Back in Toy Story, Woody and Buzz come across Sid's scary-looking toys that couldn't speak like the rest of the toys in the movie - but Forky, who appears in Toy Story 4, can explain why that is. Forky technically isn't a toy, but rather some reformed plastic cutlery, leading Forky to describe himself as "trash." Bonnie, the kid that ends up making Forky during school, believes that he is a toy. Her love and affection for Forky appears to be what give him sentience, allowing him to verbalize his thoughts and emotions because he is considered a toy to his owner.

This sheds some light on Sid's toys in Toy Story, as it seems here that the opposite is also true. Where Bonnie cherishes Forky despite him not being a "proper" toy, Sid destroys his toys and puts them together in random ways. Since he sees toys as items of destruction, this erases their sentience away rather than embracing it, which may mean they're technically now no longer regarded as true toys due to his perception - a process that may have led to them losing their ability to speak in the same way Forky gained his.

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How Forky Came To Life In Toy Story 4

Forky Toy Story 4

The story of Forky's creation is one that likely has been seen many times in real life - bar the creation coming to life. In the Toy Story 4 plot, Woody goes to school with Bonnie to make sure that she has a great first day. When the school's craft time occurs, Woody gathers pieces of trash together and places them in front of Bonnie so that she actually has something to craft with. Bonnie ends up creating Forky right there and then, but he doesn't come to life until he's in the backpack with Woody.

Woody, when introducing Forky to the gang back at home, says "she literally made a new friend," indicating that Bonnie gave life to Forky, despite him being made from trash unlike the rest of the series' toy roster. The new Toy Story 4 character is confused and frightened at first, but as time progresses, Forky begins to understand what it means to be a toy once he realizes how important he is to Bonnie. It's Bonnie's love for Forky that gives him the ability to speak and feel things.

If Kids Give Toys Life, They Can Take It Too

andy and sid toy story

When kids like Andy and Bonnie can give their toys life, that means kids like Sid can take that life away. While Sid's toys in Toy Story are still technically alive, they aren't able to display their thoughts and feelings - which makes sense, as Sid still considers them creations, just not ones with personalities - unlike how most children characterize their toys. At first, the toys are quite terrifying, since they do not speak at all, but the newly created relationship between Woody and Buzz allows the two toys to work with them in order to stop Sid from harassing toys ever again.

Sid's Mute Toys Can Explain Why Bullseye Doesn't Talk Too

bullseye and toys toy story

In Toy Story 2, Bullseye joins Woody and the other Toy Story characters along with Jessie and Stinky Pete. Out of the three, Bullseye is the only one that never speaks and there's never any suggestion that he could. Sid's toys are mute because they aren't perceived as toys anymore, so maybe that can explain why Bullseye only makes horse noises. There are other animal toys, like Hamm and Slinky, who are able to speak, so it's not that Bullseye can't talk because he's an animal.

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Bullseye is a strange case, however, because even after he becomes Andy's and Bonnie's toy, he still never speaks a single word. He is absolutely played with in the last two movies and loved by Andy from Toy Story as well as Bonnie, so it's confusing to see that he doesn't grow to talk. He is, however, able to display his emotions through his facial expressions and the sounds he makes, giving him sentience as a toy. Perhaps Bullseye is a rare case where he is able to express himself and have sentience, but he doesn't possess the ability to talk - or perhaps because the Bullseye in the fictional Woody's Roundup show doesn't speak, Andy and Bonnie think of the toy Bullseye being unable to speak also.

Despite being a side character in many ways, Forky plays an integral part in fleshing out characters like Bullseye and Sid's toys in the series. The love he is given by Bonnie gives him life, and that goes to show how powerful a kid's love is in the Toy Story movies. It also shows how strong a kid's hatred is towards toys, as Sid gives the opposite effect to his toys, which truly makes him the villain of Toy Story.

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