When Toy Story 4 opens on June 21st, audiences will get to meet new characters and reconnect with beloved favorites like Woody and Buzz. But, there’s a character that audiences fell in love with early in the franchise that ultimately was cut out of Toy Story 3: Bo Peep, a porcelain doll attached to a lamp who was also Woody’s love interest. During Toy Story 3, her disappearance was explained as having been sold in a yard sale, separating Bo and Woody, and sending Bo off on an adventure that every toy in a playroom fears: a childless existence. In Toy Story 4, Bo is back…and in the twenty years since we’ve seen her last, she’s lived, survived, and triumphed in the world outside of Andy’s playroom. And she has a new look that reflects her growth.
While on an early press day at Pixar, we were introduced to the all-female team who worked on Bo’s new design, look, and character. They discussed how they really had to look at who Bo was in terms of her different roles in the past: In Andy’s playroom, as Andy’s little sister, as Molly’s lamp, and being made of porcelain, what did each of those mean to her character and personality? Classic Bo was defined as feminine, reserved, Woody’s conscience at times, and her outfit reflected that, being restraining and without allowing Bo to bend her limbs. They also thought about where she may have ended up after she was given away or sold. How has Bo changed from then until now? Being an older toy, and made of porcelain, the setting of an antique store provided a new world to explore but also a way to see Bo evolve beyond being a mere child’s toy or Woody’s reserved girlfriend.
Who Is The New Bo?
After the team presented the possibilities, they wondered who Bo would be if she herself had chosen to be a lost toy (which is a child’s toy biggest nightmare – just ask Woody!). Story artist Carrie Hobson explained that Bo is now “tired of sitting on a shelf and just waiting life to happen. She had to learn how to adapt. She takes chances and is somewhat unpredictable. She really just takes life by the reins. She doesn’t play by toy rules.” Being a lost toy, she’s more active and has also become more resourceful. She also has a sense of humor and developed a better sense of the reality of the world around her. While always willing to help a friend, the team explained “she’s not really motherly,” and has a more go-with-the-flow mentality to life. Basically, she is everything Woody isn’t.
The two most important things in her life are her sheep, who remain her best friends, and her new bestie, Giggles McDimples. “All in all,” says Hobson, “we wanted to stay true to the core of who she was. She’s a shepherdess, but she had to learn to adapt.”
The Inspirations For Bo’s New Look Are Iconic
Every day, the concept art and design team would go into the room and pin pictures, concepts, and ideas of what Bo could become. Concept artist and designer Mara MacMahon said they approached Bo from the angle of, “What happens when you haven’t seen a friend in twenty years? How much would they have changed? What’s recognizable?”
At first, they came up with an “action figure” version of Bo. She is grittier, self-sufficient, and athletic, but they also wanted her to embrace who she was before, which was more feminine, ultimately believing that these qualities could go hand in hand with one another. To keep her recognizable at first glance, they modified some details but kept her silhouette and elements of her original outfit (cool little fact – Bo’s old skirt is now her cape).
By the time Bo got to the animation team, they had a marked distinction between who classic Bo was, and who new Bo was. She was athletic and feminine, and with those characteristics in mind, they found iconic female characters to model her on, notably, Rey of Star Wars, The Bride from the Kill Bill series, Dottie from A League of Their Own, Furiosa of Mad Max: Fury Road, and got real-life inspiration from Olympic gold medal gymnast, Aly Raisman. The team also drew upon the voice of Bo herself, Annie Potts, being genuinely inspired by Pott’s own personality behind the voice.
Bo’s Staff Has A Definite Star Wars Vibe
You can certainly see the Rey resemblance when Bo has her staff, which she has learned to use for more than just sheep herding. The staff itself is used as an extension of her body, no longer a mere accessory, and has a martial arts influence. The team watched videos of performances from female athletes using both a monkey staff and a contact staff to study the way Bo should move when she used her staff. They wanted to make sure they not only got the action right, but the artistry involved in using a weapon like that. Bo has learned and grown a lot in the past twenty years, it only makes sense that she learned to navigate the outside world using something that is uniquely Bo.
The filmmakers also explained how instrumental she will be to Woody’s own journey, but assured us that she has her own agency and arc in Toy Story 4. So far, everything we learned about Bo and her new adventure is making us excited to reunite with our old friend.
