Toy Story 3

by Disney Digital Books

“We should be in the Butterfly Room!” Mrs. Potato Head griped. “With the big kids!”

  “We’ll get this straightened out,” Buzz promised. “I’ll go talk to Lotso about moving us to the other room.”

  Buzz strode over to the bathroom door. He climbed a table and leaped to the doorknob. He jumped up and down on it, but it wouldn’t budge. “Blast. Try that one!” He pointed to the hallway door.

  Jessie leaped and caught the knob. “It’s locked!”

  “Same here!” Slinky cried from the door to the playground.

  Buzz dropped to the floor. “Try the windows.”

  Hamm examined the lock with a knowing eye. “Eh, negatory. It’s a Fenster Schneckler three-eighty—finest childproof lock in the world.”

  Mrs. Potato Head’s eye widened in horror and she cried, “We’re trapped!”

  “Wait!” Buzz said. “Did anyone notice the transom?”

  He pointed at the little window over the door to the hallway. It was open!

  Mr. Potato Head groaned. “Oh, great! How do we get up there?”

  Buzz led everyone to a push toy, which had a handle and wheels like a lawn mower. “All right, everyone! On three! One. Two . . .”

  “Three!” Jessie shouted.

  Andy’s toys raced at top speed, pushing the toy as fast as it would roll.

  “Let go!” Jessie hollered. The toys fell back. Buzz hopped onto the handle as the toy zoomed forward.

  The push toy hit a table, launching Buzz into the air. Overhead was a long clothesline that held children’s artwork. Buzz grabbed the line, sending paintings flying. He zipped down the line. When he reached the end, he bounced off a broom handle, opened his wings, and soared to the transom.

  “He did it!” Rex cried.

  “Way to go, Buzz!” Jessie cheered as Buzz unwound a piece of yarn he’d brought with him. He tossed it down to his friends.

  They all held tight to one end of the yarn. Tying the other end around his waist, Buzz was just about to use it to climb down into the hall when he heard voices. He paused.

  “You think they had a fun playtime?” Chunk, a rock monster toy, said as he swaggered down the hall. He was with Twitch, the action figure with the fly’s head.

  “Shhh!” Twitch said. “They might hear you.”

  Buzz frowned. Down the hall, Ken and Barbie were saying goodnight at the door of the Butterfly Room. The two action figures pulled Ken away.

  “Come on, Romeo,” Twitch said. “We’re late.”

  Ken and the tough toys disappeared into the darkened teachers’ lounge.

  Quietly, Buzz climbed down to the floor. He untied the yarn from his waist and hurried after them.

  Ken, Twitch, and Chunk walked over to a vending machine. Ken opened a flap in the bottom and they went inside.

  Buzz followed them. Inside the machine, he saw Twitch, Chunk, Ken, Stretch the rubber octopus toy, and Sparks the robot. They were all clustered around a table, playing games and betting with play money, batteries, and other trinkets. Buzz hid in the shadows, watching.

  “Hey, what do you guys think of the new recruits?” Ken asked as the toys placed wagers. “Any keepers?”

  “Chuck ’em in the landfill,” Stretch scoffed.

  “Toddler fodder!” Twitch growled.

  “What about that space guy?” Ken asked. “He could be useful.”

  Buzz started. They were talking about him!

  “All them toys are disposable,” Twitch announced. “We’ll be lucky if they last us a week!”

  Buzz was shocked. Disposable? A week? He had to warn the others! But when he turned around, he ran right into Big Baby.

  The giant baby doll picked Buzz up and tossed him into the light. Twitch and Chunk grabbed him. “Well, well,” Ken said. “Looky who we have here.”

  “Let me go!” Buzz shouted.

  “Take him to the library,” Ken commanded.

  “Nooo!” Buzz hollered as a sock puppet was yanked over his head. But no one could hear him scream.

  At that moment, Bonnie was sleeping peacefully in her bed. All her toys were tucked in beside her. Woody slipped out of bed and over to her backpack. Bonnie’s address was written on the name tag.

  “Twelve Twenty-five Sycamore!” Woody murmured.

  “Pssst!” Mr. Pricklepants called from the bed. “Woody! What’re you doing?”

  “I gotta get out of here!” Woody replied.

  The toys looked astonished. “Didn’t you have fun today?” Buttercup asked.

  “Oh, of course I did! More than I’ve had in years. But, you see, I belong to someone else.” Woody showed them Andy’s name written on the bottom of his boot. “He’s my Bonnie, and he’s leaving soon. I’ve got to get home!”

