# Does Buzz know hes a toy?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-buzz-know-hes-a-toy/88299>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 18, 2001, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-buzz-know-hes-a-toy/88299 "2001-10-18T20:47:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![illuminati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47774/32.png) [@illuminati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/illuminati)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2001, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-buzz-know-hes-a-toy/88299/1 "2001-10-18T20:47:04Z")

</div>

I was watching the original Toy Story the other day when this question hit me.

If Buzz Lightyear doesn’t know hes a toy, why does he freeze when a human enters the room??

Is this a flaw in the story???

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2001, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-buzz-know-hes-a-toy/88299/2 "2001-10-18T20:50:45Z")

</div>

He freezes because standard Galactic Patrol training says to play dead when you encounter a creature that much bigger than you.

(That’s just a guess. I don’t know if there’s an “official movie explanation”.)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2001, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-buzz-know-hes-a-toy/88299/3 "2001-10-18T21:37:46Z")

</div>

I think he loses consciousness every time people are around. Otherwise, how could he not tell he is a toy when some giant kid keeps playing with him. (that sounds dirty on a re-read, but is not meant to be).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\
**Post date:** [October 19, 2001, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-buzz-know-hes-a-toy/88299/4 "2001-10-19T05:32:05Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by angledave44 \*  
> **If Buzz Lightyear doesn’t know hes a toy, why does he freeze when a human enters the room?**

I say that he _subconsciously_ knows he’s a toy, and hence follows all the unwritten “toy rules,” but deluded himself into thinking that he was a real Space Ranger.

Buzz has to know about his reality on a subconscious level; otherwise, he would have _really_ freaked out when Andy wrote his name on the bottom of his boot, and would not have referred to “flying around this room” when he first meets the other toys.

Of course, by the end of the movie, it’s all moot… 🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cougarfang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c67d28/32.png) [@Cougarfang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cougarfang)\
**Post date:** [October 19, 2001, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-buzz-know-hes-a-toy/88299/5 "2001-10-19T10:37:49Z")

</div>

wow. that sounds so psychiatric and everything…

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dalovindj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/65b543/32.png) [@dalovindj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalovindj)\
**Post date:** [October 19, 2001, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-buzz-know-hes-a-toy/88299/6 "2001-10-19T14:43:55Z")

</div>

**Cougarfang** :

Could you translate your sig? I took latin, but I stopped paying attention when Marius got killed at Pompei (about 3 weeks in).

DaLovin’ Dj