Thanks to the creative storytelling that is the gold standard for animated films, Pixar movies have become a breeding ground for fan theories, and so it has been heavily speculated that Toy Story‘s Jessie was once owned by Andy’s mom. She is introduced in Toy Story 2 when it’s revealed that Woody is part of a toy collection called Woody’s Roundup gang, including Stinky Pete the Prospector, Bullseye the horse, and, of course, Jessie the yodeling cowgirl. Jessie has strong opinions about toys being owned, and that stems from when she once belonged to the mysterious Emily, and they initially had a great child-toy relationship.
That relationship came to an abrupt end, and in the great Pixar sequel, Jessie is still traumatized by it. Her tragic backstory is explained in a montage soundtracked by a Randy Newman song, and it’s revealed that the toy and owner never reunited. It has since been theorized that Jessie’s owner was Andy’s mom, and there’s a shocking amount of evidence to back up the claim. As Pixar has been known to fill its movies with hidden details, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary if Andy’s mom was Emily and if Jessie nearly returns to her original owner when she becomes one of Andy’s toys.
Jessie’s Heartbreaking Backstory
In the “When She Loved Me” sequence, Jessie details her heartbreaking backstory to Woody, and the Toy Story 2 song perfectly captures the tragedy. The scene begins with Jessie and her owner, Emily, playing with each other on horses and on tire swings, and neither of them could be happier. That soon comes to an end, as Jessie watches Emily grow up and grow out of playing with toys. Emily leaves Jessie in her room, and the toy falls under the bed, which is when she quickly becomes forgotten. That’s enough to make any toy resent owners, but it gets much worse.
From underneath the bed, Jessie sees toy horses on cabinets get replaced with nail varnish and cowgirl memorabilia get replaced with band posters, cementing the fact that Emily’s cowgirl phase is truly over, which even made Chris Evans cry. An unknown number of years go by, as Emily gets considerably older, and Jessie is still in the same place she fell. Emily’s arm reaches under the bed, and she pulls out Jessie, leading the toy to believe everything’s okay and back to normal. But after a long car journey, she’s thrown into a charity donation box and left next to a truck in the middle of nowhere.
Andy’s Cowboy Hat Is The Same As Jessie’s
The “When She Loved Me” sequence gives away one huge clue that Emily could be Andy’s mom that’s impossible to ignore. Emily has a red cowgirl hat that exactly matches the one that Jessie wears. It’s also the exact same hat that Andy wears. The theory suggests that Andy’s hat was passed down from his mother, which makes perfect sense. If Emily wasn’t Andy’s mom, it’d be an unbelievable coincidence that Andy and Jessie just happened to have the same hat. Tim Allen and Tom Hanks both wept at Jessie’s sequence, too, but the theory that Andy’s hat once belonged to Emily could alleviate the situation.
The difference between the two hats is that Andy’s is missing the white lace. However, that area of the hat where the white lace should be is faded, meaning that it may once have had lace around it. And when Jessie was given away to charity, the hat wasn’t in the box, so Emily must have kept it, and possibly even passed it on to her son. This wouldn’t be the first time Pixar has left clues in the form of clothes like this in its films, as it was revealed Sid became a garbage man in Toy Story 3 based on the black skull tee the trash collector wears.
Andy’s Mom’s Name Has Never Been Revealed
It has never been revealed in any of the Toy Story movies what Andy’s mom’s name is, and it’s never been hinted at. But that gives credence to the fact that Andy’s mom could have been the girl who owned Jessie. As Andy’s mom’s first name is never once mentioned, there’s a chance that it could be Emily. It’s revealed in the animated series that Andy’s mom’s last name is Davis, but also Emily’s last name isn’t revealed. So, in theory, both Jessie’s owner and Andy’s mom are named Emily Davis. While what happened to Andy’s dad remains a mystery, Andy’s mom’s name could have secretly been answered.
Emily And Andy’s Mom Have Similar Appearances
It isn’t clear how long ago Jessie was abandoned in the charity box, but based on the truck, Emily’s parents’ car, and the style of her bedroom in the flashback, it could very well have been in the late ’70s or early ’80s. That would make Andy’s mom about the same age that Emily would be at the time Toy Story 2 takes place. Not only would they be the same age, but they have an almost uncanny resemblance, too. Both Emily and Andy’s Mom are slim, and both are brunettes with the same kind of hairstyle, though Andy’s Mom’s hair is slightly lighter.
The Likelihood Of The Theory Being True
Though it’s one of the saddest Toy Story stories, this theory gives it a silver lining, and given all the evidence, there can’t possibly be any other answer. Between Andy owning the same hat as Emily, the similar appearance between Emily and Andy’s mom, and Andy’s mom’s name never being revealed, all signs point to Andy’s mom being Emily Davis and Jessie’s former owner. But there are a couple of holes in the theory. If Andy’s mom did own Jesse, she would surely have found it weird that the exact same rare doll was sitting in Andy’s room after she had given it away years ago.
Either way, Pixar’s lips are zipped shut, and just like the Pixar shared universe theory and other mysteries that their movies’ narratives raise, it’ll likely remain a mystery. However, Peter Docter, a Pixar director and one of the story writers of Toy Story 2, revealed that the theory is actually false (via ET Online). Docter explained that he does have a backstory for Jessie, but he’s not willing to reveal what it is just yet. It could be saved for a future movie, or the theory could be the truth, and he just doesn’t want to pull down the curtain. Theories are always more alluring when they remain a mystery.
