
"And then just tried to figure out characters that weren’t just there on the screen just to be characters, but actually helped the story move along and supported Woody as much as possible, but were also entertaining as well. So we went more to the '70s and '80s," Cooley explained at the recent Toy Story 4 press junket.

If you look at the original Toy Story, some of those are the more classic toys, like Slinky and Potatohead and stuff. "With the new toys in this film, we looked at the toys that we grew up with, the ones that we played with.

According to director Josh Cooley, the team specifically looked for toys of a different era than the ones already in the franchise - and ensured that their presence would contribute to the storyline, rather than being a gimmick.

Adding new faces to an existing and beloved ensemble is always a tricky proposition, and it's not one that the producers took lightly.
