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The ‘Toy Story’ theory that will blow your mind

Every once in a while, a wild movie theory comes along that is almost too plausible to ignore.

Pixar movies are full of Easter eggs, in-jokes, and secrets that don’t always register on first viewing. For instance, the Planet Pizza delivery truck from the original “Toy Story” appears in some form or another in every other Pixar movie except “The Incredibles.” Similarly, nods to other Pixar films can be found throughout the “Toy Story” movies and vice versa: A slightly older version of Boo from “Monsters Inc.” can be see at the daycare in “Toy Story 3,” and “Toy Story” baddie Lotso makes a much friendlier appearance in “Up.” The list goes on.

But there’s one major Pixar Easter egg that may have eluded eagle-eyed fans until now (since “Toy Story 2” hit theatres in 1999 to be exact): The true identity of Andy’s Mom.

Writer and Pixar super fan Jon Negroni (author of the well-regarded Pixar Theory) posted his theory about the identity of Andy’s mother in a blog post earlier this week. The theory - which is all it remains for now -- has caused many to reevaluate the way they look at the “Toy Story” series.

Here’s how the theory goes: Woody, the cowboy doll voiced by Tom Hanks in the “Toy Story” movies, is Andy Davis’s favourite toy. Andy can often be seen playing with the toy sheriff wearing a very distinctive cowboy hat. The hat appears to be the same one owned by another child, Emily, the barely glimpsed original owner of Woody’s toy sidekick Jessie.

Why is this significant? Well, Emily bears a striking resemblance to Andy’s unnamed mother. As a teen in what appears to be the 1970s, Emily is seen giving the Jessie toy away but seemingly keeps the hat -- a hat almost identical to the one Andy wears.

And while we are never shown Emily's face, she does have a similar hair colour to that of Andy's mom.

The implication of the theory is that Andy's mother is, in fact, Emily. This ultimately minor reveal would add a whole new dimension to the relationship between the toys and their owners.

It’s a really cool theory, but does it actually hold any water? Pixar and the folks behind the “Toy Story” movies are remaining tight lipped, but “Toy Story 2” co-director and co-writer Lee Unkrich is weighed in on Twitter earlier this week.

Unkrich is the same person who denied that Boo is the little girl glimpsed in the daycare in “Toy Story 3,” so perhaps he’s taken on the role of official Pixar fan theory debunker. That, or he’s just trying to preserve some of the magical ambiguity that surrounds the Pixar family of films. Negroni's theory seems entirely plausible. We think Unkrich doth protest too much.