How To Change
Buzz Lightyear's Batteries

The original Toy Story toys made by Thinkway from 1995 through 2006 were remarkable in several respects. First of all, they were designed under the supervision of director John Lasseter so they looked exactly like the characters in the movies. Second, they were incredibly reliable despite being inexpensive. But they did have one flaw. The heads on the cheap little screws that they used on the battery compartments would break at the slightest misstep. This article explains how to change the batteries in the talking Buzz Lightyear easily and safely.

The key to changing the batteries in Buzz Lightyear is to use a quality screwdriver of the correct size. You need a Size 0 screwdriver. To start, you need to unscrew three screws that hold Buzz's backpack to his body. The picture on the left shows the location of these screws in the red circles. To start, make sure that the point of your screwdriver is firmly seated in the head of the screw. Gently, but firmly, turn the screw counter-clockwise until you pass the stiff resistance you'll find initially. Then you can unscrew the screw until it is fully widthdrawn. Repeat the process for all three screws and lift the backpack off Buzz.

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The battery compartment has a purple cover that just lifts off. You can use a flathead screwdriver to lift it, if necessary. The 62809-style original Talking Buzz Lightyear requires two size AA alkaline batteries. Carefully remove the old batteries and examine the terminals for signs of leakage and corrosion. If the batteries leaked, you can almost always repair the damage. Use a soft damp cloth to blot up any of the white crusty chemical residue you see. Use a scouring pad to gently remove any corrosion from the metal terminals. You want to make the terminals shiny and bright to insure a good electrical connection. Then just insert the new batteries, and replace the purple cover. Finally, re-seat the backpack in its original position, and gently screw in the screws to secure it to the body of the toy. I urge you not to tighten the screws too much so that you can easily remove them again the next time you need to replace the batteries. And while you're here, Space Rangers, take a peek at our Toy Story Toys and Collectibles page, too!