Toys in Formal Wear? The Thrill Of The Hunt of Rare Media
- cowgirlamanda95
- Aug 8, 2025
- 4 min read
I'm sure y'all know what this blog post topic is about! This post goes hand in hand with my Toy Story "Friday Facts" I do every Friday on my social media pages, so why not do a little deep dive? This topic is so popular amongst fans; the era of the Oscars, 2000!
About ten, fifteen years ago, my pal YodelinCowgirl and our other fellow fan friends at the time were on a mad hunt for any footage surrounding the Oscars and the Patsy Montana Awards for Jessie. It was part of a rumor that Pixar made a DVD for employees titled "Made in Point Richmond". (You can find more info about it here: https://lostmediawiki.com/Made_in_Point_Richmond_(found_miscellaneous_content_from_Pixar_DVD;_1986-2000).
To start, we randomly found a little picture of Buzz and that sent us on a wild goose chase because we could identify Jessie's hand on his arm. We later learned that the toys were all decked out in evening wear for the Oscars by old articles we found referencing the Oscars and Patsy Montana bit. Eventually, and finally, we found a low-res picture of the full poster.
Our favorite toys got a glow up for the Oscars, and Jessie even had the same outfit when she was the winner of the Patsy Montana Award at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame! In our hunt, we found a Demo Reel by Victor Navone who posted a clip of the acceptance page as his first production assignment at Pixar. We just knew this was what Jessie wore in the Oscars footage.
Also, back in the day, Pixar had a section on their website about the different awards and accolades Toy Story 2 received under the film's respective page, and had this render of Jessie:
Furthermore, during the pandemic, I worked up the courage to directly ask the Cowgirl Museum if they could upload the whole thing and they did! I couldn't believe it, and so grateful they were willing to share with the fans!
So picture this.
It is the time period of late 1999/early 2000. Peak millennial culture is happening. Pokemon cards are being traded, we are reenacting the dance moves to N*Sync and Britney's music videos, internet's hardly a thing and...you got it, Toy Story 2, which was met with high praise, enthusiasm, and renewed love for the characters.
Promotion was strong after Toy Story 2's release, and what better way than to have Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Bullseye, and the Potato Heads don some red carpet looks and present at the Academy Awards? I mean, this is literally one of my most favorite things.
We got Buzz in his black tie, Jessie, on his arm as his date, decked out in rhinestones, Woody looking dapper and fresh in his black tux, Bullseye looking charming as ever, and the Potato Heads looking like they walked straight out of Chanel. Years later, the Oscars finally posted the video we were all waiting for, so THANK YOU Academy Awards!
So of course, with these stunning character models, come the super duper rare limited edition dolls. They made Jessie, Woody, and Buzz. These dolls pop up (albeit $$$$) from time to time on eBay, so always keep an eye out if you ever want to get your hands on one!
I actually own the Jessie doll, and in true 90s/00s, her face ain't the greatest and she sheds glitter like crazy. However, she is an integral piece of my Jessie collection and I'm so proud to own her!
Woody and Buzz were sold together as Disney Store exclusives. However, Buzz does not have a tie, but he is shiny! There's currently a few listings on sites like OfferUp, Depop, and eBay.
In the present for Toy Story's 30th anniversary, hopefully-coming-soon-fingers-crossed, Mattel is rumored to be releasing a "Black Tie Event" figure set of Jessie, Buzz, and Woody in these outfits as a nod to the Oscars!
In my opinion, I think Mattel and Pixar know that these dolls are highly sought after, and the general lore of the Oscars 2000 is so widely popular amongst the fandom. I know I'm going to be keeping my eyes peeled for these!
So with that being said, there's a lot of excitement that surrounds the Oscars in the year 2000. My friend Heidi also covered her take on all of this on her blog, "Toy Story Fangirl" and it was truly a ride finding all of this stuff together.
Special thanks to Pixar, the Academy Awards YouTube channel, and the Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame for uploading and sharing with us fans!
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