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Jessie (Toy Story)

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Jessie
Toy Story character
First appearanceToy Story 2 (1999)
Created by
Voiced by
In-universe information
SpeciesHumanoid pull-string doll
GenderFemale
Title
  • Cowgirl
  • Sheriff (post Toy Story 4)
OccupationToy
De facto leader of Andy's former toys (in Sunnyside)
Co-leader of Bonnie's room
Bonnie's room sheriff
Significant otherBuzz Lightyear
Place of originWoody's Roundup television series

Jessie is a fictional cowgirl rag doll from the Disney/Pixar Toy Story franchise. Created by John Lasseter, she first appears in Toy Story 2, and has since appeared as one of the three central characters of the films and spin-offs. Jessie is primarily voiced by Joan Cusack in the films and television specials.

In the Toy Story franchise, Jessie is a very excitable, brave, and very athletic rag doll that carries a great deal of sadness, as she was abandoned by her original owner, which left her somewhat distrustful. She was later discovered by Al of Al’s Toy Barn, who wanted to sell her to a toy museum in Tokyo, Japan. Between the time Emily abandoned her and when Al found her, it is evident that she had no owners during those years and spent a long time in storage. Years of being in storage have made her somewhat withdrawn, and noticeably afraid of the dark, to the extent of hyperventilating whenever she is inside dark enclosed spaces, or even at just the thought of being abandoned. But she longs to again be a source of joy to a child, and this wish comes true at the end of Toy Story 2 when Andy accepts her and Bullseye into his toy collection.

The character has received critical praise since her debut in 1999, often cited as one of the best characters of the franchise and a Pixar character as a whole. In October 2000, Jessie received the Patsy Montana Entertainer Award from the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame.[2] Jessie is also the namesake of version 8 of the Debian operating system — the code names of Debian releases are names of characters from the Toy Story films.[3]

Development

In the original manuscript of Toy Story 2, a doll by the name Señorita Cactus was originally supposed to be one of the main antagonists of the film. The development of Jessie was kindled by Lasseter's wife Nancy, who pressed him to include a strong female character in the sequel, one with more substance than Bo Peep.[4][5]

Characteristics

Jessie is depicted as being hyper, hearty, energetic, and outgoing, and noticeably more free-spirited and loose than the orderly and calm Woody. Joan Cusack, the most frequent voice of Jessie, has described her as a "can-do girl."[6] She is also slightly tomboyish. In the television series Woody's Roundup, Jessie is portrayed as being equally bubbly, rambunctious, and adventurous, aided by woodland creatures represented by obvious string puppets. She is also a talented yodeler.

Despite Jessie's extreme cheerfulness and sunny personality, she is scarred by a bleak and slightly depressing and melancholy background, when she was outgrown and abandoned by her owner Emily. She spent years afterward as a collector's item owned by Al packaged in a dark cardboard box along with Prospector and Bullseye, and was permanently scarred with claustrophobia and nyctophobia as a result, thrusting herself into horrible panic attacks when in confined spaces or faced with the threat of being stored away again. For years, she also was marked with a strong sense of feeling unloved, which she masked with her extreme playfulness, which was pacified after having been adopted by Andy. However, in the third film, when Andy was preparing to leave for college, she says "I should have seen this coming! It's Emily all over again!".

She has green eyes, red yarn hair pulled into a braid, pale plastic skin, and a small nose. She also has a yellow ribbon tied to the bottom of her braided hair, a white long-sleeved western-style shirt that includes a bright yellow bodice and cuffs complete with swirling red designs, blue jeans, a pair of white chaps with cow spots all over, brown boots, matching belt with gold buckle, red cowgirl hat, and a pullstring on her back with a white loop attached to it.

Appearances

Films

Toy Story 2

See also: Toy Story 2

With Al McWhiggin stealing a highly-valuable pull string Woody doll from Mrs. Davis at a yard sale, he is able to complete his Woody's Roundup collection and takes it out of storage. While away at work, Woody attempts to escape but ends up meeting Bullseye and Jessie instead, who are both overjoyed to have him a part of the collection. Jessie meets Woody by excitedly playing around with him and examining the doll to make sure he is not a fake. Overwhelmed with happiness, Jessie and Bullseye help Stinky Pete the Prospector out of storage and welcome Woody to the collection. Woody, not knowing who he is, becomes ecstatic when he is introduced to Woody's Roundup by the toys — showing him merchandise and episodes of the television show his character originated from. However, when showing him the final aired episode that ends on a cliffhanger, Woody wants to watch the next (and final) episode, but Jessie turns of the television and Pete reveals that the show was cancelled because of Sputnik and astronauts. Regardless, Woody likes the fact that he is a highly collectible and sought-out merchandised character, and ends up running on a record player with Jessie and Bullseye. However, their happiness becomes a nightmare when Pete reveals to Woody they’re being sold to a toy museum in Tokyo, Japan — and admits he cannot go because he still has an owner. This causes Jessie to become distraught, as her nightmares of being stuck in storage may come true, and lashes out at Woody for not wanting to stay.