  “Where’s home?” asked one of the peas in a plush pea pod toy.

  “Elm Street. Two Thirty-four Elm.” Woody thought for a moment. “You guys have a map?”

  Meanwhile, back at Sunnyside, Buzz was tied to a chair. Ken, Big Baby, and the other toys had taken him to a utility closet.

  “I demand to talk to Lotso,” Buzz boomed.

  “Zip it, Buck Rogers!” Ken snapped. “You don’t talk to Lotso till we say you can.”

  Just then, the door flew open. Lotso was standing there, clearly shocked. “Ken? Why is this toy tied up?”

  “Uh . . . he—he—” Ken stammered. “He got out, Lotso!”

  “Got out? Oh, no! This isn’t how we treat our guests!” Lotso closed the door. He walked over to Buzz and started untying him. “There you go. I’m so sorry.”

  Buzz glared at Ken, then turned to the pink bear. “Lotso, there’s been a mistake. The children in the Caterpillar Room are not age-appropriate for me and my friends,” Buzz explained. “We respectfully request a transfer to the Butterfly Room.”

  Lotso beamed. “Well, request granted!”

  “But, Lotso—” Ken protested.

  “Hush now, Kenneth!” Lotso said. “This toy’s shown initiative! Leadership! Why, I’d say we found ourselves a keeper! Hear that, everyone? We got a keeper!”

  “Excellent!” Buzz grinned. “I’ll go get my friends.”

  He started off, but Lotso stood in his way. “Whoa, whoa . . . Hold on there, boss! Those Caterpillar kids need someone to play with!”

  Buzz’s face fell. “But my friends don’t belong there!”

  “Oh, none of us do!” Lotso nodded. “I agree! Which is why—for the good of our community—we ask the newer toys, the stronger ones, to take on the hardships the rest of us can’t bear anymore.”

  Buzz frowned, wondering what to do. “Well, I guess that makes sense. But I can’t accept.” If the others were stuck in the Caterpillar Room, he would not abandon them. “We’re a family—we stay together.”

  Lotso’s smile faded. “Family man, eh? I understand.” His eyes narrowed. He nodded sharply to Big Baby. “Put him back in the time-out chair.”

  The giant baby doll grabbed Buzz and pinned the space ranger to the chair.

  “What?” Buzz struggled, but Big Baby was too strong. “Unhand me!”

  Lotso turned to Ken. “Bring in the Bookworm.”

  Ken let out a whistle. Everyone looked up, toward a rustling sound. The top shelves in the closet were cluttered with toy manuals. Suddenly, an ancient toy bookworm appeared between the booklets. The Bookworm tossed a Buzz Lightyear instruction manual to Lotso.

  Lotso flipped it open. “Here we go! ‘Remove screws to access battery compartment,’” he read.

  Big Baby and Twitch pushed Buzz to the floor. “What are you doing?” Buzz cried as Sparks the robot opened up his battery compartment.

  “‘To return your Buzz Lightyear action figure to its original factory settings,’” Lotso read, “‘slide the switch from Play to Demo.’”

  “Stop!” Buzz shouted. He struggled, but Big Baby held him tight. Twitch reached for the switch on Buzz’s back.

  “Noooo!” Buzz’s shout echoed down the hall.

  “What was that?”
Jessie asked. She and her friends in the Caterpillar Room looked at one another. They’d all heard the noise.

  “Sounds like it came from the hall!” Hamm said.

  Mrs. Potato Head plucked out her eye. “I’ll see what it was!” Holding her eye in one hand, she put it under the door and moved it back and forth. The other toys gathered around her.

  Mrs. Potato Head gasped. “I see Andy!”

  “What?” Jessie cried.

  Mr. Potato Head looked doubtful. “That’s impossible!”

  “No, no,” his wife insisted, “I really see him! In his room!” She thought for a moment, wondering how it was possible. “My other eye!” she said. “The one I left behind.”

  She squinted, concentrating on the scene in Andy’s room. “Andy’s out in the hall,” she told the toys. “He’s looking in the attic. Wait, why is he so upset?”

  Mrs. Potato Head saw Andy talking to his mother. He pointed to the spot right below the attic ladder. It was the place where he’d left the toys. He picked up a trash bag and showed it to his mother.

  “Oh, no!” Mrs. Potato Head cried. “Oh, this is terrible!”

