Toy Story 5 Introduces New Character Lilypad Replacing Original Toy Etch

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The latest installment, Toy Story 5, features a new character that’s shaking things up for Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the other toys. The trailer shows Bonnie receiving a smart tablet named Lilypad, and this new toy could mean big changes for everyone.

With the fifth Toy Story movie, some familiar characters have new voice actors. But more significantly, a new character named Lilypad is taking the place of Etch, one of the original toys from the series. Since Bonnie now has a smart screen, Etch won’t be appearing in this installment or likely in the future.

While we can expect to see many familiar toys in Toy Story 5, the classic Etch A Sketch is feeling its age. In the original Toy Story, Woody promised his friends they wouldn’t be replaced, but he couldn’t have predicted that Etch’s replacement would be a modern, AI-powered tablet.

Toy Story 5’s Main New Character Is The Smart Tablet Lilypad

The trailer for Toy Story 5 hints at a surprisingly relatable problem for Woody and the gang: an existential crisis. Just like many people worry about job security and the impact of technology – things like AI, too much screen time, and being watched by computers – the toys now face a similar threat, personified by Bonnie’s new toy, Lilypad.

Lilypad is a pretend smart tablet made for little kids, and Bonnie loves it more than any of her other toys. However, it also keeps Bonnie glued to the screen and secretly collects a lot of information about her. The tablet even creepily tells Jessie, “I’m always listening.”

Lilypad Is The First Screen-Based Toy In The Franchise Since Etch

The new character, Lilypad, strongly resembles a classic toy from Andy’s room in the first two Toy Story films. Just like Etch, the Etch-a-Sketch toy, she’s a familiar and dependable presence for Woody and Buzz.

André Cassagnes, a French toymaker, created the Etch-a-Sketch in the 1950s. The Ohio Art Company first sold it in 1960. Surprisingly, the classic toy saw a surge in popularity 35 years later after appearing in the original Toy Story movie.

I’ve always loved how Etch, in the original Toy Story and Toy Story 2, was more than just a drawing toy – that screen was incredibly handy when Woody and Buzz needed to map out a plan. Now, with Toy Story 5, we have Lilypad stepping into that role, and it’s exciting to see another screen-based toy join the adventure, something we haven’t seen since the second film!

Etch Played A Key Role In Toy Story & Toy Story 2

Everyone already knows that Toy Story 5 will follow a similar story to the other films – the trailer even makes a joke about it. So, it’s no surprise that the new character, Lilypad, will have a role similar to Etch from the original Toy Story movies.

Animators initially used the Etch-A-Sketch to quickly design the first villains in each Toy Story movie – Buzz Lightyear and Al from Al’s Toy Barn. Later, in Toy Story 2, Etch helped Buzz and the other toys find Woody by allowing them to draw a map to Al’s shop.

It was a different world back then. What Etch-A-Sketch could do with its simple screen in the 1990s, Lilypad can now easily replicate within the world of Toy Story 5. It’s clear that one of the original toys has been superseded by newer technology.

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2026-02-26 04:58