When Woody loses his arm, he finds himself stuck in Al's apartment until he can get it back. As a result, Woody attempts to get his arm back from a sleeping Al in the middle of the night. But the T.V turns on, resulting in Al waking up, taking Woody's arm, and leaving the room. Once Woody's placed back in his display case, he blames Jessie for the incident due to the remote being in front of her, and her motivations for going to Tokyo. The following morning, Woody is fixed and begins to leave until Pete recommends he makes amends with Jessie before he does. He ends up speaking to Jessie up in the window, who decides to spend her last moments out of storage getting one last look at the sun. Woody admits he has to go back to Andy, claiming that she does not understand his feelings towards his owner, but Jessie finishes by interrupting that she knows how it feels to be loved by a child. Jessie then continues to reveal to Woody that she was once owned and loved by Emily, her former owner, who used to do everything together. However, Emily grew up, discarded Jessie as an old childhood trinket, and ignored her for years. Once she grew up, Emily encountered Jessie again, and thinking that they were about to have another day together, Emily instead ends up donating Jessie by placing her and similar items in a donation box on the side of the road. Jessie explains that kids will forget their toys, but the toys will never forget them — indirectly revealing why she wants to go to Tokyo. As a result, Woody decides not to go back to Andy's in order to make the Roundup Gang's dreams of going to the museum a reality.

Al begins to pack the merchandise for a flight to Japan, which overly excites the toys. Before they leave, Buzz, Ultra Belt Buzz, and a few of Andy's other toys show up to bring Woody home, of which he declines because he wants to help the other's. As a result, Buzz's words convince Woody to go home, and ends up asking Bullseye and Jessie to go with him. Jessie hesitates at first, but cannot come to a decision immediately as Pete locks the vent to keep Buzz from saving Woody, and for Woody to escape. This causes Al to take the toys and head to the airport, where they are ultimately stopped by Buzz and Andy's toys. However, Jessie is unable to escape from the luggage, and is taken to the airplane bound for Japan. This leads Woody to save the cowgirl before it takes off too far, and takes her and Bullseye to Andy's home. When Andy arrives home from cowboy camp, he is greeted by a display of his toys, including new ones of which he presumes his mother gave him. The following morning, Jessie and Bullseye find themselves excited — having Andy's name written on the bottom of their shoes. In the end, Buzz ends up developing a crush on Jessie, and the toys gather for a musical performance by Wheezy.

Toy Story 3

See also: Toy Story 3

In Toy Story 3, after Andy seemingly throws them away, it is Jessie who convinces the other toys to be given to Sunnyside Daycare, refusing to relive the trauma she felt when she was given away by Emily. She fails to realize that Andy intended to put them in the attic and that his mother threw them out by accident, and stubbornly refuses to listen to Woody when he tries to clear up the misunderstanding, arguing that Andy has moved on and that they must do the same.

Jessie is thrilled to learn that the children at Sunnyside are replaced with new children when they grow older, meaning the toys can never be outgrown. She tries to persuade Woody to join the others in beginning their lives anew at the daycare, but Woody reluctantly calls her and the other toys selfish; leaving to return to Andy alone. Jessie the other toys discover they have been placed in a room with very young children, who abuse them in an extremely rough(yet innocent)way. Jessie gets her hair painted green, much to her disgust.

Afterward, Mrs. Potato Head sees Andy searching for his missing toys through her eye that was left in his room, allowing Jessie and the others to realize that they were wrong about Andy. They decide to return home, only for Lotso to order his minions to imprison them with the help of a reset Buzz. Even in his demo mode, Buzz still remains somewhat attracted to Jessie(at least to an extent); calling her a "temptress" and being immune to her "bewitching good looks".

Following another rough play date with the young children, Andy's toys are reunited with Woody, who had a change of heart and returned to rescue his friends. Jessie apologizes for not listening to Woody, who apologizes in return for leaving. The toys carry out their plan to break out of Sunnyside but matters are further complicated when they accidentally reset Buzz into a Spanish version of his deluded self. The Spanish Buzz makes his love extremely apparent; passionately wooing his crush with athletic moves and other impressive feats. Jessie is initially uncomfortable with this drastic change, but quickly grows to like this romantic side of Buzz.