  She put her eye back in and turned to the other toys. “Andy’s looking for us! I think he did mean to put us in the attic!” she said.

  “Woody was telling the truth!” Slinky said.

  “Guys, we gotta go home!” Jessie declared.

  But just then, the bathroom door creaked open. Lotso and his gang sauntered in.

  “How are y’all doing this fine evening?” Lotso asked.

  “Lotso!” Jessie rushed over to him. “Thank heavens! Have you seen Buzz?” The other toys joined her, crowding around.

  “There’s been a mistake!” Mrs. Potato Head explained. “We have to go!”

  “Go?” Lotso looked surprised. “Why, you just got here! In the nick of time, too! We were runnin’ low on volunteers for the little ones!” He smiled, but it wasn’t a nice smile at all. “They just love new toys.”

  “Love?” Mr. Potato Head said with a scowl. “We’ve been chewed! Kicked! Drooled on!”

  “Just look at my pocketbook!” Mrs. Potato Head held it out. The purse was covered in tooth marks.

  Lotso put his face close to hers. “Here’s the thing, Sweet Potato—you ain’t leavin’ Sunnyside.”

  “Sweet Potato?” Mrs. Potato Head huffed. “Who do you think you’re talking to? I have over thirty accessories and I deserve more respec—” Lotso plucked off her mouth, silencing her.

  “Hey! No one takes my wife’s mouth! Except me!” Mr. Potato Head exclaimed as he tried to grab the mouth back. “Give it back, you furry air freshener!”

  “Come on, guys,” Jessie said angrily, “we’re going home.” She started for the door.

  “Whoa there, missy!” Lotso called after her. “You’re not going anywhere.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Jessie snapped. “And who’s gonna stop us?” She turned to leave and ran smack into Buzz.

  “Buzz!” Rex cheered. “You’re back!” He ran to give Buzz a hug.

  But when Buzz saw Rex running toward him, he struck a ninja pose. He leaped up, spinning and kicking. He knocked all of Andy’s toys’ legs out from under them. “Prisoners disabled, Commander Lotso!” Buzz said, snapping a salute.

  “Buzz, what are you doing?” Jessie demanded.

  Buzz wheeled on her. “Silence, minions of Zurg! You’re in the custody of the Galactic Alliance!”

  Andy’s toys exchanged worried looks. Zurg? Galactic Alliance? Something was wrong with Buzz. He thought he was really a space ranger!

  “Good work, Lightyear.” Lotso patted Buzz on the back. “Now lock ’em up!”

  “Yes, sir!” Buzz helped Lotso’s gang herd the toys to a set of wire-mesh cubbies. They shoved them inside.

  “Buzz?” Jessie reached a hand through the wire mesh. She put it on his shoulder. “We’re your friends!”

  “Spare me your lies, temptress!” Buzz said, shoving her hand away.

  “Keep your paws off my wife!” Mr. Potato Head shouted as Big Baby stuffed Mrs. Potato Head into a cubby.

  Big Baby grabbed Mr. Potato Head. “Hey, what are you doing? Let go of me, you drooling doofus!” cried the spud.

  “I think this potato needs to learn himself some manners! Take him to the Box,” Lotso told Big Baby.

  As Big Baby carried Mr. Potato Head out to the playground, Barbie stepped into the classroom. “Ken? What’s going on?” she asked. “What’re you doing to my friends?” She looked over at the cubbies. Twitch and Chunk were laughing as they shoved the Aliens inside. Barbie was shocked.

  “We’re through!” she snapped at Ken. She stormed off toward the cubbies. Twitch locked her up with the others.

  “Lightyear!” Lotso commanded. “Explain our overnight accommodations.”

  “Sir! Yes, sir!” Buzz saluted. “Prisoners sleep in their cells! Any prisoner caught outside their cell spends the night in the Box! Roll call at dusk and dawn! Any prisoner misses roll call spends the night in the Box! Prisoners don’t speak unless spoken to! Any prisoner talks back spends the night—”

  “. . . in the Box,” Jessie growled. “We get it.”

  Buzz whipped around to face her.

  Lotso put a hand on his shoulder. “At ease, soldier!” He climbed to the top of a pile of blocks. “Listen up, folks. We got a way of doing things here at Sunnyside! If you start at the bottom and pay your dues, life here can be a dream come true! But if you break our rules, step out of line, try to check out early, well . . .” He tossed something toward them. It skidded across the floor and came to a stop right outside Jessie’s cubby.

