The $10,000 Buzz Lightyear and the Real Story Behind Toy Story's Merch Empire (Ep. 55)

The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Tv & Film, Society & Culture, Places & Travel

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 10 July 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey continue their Toy Story series with a deep dive into the franchise's merchandising legacy—and how a scrappy unknown toy company landed the rights that Mattel and Hasbro turned down. From the earliest Thinkway figures to today's collector's items worth thousands, they explore how Toy Story became one of the most profitable and collectible Disney properties of all time. Plus, Jim shares a personal behind-the-scenes story about the original vision for Toy Story 4, including his lost interview with John and Nancy Lasseter—and how a Valentine turned into something very different. Why Thinkway got the Toy Story license when everyone else passed What Barbie’s deleted scene tells us about Pixar’s early struggles The rise of collector culture—and what a boxed Buzz goes for now Jim’s first-day-of-release trip to MGM Studios and the Toy Story parade The real story behind the development and derailment of Toy Story 4 How John Lasseter’s personal life reshaped the film and Pixar’s future From Sid’s backyard to $10,000 auctions, this episode is packed with nostalgia, controversy, and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Unlocked Magic Unlocked Magic, powered by DVC Rental Store and DVC Resale Market, offers exclusive Disney & Universal ticket savings with TRUSTED service and authenticity. With over $10 MILLION in ticket sales, use Unlocked Magic to get the BIGGEST SAVINGS. Learn More Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey Spotify, is Dampson Idris here to celebrate Tommy Hill Figures' Apex GP collection.
0:06.0	Fuelled by the thrill of speed and the power of style,
0:09.0	Tommy Hill Figures capsule collection merges performance-driven design with limitless confidence.
0:13.0	This isn't just a lot. It's the uniform for those on a journey to achieve their dreams.
0:18.0	Discover Tommy Hilfiger's limited edition Apex GP Collection, inspired by F1, the
0:22.9	movie, only in cinemas, June 25th.
0:27.4	Welcome back to Why Want That 2, the podcast where Disney merch meets Disney history.
0:33.2	I'm the entertainer writer Jim Hill, and as always, I'm joined by the lovely Lauren Hersey.
0:38.8	Hey, Jim. How's it going?
0:40.6	Reasonably well, the first day of a new month, so outrunning all sorts of chores.
0:46.6	What do I do?
0:47.5	Yeah, same. I don't know if I told you. Did I tell you that we just booked another Disney trip coming up?
0:53.6	Your husband mentioned something about this. told you. Did I tell you that we just booked another Disney trip coming up?
1:01.0	Your husband mentioned something about this, to the effect of, and again, not to tell tales out of school here, but you've had some fairly significant plumbing issues at your house, right?
1:07.2	A rather large project came out of the blue. Yes, I think I mentioned before the giant hole in my
1:13.6	backyard, but we really, really, really wanted to go on vacation. So we are going to try to do the
1:20.2	world's cheapest trip to Disney. I'll let you know how that goes. But our cast member friend reached
1:26.3	out and he did offer to take me back to property
1:29.1	control.
1:29.6	Oh, dear.
1:30.2	So I get it, but I feel like I need to buy the merch for the, for the podcast, right?
1:36.0	Well, there we go.
	...

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