On 17 June 2026, Buzz, Woody and Jessie return to cinemas in Toy Story 5, directed by Andrew Stanton. For collectors, the competition has already started: pre-orders and chases. Toy Story 5 is not only a film about toys, it is a film about objects, released for the franchise's 30th anniversary and built on a strong meta irony.

"Toy meets Tech": the premise of the film

Pixar sums up the premise in three words: "Toy meets Tech". Bonnie, now 8 years old, is given Lilypad, a frog-shaped tablet that takes all her attention. The toys are no longer threatened by being forgotten but by becoming obsolete, and they have to find a new purpose. Andrew Stanton directs and Randy Newman writes his fifth score for the series. Stanton also refuses to call the tablet a villain: in his view, when tech arrives, it simply wins. A detail for figure collectors: the film features an army of fifty commemorative Buzz Lightyears, stuck in "toy mode" and convinced they are real Space Rangers.

The irony is clear: the main villain is a tablet, and the film comes with a real LeapFrog Lilypad educational tablet, Mattel figures and CASETiFY cases. The franchise sells exactly what it claims to criticise. For a collector's feature, this is useful material: the merchandise is the message, and the message contradicts itself.

Funko: classic POPs and a Premium Bullseye

Funko starts in May 2026 with several Pop! figures from the film: Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, Lilypad, Smarty Pants and Blaze's pet pig, plus a Pop! Premium Bullseye on a base. Distribution is split: most go through Amazon, but Blaze's pig is exclusive to Funko.com. Funko is also releasing Toy Story 5 Mystery Mini blind box packs.

Bullseye, Premium version (#1713)

Woody's toy horse returns as a Premium figure on a base, box number 1713, with a more detailed finish than the rest of the wave.

Snappy, Blaze's camera (#1718)

Snappy, Blaze's small purple and yellow camera, joins the wave as a standard figure, number 1718.

Blaze Manoukian (#1719)

A new character in the franchise, Blaze Manoukian is Bonnie's new best friend, raised on a ranch surrounded by horses. Her figure, number 1719, shows her holding her pet pig under her arm.

Blaze's pig (#1716) and Atlas (#1717)

Blaze's pet pig, number 1716, joins the wave alongside Atlas (#1717), an advanced home assistant in the same style as Smarty Pants and Snappy.

Forky and Karen Beverly, the two-pack

Funko also pairs Forky with Karen Beverly, the plastic knife nicknamed Knifey already seen in Toy Story 4, in a two-figure pack.

Flocked Lotso (#1748) and Glow in the Dark Buzz Lightyear (#1726)

The wave is completed by two collector variants: a Lotso with a fully flocked body, matching the plush texture of the strawberry-scented bear, and an exclusive Glow in the Dark Buzz Lightyear whose suit shows glowing details when the lights are off.

Loungefly: bags and accessories, including a "Smarty Pants" card holder

Loungefly has several items. The most affordable is the Smarty Pants Cosplay Card Holder, a card holder based on the potty-training toy, absurd and therefore typical of Loungefly.

Next come two mini backpacks: a Triple Pocket with Jessie, Woody and Buzz, and a Characters design centred on Lilypad.

Then the statement piece: the Aliens Charm Crossbody Bag, with gold alien charms and green lining.

For the franchise's 30th anniversary, Loungefly also offers a Woody Saloon mini backpack, shaped like a small saloon with Woody looking out of the window, a direct reference to the first Toy Story from 1995.

The Slinky Dog Cosplay Mini Backpack completes the range: the franchise's spring dog appears as an appliqué on the flap, with floppy ears and a raised striped body.

LEGO: from children's playsets to an 18+ collector set

LEGO is releasing several sets, on sale at LEGO.com from 1 May 2026.

43304 Blaze's Horse Ranch: a 4+ playset with 209 pieces, Woody and Jessie, and above all the return of Bullseye as a LEGO element, the first time since 2010.
43307 Alien with Pizza Planet Rocket Ride: 714 pieces, with a crank mechanism that raises the rocket. The best balance in the range.
43306 Lotso: a 570-piece buildable figure with movable eyebrows to switch from cuddly bear to villain.
43301 Toy Story Slinky Dog Bookends: the 18+ set, 1,311 pieces, two bookends including a Slinky over 16.9 in (43 cm) long.
40860 Toy Story - LEGO BrickHeadz: 528 pieces for five buildable characters (Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie and two Aliens), exclusive to LEGO.com before reaching partner shops.

VTech: a Buzz Lightyear games console

VTech adds a Toy Story 5 toy: a handheld games console shaped like a spaceship, featuring Buzz Lightyear, with a backlit screen, a directional pad and A/B buttons. It includes five educational games about letters, numbers, shapes and logic. The version described here is the French edition, with Buzz Lightyear's French voice.

30 years of Toy Story: nostalgia as a driver

Toy Story 5 follows the 30th anniversary of the first film (1995), the first feature film made entirely with computer animation. The franchise remains one of Disney's most profitable licences: by Toy Story 3, it already led the global merchandise market. A nostalgic release in 2026 is therefore not just a film, it starts a licensing cycle worth several billion.

The situation reflects itself: a series created to celebrate physical toys asks openly whether they still have a future against screens, while running one of the largest merchandising operations of the decade. For collectors, it is a chance to buy, from day one, the pieces that will show in 30 years how the toy franchise faced the tablet era. Toy Story 5 is released on 17 June 2026 in France. Make room on your shelves, and perhaps, just this once, put the tablet down.