Jim Henson’s The Christmas Toy was the first Toy Story.

The last post left me feeling nostalgic for my childhood days and I just remembered another great TV movie we loved by Jim Henson – The Christmas Toy which aired in 1986. Sadly, this is not available on DVD for US markets. You can find it on VHS but who watches VHS anymore?

There are some uncanny similarities to Pixar’s computer-animated feature film Toy Story. For example, when no people are around, the toys still play in the playroom. But since a toy will be frozen forever if a person catches it out of position, they have to be very careful. Meteora, like Buzz Lightyear, does not understand that she is, in fact, a toy and not “Queen of the Asteroids”. Rugby must teach her that being a toy is not inferior to her assumed role, as Woody must convince Buzz.

I found the whole version of The Christmas Toy on YouTube in 5 parts. Oh Joy!

Part 1

It’s Christmas Eve, and Rugby the Tiger remembers how he was the Christmas Toy last year, and thinks he’s going to be unwrapped again.

Part 2

And it’s up to Apple the Doll, whom Rugby supplanted as favorite toy, to tell him what’s in store.

Part 3

But Rugby won’t believe her, and tries to get into the Christmas package and lets Meteora, Queen of the Asteroids loose.

Part 4

Unfortunately, she doesn’t know she’s a toy, and thinks she’s landed among aliens. And it’s up to Apple, Mew (the Cat’s toy mouse), and the other toys to get Rugby out of the box and Meteora back in it before they’re found and frozen forever!

Part 5