Al's Toy Barn is a toy store first mentioned in the 1995Disney•Pixar animated film Toy Story in a TV commercial advertising Buzz Lightyear toys while Woody and Buzz Lightyear are trapped in Sid'shouse, though it first appears in the 1999sequel. It is owned by Al McWhiggin, an obsessive and greedy toy collector who steals Woody at the beginning of the film.
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 to trigger the door open. After they enter, Rex finds a strategy guidebook to the Buzz Lightyear video game he has been playing earlier on a shelf next to the door. Later, when Buzz is exiting the store, he knocks over a stack of boxes next to the door onto the door sensor mat, unknowingly releasing an Evil Emperor Zurg action figure in the process.
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.
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 2000 to 2011.
Disney Fanon Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Al's Toy Barn.
Trivia[]
When Etch-A-Sketch draws a map to Al's Toy Barn, the address displays 1001 W. Cutting Boulevard, which is the address of Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, California.
Just before the toys reach Al's Toy Barn, Hamm makes a joke parodying the riddle: "Why did the chicken cross the road?"
Characters from A Bug's Life are visible as toys inside the store.
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".
One ball from Luxo, Jr. 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.
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 Emperor 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.
Al's Toy Barn seems to be a parody to Toys "R" Us, which shut down in 2018, but Garden State Plaza recently opened a new store.
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 non-Disney film 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 being sold in the store.
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.
Al's Toy Barn also makes a cameo outside Pixar. It is featured in the Megas XLR episode "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Coop".
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 then the film's moon.
Al's Toy Barn is seen sponsoring racer 7 in the Cars teaser trailer.
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Andy's House • Sid's House • Dinoco • Pizza Planet • Al's Toy Barn • Al's Penthouse • Tri-County International Airport • Wild West • Sunnyside Daycare • Ken's Dream House • Bonnie's House • Daisy's House • Tri-County Sanitation • Tri-County Landfill • Incinerator • Poultry Palace • Sleep Well • Second Chance Antiques • The Carnival • Konishi Toy Museum
Deleted:The Fool • Plastic Spaceman Miscellaneous:Midway Mania • Hot Potato • My Unexpected Friend
See Also
A113 • Black Friday reel • Toy Story (Original Treatment) • Toy Story 3 (Circle 7 Screenplay) • The Science Behind Pixar • Pixar in a Box • Astro Blasters Robots • Star Command
