Ranking Toy Story's supporting toys, from worst to best-a-sketch

Andy's best backups

If Woody, Buzz, Rex, Hamm, Slinky, and Potato Head are the heart of 1995's Toy Story, their ensemble of knickknacks are the brains, brawn, and Bo Peeps of the operation. In honor of the one that started it all for Pixar, we rank Toy Story's supporting toys, a.k.a. the forgotten stars of Andy's room.

16. Lenny

Let's begin with the worst: Lenny is a straight-up trash toy, supposedly blessed with extraordinary vision but clouded with prejudice. Lenny's unreliable narration of what he sees, coupled with his blatant refusal to get the facts straight, is the reason why Woody is left stranded at Sid's house. And then! He attacks Woody on the moving truck, sinking even lower than an already diminutive toy can ostensibly go. At least Woody got the last laugh, evidenced by Lenny's general omission from the Toy Story conversation for more than two decades. Can you see obscurity, honey?!

15. Sarge (and soldiers)

Isn't it strange that everyone called Buzz Lightyear delusional for acting like he was actually a space ranger, yet Sarge and his Green Army Men buddies do the exact same thing with the U.S. military and nobody even bats an eye? Before Buzz showed up, Sarge's crew were far and away the most deluded toys in Andy's bunker, barking orders into a walkie-talkie that didn't work, sending paratroopers onto unnecessarily complex surveillance missions, and making daily activities significantly more stressful than they had any right to be. What's worse, they never even put on a proper USO show for the troops to blow off steam.

14. Roly Poly Clown

Who?!?!

13. Troll

Troll doesn't talk, but, as such, Troll doesn't make an impression. This vintage staple did nothing particularly wrong to deserve a low spot on this list, but as one of Andy's more useless ensemble toys, Troll seemed primarily used only to buck Hollywood body tropes and at best give Buzz Lightyear an opportunity to dabble in hair care. Troll is filler between the more exciting characters — a bridge, if you will.

12. Barrel of monkeys

The monkeys are a troubling concept even by the standards of Toy Story's central everything-is-sentient mythos. Twelve self-sustaining, faceless monkeys spring to life while you sleep, perhaps cognizant of spoken commands or perhaps operating as chaotic primate neutrals. If that alone doesn't send your anxiety scrambling, remember that in the first film, the monkeys are best known for their failure in not saving Buzz after he gets knocked out of the room. In their sparseness, they set the film's tragic events into motion. Now they live 12 lives of repentance.

11. The Toddle Tots

The Little Tikes product placement never amounted to one of DCPI's more lucrative licensing deals, but their presence in Toy Story — an early sign of faith in the franchise — makes them wiser beyond their toddling years.

10. Troikas

Our only visual cue to Andy Davis' cultural heritage is his delightful animal set of Russian nesting dolls. There's a dog, then a cat, then a duck, then a fish, then a bug — a subconscious reminder that the food chain exists and the toys, presumably, are aware of it. Thus, you could argue that the Troikas posed the first of many existential questions to the Toy Story gang (the Toy Story 3 furnace scene was just, like, a follow-up).

9. Hockey Puck

Hockey Puck means well but gets no credit, save for the one time they are directly addressed when Mr. Potato Head bluntly asks, "What are you lookin' at, you hockey puck?" (An easy insult, but cutting nonetheless.) With a Dangerfieldian shrug and a "deadpan" "look" to "camera," it's clear that Hockey Puck has promise as a physical comedian if only they were given the opportunity. Tragically, they remain a budding Mrs. Maisel, stuck in yellow-glove stasis.

8. Bo Peep

Even before Toy Story 4 revealed what happened to Bo Peep, the fact remains that Bo's story was always something of a question mark even when she had significant screen time. She showed herself to be a source of wisdom to Woody, yet his infatuation with her always felt more reliant on physical attraction and, really, convenience. Before Barbie entered the picture in Toy Story 2, were there any other eligible female toys around for Woody? No, unless you count Troll, and I don't know why you would count Troll. Bo was always more than Woody's love interest, and it only took 24 years for the Toy Story franchise to realize it.

7. Rocky

If any obscure toy in Toy Story deserved a kinder fate, it's Rocky. He's burly, he's generous, he's got arms for days (we love a toy that takes care of his body) and, more than anything, his inimitable white hair makes him a strange cross between Dwayne Johnson and Michael Douglas, which is just too intriguing to ignore.

6. and 5. The robot thing and the snake thing

These two misfits demand to be paired because they've always lurked silently in the shadows together, ceaselessly waiting to prove themselves indispensable when another toy needs help. Strangely, the way they've done that is primarily by doubling as personal trainers: The snake thing spots Rocky during his Tinkertoy deadlifts, and the robot thing allows himself to be treated like a treadmill as part of Buzz's cardio regime. That's some selfless toy work, truly.

4. Mr. Mike

Look at Mr. Mike! Just look at him! Mr. Mike sees it all, hears it all, and then amplifies it all for everyone to enjoy. He even moonlights as a karaoke machine! Although his wide eyes and perpetual smile are likely hiding deep-seated trauma that facial expressions won't betray, Mr. Mike is still approachable, the kind of guy you feel like you could just go and grab a double-A battery with.

3. Mr. Spell

Few toys have actually proven themselves necessary for the toys' survival: The barrel of monkeys couldn't help Buzz climb back up to the window, Sarge's military intel was almost always fabricated or compromised, and binocular Lenny couldn't see past Sid's house, let alone his own blind prejudices. But Mr. Spell is a vital member of the old guard of educational instruments. He's shown himself to be socially conscious, holding seminars on crucial topics like plastic corrosion awareness or what to do if you get swallowed. He keeps morale high (see: the look he served during Christmas) and most importantly, he makes learning cool. If Andy were a wiser kid, he would've decorated his bed with Mr. Spell sheets from the get-go, rather than wasting his allowance on a cowboy or astronaut duvet.

2. RC

RC is a toy torn between two worlds — his own sentience and his enslavement to the remote control that commands him. Yet, he turbos through, rising from carbon ashes as the silent but critical action hero behind the greatest cinematic chase of 1995 (FYI, Speed came out in '94). Never forget that RC was the toy Woody so callously manipulated to try and knock Buzz out the window in the first place, and yet, for overcoming hardships with grace, poise, and surprisingly long battery life, RC is a maverick, and his gentle, emotive eyes tell a story far more beautiful and nuanced than we'll ever know. Also, such a cute color scheme!

1. Etch-a-Sketch

Several Toy Story players have real-life counterparts, but arguably none are as familiar or generally badass as Etch. He's the Picasso of Pixar, the Fisher King of the Fisher Price demo, the fastest knobs in the West, and the most necessary toy in Andy's room. Etch is everything you could want in a life partner: His humor is swift and witty (have you even seen him quick-draw?!). He's artistic. He's a great listener and an even better transcriber. He can read you better than you can read yourself, but he's not above erasing his opinions and hearing what you have to say. He's even figured out a way to physically move, a true and only slightly unsettling miracle of life.

Etch may have once threatened to fully hang Woody from gallows (huge red flag, to be honest), but overall, he's been a team player and the magnetic lineographic glue that holds the whole ensemble together. Without Etch, we'd have no creativity, no guidance, no map to Al's Toy Barn. Without Etch, we would all just draw blanks.