  Andy’s toys gasped. It was Woody’s hat!

  Jessie glared at Lotso. “What did you do to him?”

  “Y’all get a good night’s rest!” Lotso said, smiling, as he settled into the back of his truck. “You got a full day of playtime tomorrow!”

  He and his gang started to laugh as they drove away. Andy’s toys could hear Lotso laughing all the way back to the Butterfly Room.

  “1-2-2-5,” Woody typed on the keyboard. Bonnie’s toys had led him to the computer in the kitchen. Now all Woody had to do was figure out where he was—and where Andy was. “Sy-ca-more. Okay, enter!”

  Trixie the triceratops hit the Return key. A map appeared on the screen. Woody couldn’t believe his eyes—Andy’s house was right around the corner!

  Woody did a little victory dance, then hurried over to the pet door. “Oh, hey, listen,” he said to the other toys, “if any of you guys ever get to Sunnyside Daycare, you tell ’em Woody made it home!”

  Bonnie’s toys gasped. “You came from Sunnyside?” asked Dolly the rag doll.

  “But how did you escape?” Trixie asked, wide-eyed.

  “Well, it wasn’t easy—” Woody broke off. He was getting a bad feeling. “What do you mean, ‘escape’?”

  “Sunnyside is a place of ruin and despair ruled by an evil bear who smells of strawberries!” Mr. Pricklepants told him in a hushed voice.

  “Lotso?” Woody asked in disbelief.

  “The guy may seem plush and huggable,” Buttercup said. “But inside, he’s a monster!”

  Mr. Pricklepants pointed to the windowsill, where a broken toy clown sat, staring out the window. “Chuckles will tell you!”

  “Yeah, I knew Lotso,” Chuckles said. His voice was slow and sad. “He was a good toy. A friend. We had the same kid—Daisy. She loved us all, but Lotso was special. They did everything together. You’ve never seen a kid and a toy more in love.”

  Woody nodded. He knew what that was like.

  “One day,” Chuckles went on, “we took a drive. At a rest stop, we had a little playtime. After lunch, Daisy fell asleep. She never came back. . . .”

  The clown explained that Daisy’s parents had driven away without her toys. He and Lotso and Big Baby had waited and waited, but they didn’t return.

  So the three toys set off to find her house. “Lotso wouldn’t give up,” Chuckl
es explained. “It took forever, but we finally made it back to Daisy’s.”

  It was nighttime when they got there. Big Baby gave Lotso and Chuckles a boost up to Daisy’s window. But they were too late: Daisy was tucked into bed beside a brand-new pink bear.

  “Something changed that day inside Lotso,” Chuckles told Woody. “Something snapped.”

  Big Baby wore a heart-shaped pendant with Daisy’s name on it. Lotso was so furious, he ripped the pendant right off Big Baby’s neck. Lotso wouldn’t let Big Baby or Chuckles go inside to Daisy. “She don’t love you no more!” Lotso barked at them. “Now come on!”

  “We were lost. Unloved. Unwanted,” Chuckles said. “Then we found Sunnyside. But Lotso wasn’t my friend anymore. He wasn’t anyone’s friend. He took over Sunnyside, rigged the whole system.”

  Chuckles reached into his front pocket. He pulled out the plastic pendant that had belonged to Big Baby. It was worn and faded, but Woody could still make out the words MY HEART BELONGS TO DAISY

  “It ain’t right, what Lotso done,” said Chuckles. “New toys—they don’t stand a chance!”

  “But my friends are in there!” Woody gasped.

  “You can’t go back!” Buttercup insisted.

  “Returning now would be suicide,” Mr. Pricklepants told Woody.

  “And what about Andy?” Dolly asked.

  Trixie nodded. “Isn’t he leaving for college?”

  Woody looked around at the toys’ solemn faces. He didn’t know what to do. His friends needed him. If what Chuckles said was true, Woody knew his friends would never get out of Sunnyside without his help. But Andy needed him, too. And if he didn’t get home soon, Andy would be gone . . . forever.

  The Caterpillar Room was dark and still. Andy’s toys were locked in their cubbies. Buzz the space ranger patrolled the prison.

  Bullseye looked at Woody’s hat and whimpered. Jessie reached her hand through the bars to stroke his muzzle. “I miss Woody, too. But he ain’t ever coming back.”

  The bathroom door burst open. The toy dump truck tore into the room. Lotso and the gang were in the back, whooping and hollering. The truck screeched to a stop in front of the cubbies.