Welcome to article
number 8! No, I
won't spend a
paragraph discussing
how the number 8 is
all around me. If I
did, I might
accidentally knock
that 8 on its side
and turn it into
infinity! And I
certainly don't have
enough time to
figure out how
infinite the concept
of infinity is
around me! But
since we're on the
subject of infinity,
why not let this
week's Saturday
Matinee focus on a
well-known catch
phrase? All
together now: "To
infinity and
beyond!" That's
right, this week's
article will be all
about "Toy Story"!
More importantly,
the interstitials
that were
affectionately known
as "Toy Story
Treats."

These very brief
cartoons started
airing on ABC's "One
Saturday Morning"
line-up in 1996,
shortly after the
first "Toy Story"
film hit VHS and
Laserdisc (remember
those?). The
"treats" gave
viewers nice little
tidbits that showed
life for the toys in
Andy's room. Due to
the low-budget
nature of these
shorts, we don't get
Tom Hanks or
Tim Allen as
Woody and Buzz, but
their imitators are
just as good. In
addition, the
computer animation
sometimes feels
crude and limited
compared to the
still-revolutionary
animation from "Toy
Story". But there
was still a charm to
the gag-centered
shorts, as the
familiar characters
still were fresh on
the young audiences'
minds and presented
in a way true to
their nature.
The canonicity of
the shorts is a bit
ambiguous. While it
does show life in
Andy's room, some of
Sid's toys, such as
Legs, Baby Face, and
Hand-in-the-box have
been shown. The
LGM's are also
abundant, even
though Andy himself
wouldn't own any
LGM's until the end
of "Toy
Story 2"
(thanks to Mr.
Potato, who is often
told the
eternally-hilarious
line, "You have
saved our lives, we
are eternally
grateful!"). I
hoped that
additional "Toy
Story Treats" could
have been made
following "Toy Story
2", in order to see
the further
misadventures with
the toys plus Jessie
and Bullseye.
Unfortunately, the
treats just cover
the time period
between the first
two films.

Among some of the
more notable gags,
Woody's shadow
puppets continually
get trumped by
Buzz's, a great
nightmare switches
the heads between
Woody and Buzz, and
Rex has some
training to become a
space ranger.
We also get a
staring contest
between Woody and
Lenny, a game of
checkers with
Hand-in-the-box, and
Hamm once again
takes control of the
wheel when he offers
LGM's a ride on RC.
Of course, one of
the best of the
treats has Buzz
donning his Mrs.
Nesbit outfit once
again. Overall, the
shorts featured are
humorous and
harmless fun, and
their brevity make
them quick and easy
to enjoy.

Over fifty of these
interstitials were
made, and a nice
handful of them are
still available.
You can check out
most of them online
at
http://disney.go.com/toystory/#/videos,
or on home video.
The treats are
scattered as easter
eggs in the
"Ultimate Toy Box",
a three-disc DVD set
produced in 2000.
They are also
offered as easter
eggs again in the
2005 "10th
Anniversary Edition"
two-disc DVD for
"Toy Story", and
also appear on the
Blu-Ray for the
film.