Toy Barn, Hamm makes a joke parodying the riddle: "Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side!"
- The shot of Andy's Buzz Lightyear climbing up the display only to encounter the new Buzz Lightyear standing tall resembles the one of Woody climbing up Andy's bed, only to encounter the original Buzz standing tall in the first Toy Story.
- Characters from A Bug's Life are visible as toys inside the store.
- After Al McWhiggin compliments the Cleaner for fixing Woody and claims, "He's just like new!", the movie cuts back to the Toy Barn and shows a sign saying the word "NEW!".
- One Pixar Ball is visible immediately after entering the store. When leaving the store, a container of those balls can be seen to the left of the door (a sign on the container reads "Fresh Farm Balls"). A ball is also shown in the commercial for the store earlier in the film.
- Barbie's dance steps are based on Ann-Margret's moves in Viva Las Vegas.
- One of the levels in Toy Story 2: The Video Game is a space-themed section of Al's Toy Barn called "Al's Space Land", where the majority of toys there are of Buzz Lightyear and Zurg. There's also an arcade with a claw machine and ball pit (similar to Pizza Planet). Oddly enough, the Aliens from Pizza Planet are being sold there as well.
- In Toy Story 3: The Video Game, tokens are used at Al's Toy Barn on the game board to buy new toys that can be used in Woody's Roundup.
- At one point, while the toys are in Al's Toy Barn, Mr. Potato Head views Rex chasing after the car in a rearview side mirror. This parodies a scene in Jurassic Park, when the T. rex chases after the crew in a jeep.
- Additionally, the phrase made famous in Jurassic Park, "Objects in mirrors are closer than they appear," is also visible on the mirror of the car that the toys drive in the store.
- Buckets of toy soldiers (like the one in Andy's room) are seen when Hamm, Slinky, Mr. Potato Head, and Rex bump into them while driving in the car.
- The pink bear from the first film is shown being sold in the store.
- Al's Toy Barn is seen sponsoring Racer 75 in the Cars teaser trailer.
- In the Can You Find the Difference Seek & See book, on the difference page on the right side, the sign outside has "Big" in front of "Al's", making the sign now say "Big Al's Toy Barn".
- In Monopoly: Disney/Pixar Edition, players can use Al's Toy Barn currency to rent due to it being Pixar-themed.
- In Disney Crossy Road for the mobile app, Al's Toy Barn is a playable environment featured in Toy Story 2.
- In Disney Magic Kingdoms, the crescent moon icon on the game's version of Al's Toy Barn more closely resembles the Funmeister mascot of Walt Disney World's former Pleasure Island area than the film's moon.
- Al's Toy Barn also makes a cameo outside of Pixar. It is featured in the Megas XLR episode "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Coop".