When the toys get stuck in a garbage truck along with Lotso, Jessie is rescued by the Spanish Buzz, who gets crushed by a broken television set. Jessie despairs over Buzz's apparent death, but he sporadically reawakens as his normal self with no further injuries aside from a minor form of amnesia. Jessie hugs him in relief before repeatedly kissing him on the cheek in saying thanks for saving her(much to Buzz's confusion). The toys end up dumped in a landfill and nearly killed in a trash incinerator from Lotso abandoning them. Andy's Alien toys rescue them all using a crane.

Once safely outside the incinerator, Jessie and Buzz's mutual looks indicate the clear understanding of their feelings for each other. The toys return home to Andy and prepare to be stored in the attic; with Woody's intervention, though, they are instead given to Bonnie, a girl who took Woody to her home while he was away. Andy plays with his toys one last time. Jessie quickly adapts to her new life as one of Bonnie's toys and, at one point, decides to take advantage of Buzz's Spanish personality so they can dance together to "Hay Un Amigo En Mí" (the Spanish version of "You've Got a Friend in Me") which finally seals their romantic relationship.

Toy Story 4

See also: Toy Story 4

During the prologue, set between the events of Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3, Jessie helps Woody, Bo Peep, and others save RC from the storm. Present day, Jessie is now Bonnie's favorite toy, giving her Woody's badge as a result. After Bonnie creates Forky, her parents decide to go on a road trip, taking several of her toys with her. However, Forky ends up escaping, and Woody follows behind him. The following morning, Buzz takes it upon himself to find Woody, resulting in Jessie becoming the temporary leader. Bonnie's parents begin to leave, but Jessie is able to stop them by popping the RV tires. At night, Jessie comes up with an idea to slow down Bonnie's parents and to meet up with Woody, Buzz, and Forky. Once the vehicle is parked in front of the carousel, Jessie and the other toys reunite with Bo Peep. Woody, deciding not to go back home, gives Jessie his badge, and results in a heartwarming farewell and departure. The following year, Jessie introduces Karen Beverly to Bonnie's other toys, which gets the attention of Forky.

Other films

Jessie was featured as a minor character in Toy Story That Time Forgot, a television special for ABC. She makes several cameo appearances in other Disney films, including Monsters, Inc. as one of Boo's toys,[7] Meet the Robinsons on a basketball poster, and as a cloud silhouette in Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Toy Story of Terror!
See also: Toy Story of Terror!

In Toy Story of Terror, Jessie appears as the main protagonist who confronts her fear of claustrophobia.

Miscellaneous

Theme parks and attractions

In Toy Story Midway Mania!, Jessie and her friends are featured in the interactive dark ride at Disney California Adventure and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Woody and Jessie are featured in Big Thunder Ranch's outdoor stage and dining area, and Woody's Roundup Village's meet and greet area. They can also be found in the Splash Mountain courtyard in Frontierland at the Magic Kingdom. Woody and Jessie are featured in the North America Room of It's a Small World. In 2019, Jessie's Critter Carousel opened at Disney California Adventure.[8]

Merchandise

Disney heavily promoted Jessie following the release of Toy Story 2, as she gave them a character that they could market to girls, something the original film did not really provide. Among the items released were:

  • Several 10" and 12" fashion-style dolls
  • Several plush and rag doll-type dolls
  • Action figures in the Toy Story 2 and Toy Story and Beyond lines.
  • Wallets, purses and other accessories for girls
  • Nightlights and other bedroom accessories
  • Costumes and dress-up sets
  • High-end sculptures and collectibles

Following the film's release, many stores were sold out of Jessie dolls.[9] During the 1999 Christmas season, the Atlanta journal reported dolls being sold for three-times their retail price on eBay.[10]

Video games

Jessie has been featured in numerous Disney and Pixar-related video games. She makes an appearance in Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue, and is featured as a playable character in Toy Story 3: The Video Game. She is also playable in Disney Infinity and Disney Infinity 3.0, voiced by Kat Cressida.[11] Additionally, a character skin for Jessie, after the release of Toy Story 4, became unlockable through in-app purchases in Minecraft in 2019.[12] In 2018, Jessie became an unlockable character for the mobile game Disney Heroes: Battle Mode.[13]

