Toy Story Toys

Thinkway Toys in Canada was the original manufacturer of the classic talking Toy Story toys beginning in 1995 when the first Toy Story movie was released. The original Ultimate Talking Buzz Lightyear #62809 and the original Pull-String Talking Woody #62943 were wonderful toys - and they still are. In the ten years since the first Toy Story movie was released in theaters, these toys have remained in production. The current versions are labeled Toy Story And Beyond with the model numbers 68025 for Buzz and 68027 for Woody. The only thing that has changed on these toys since 1995 are the model numbers and the packaging. The toys have not changed. These are the only toys with Tim Allen's voice for Buzz and the original soundtrack voice for Woody, (performed by Tom Hank's brother). If you want the absolute best toys for your children or grandchildren who are old enough to care about the toy having the right voice, or the toy that looks just like the character, these are the Toy Story toys to buy for children. It's usually about ages 8 or 9 when these things start to matter. These toys are difficult to find and we think we give you a good deal on them.

For younger children, ages 3 to 7, as long as the toy is a close match, they're just as happy to have one of the more commonly available toys, such as the Toy Story Toys made by Mattel and Hasbro available through Amazon.com.

Toy Story 2's Jessie The Yodeling Cowgirl was made into another wonderful toy by Thinkway. The model #68068 Jessie is a perfect match for the #68027 Woody. This toy went out of production in 2001, but Thinkway has made at least one more run of them since then. They're still very hard to find and our supply is limited. Again, this Jessie is the one to get for children who are old enough to want the real voice or the authentic original version.

Not to be overlooked is the Classic Slinky Dog. Slinky Dog was a prominent character in both Toy Story movies. Voiced by the late Jim Varney, he is a popular figure and the toy made by Poof-Slinky, Inc. is a perfect likeness of the movie character.

As I mentioned above, Mattel also makes Toy Story toys. They didn't make a Buzz Lightyear or Woody action figure until 1997 when they made the first Christmas Edition of Buzz Lightyear. They followed that up with a Talking Buzz that came in a spaceship-shaped box, just like was shown in the original Toy Story movie in 1995. Then in 1998, they made a Christmas edition of Woody in a fur-trimmed Santa-like costume. Finally, in 1999, when Toy Story 2 was released in theaters, they made a more complete line of Toy Story toys including a talking Buzz Lightyear, the Singin' Strummin' Woody, the Talk 'n Yodel Jessie, and the unique Wild Whinnies Bullseye. Mattel has made a variety of Toy Story toys since that time.

More recently, Hasbro has released a variety of talking Toy Story Toys, like the Galactic Defender Buzz Lightyear. Again, I recommend all of these less expensive toys from Mattel and Hasbro for younger children aged 3 to 7.

I hope this helps makes your gift-buying decisions easier. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me using our Feedback page.