Reception and legacy

Joan Cusack, who prominently voices Jessie in most media, has received praise for her vocal performance as the character over the years. As a result, Cusack won the category for Female Voice Acting in a Feature Production at the 2000 Annie Awards for her voiceover work as Jessie in Toy Story 2.[14] Cusack was also praised by Barry Levitt from Looper.com writing, "Cusack is perfect in bringing Jessie to life and deserves a magnificent starring role." He also said that Jessie was the second most popular Toy Story character and that she had "the single most emotional scene from the franchise".[15] Tim Luisi cites Jessie as a turning point in the Toy Story franchise's gendered representations of support and describes her as the franchise's first female character who was as important as the male characters.[16] Jessie has been described as a "strong, independent and assertive female character",[17][18] though Lilian Munk Rösing describes this strength as "boyish" and "manic".[19] Ian Goodwill of Comic Book Resources and Jerrica Tisdale of CinemaBlend said that Jessie is one of the Toy Story characters that needs a movie going over her background.[20][21] Body+Souls Courtney Thompson said that Jessie was not the feminist hero she could have been stating, "Jessie, our one ray of hope in that she is explicitly adventurous, independent and funny, gets the sexist treatment by creating a romance storyline for her."[22] However, Matthew Wilkinson of Screen Rant, ranking her as the best supporting character in Toy Story, stated, "Jessie really brought the girl power into the franchise in a big way."[23] The developing relationship with Buzz Lightyear has also received positive commentary, as it "could be considered a subversion of the romance tropes that feature an aggressive male and a meek female", and the two characters do not "seem to abide by stereotypical parameters of gender when it comes to their romance".[24]

References

  1. ^ Plantenga, Bart (2013). Yodel in Hi-Fi: From Kitsch Folk to Contemporary Electronica. Plantenga. ISBN 9780786486946.
  2. ^ Cowgirl Hall of Fame - Special Awards Archived 2011-07-23 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Gilbertson, Scott (May 1, 2015). "Debian 8: Linux's most reliable distro makes its biggest change since 1993". Ars Technica. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  4. ^ Price, David (2008). The Pixar Touch. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-307-26575-3.
  5. ^ "Pixar Animation Studios". Pixar Animation Studios. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  6. ^ Pearlman, Cindy (2010-06-16). "She's a real can-do girl; Joan Cusack reprises her role as the voice of Jessie in Toy Story 3". Edmonton Journal. pp. D4. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  7. ^ Toy Story 2 Archived 2008-03-30 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Jessie's Critter Carousel". disneyland.disney.go.com. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  9. ^ Hevrdejs, Judy (1999-12-10). "'Toy' Goof 2". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  10. ^ Murray, Sonia (1999-12-23). "Kids will be singing cowgirl blues". The Atlanta Journal – via Factiva.
  11. ^ Pimentel, Joseph (October 27, 2015). "One of Disneyland's many voices has an ear for magic". Orange County Register. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  12. ^ "Toy Story Mash-Up". June 26, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  13. ^ "Update 0.4 Notes". Disney Heroes: Battle Mode. May 7, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  14. ^ "28th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners". Annie Awards. Archived from the original on April 24, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  15. ^ Levitt, Barry (February 14, 2022). "20 Most Popular Toy Story Characters Of All Time Ranked". Looper.com. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  16. ^ Luisi, Tim (2018-09-12). "Toys will be toys: gendered interaction frames in the Toy Story trilogy". Journal of Children and Media. 13 (1): 20–35. doi:10.1080/17482798.2018.1513852. ISSN 1748-2798.
  17. ^ López Alcázar, Naiara (2021). "Toy Story 4 (2019): There is a New Sheriff in Town, and She is Female". In Martín Alegre, Sara (ed.). Gender in the 21st Century Animated Children's Cinema (PDF). Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona. p. 115.
  18. ^ Low, Bronwen (2007). "Junior Chick Flicks". In Reid-Walsh, Jacqueline; Mitchell, Claudia (eds.). Girl Culture: An Encyclopedia. Greenwood Publishing. p. 374.
  19. ^ Rösing, Lilian Munk (2016). "The Hysteric' s Guide to Pixar: On Voice and Gaze in Toy Story 1-2". International Journal of Zizek Studies. 5 (4): 14. ISSN 1751-8229.
  20. ^ Goodwill, Ian (November 20, 2021). "Lightyear: 10 More Toy Story Characters That Deserve A "Fictional" Origin Story". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  21. ^ Tisdale, Jerrica (March 4, 2021). "7 Toy Story Characters We Like To See Get Their Own Spin-Off Movie After Buzz Lightyear". CinemaBlend. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  22. ^ Thompson, Courtney (November 13, 2018). "Jessie From 'Toy Story' Isn't A Feminist Hero – But She Should Be". Body+Soul. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  23. ^ Wilkinson, Matthew (November 23, 2019). "Toy Story: The 10 Best Supporting Characters From The Disney Franchise". Screen Rant. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  24. ^ Guallar Comas, Maria (2021). "Toy Story 3 (2010): A Genderless Inheritance". In Martín Alegre, Sara (ed.). Gender in the 21st Century Animated Children's Cinema (PDF). Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona. p. 111.
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