How A Love Of Bologna And A Stuffed Animal Named ‘Butthole Bear’ Inspired One Of In Your Dreams’ Main Characters

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Netflix’s upcoming film, In Your Dreams, is generating buzz as audiences prepare to meet Baloney Tony, a character described as both repulsive and strangely endearing. The movie draws heavily from the personal life of writer and director Alex Woo, and reportedly, the flamboyant character played by Craig Robinson was inspired by a real-life figure known as “Butthole Bear.”

You’re not mistaken – I did say “Butthole Bear.” So, how did that name come about? A few months before In Your Dreams was added to Netflix, Woo shared the story behind the character, which involved a funny, though slightly gross, tale about his brother’s beloved childhood toy.

My brother had a well-loved stuffed animal with a pretty noticeable stain on its back – we jokingly called it ‘Butthole Bear’ because of where the stain was. That bear actually inspired the character of Baloney Tony in our movie. We all tend to have a favorite childhood toy that’s seen better days, and we wanted to include that familiar feeling in our film. Baloney Tony is meant to represent Elliot’s inner thoughts and impulses – his subconscious, if you will.

The film centers around Elliot (Elias Janssen), a boy who goes on an extraordinary adventure with his sister, Stevie (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport), hoping to help their parents save their marriage. His companion on this journey is Tony, an imaginary friend who looks like a giraffe and, rather unusually, has a pocket for bologna. Despite being a bit of a mess, the director intends Tony to represent the movie’s bigger ideas and overall message.

So, where does the name ‘Baloney Tony’ come from? According to Alex Woo, in a later interview with TopMob, it originated from a fondness co-writer Erik Benson had for processed lunch meats like bologna.

We felt young boys were messy and didn’t separate eating from playing. The idea was Elliot would hide bologna inside his Baloney Tony doll through a tear, essentially creating a ‘bologna pocket’. We imagined if Baloney Tony were real, he’d be playfully throwing bologna everywhere.

If you’ve seen the new movie, or even just the trailer for In Your Dreams a few months back, and found the idea of a stuffed animal filled with an endless amount of bologna a bit disturbing, you’re definitely not the only one.

Even Craig Robinson And The Cast Of In Your Dreams Are ‘Grossed Out’ By Baloney Tony

Even though In Your Dreams is a cartoon, the characters are designed with such incredible detail that they appear almost real. You might even feel like you could reach out and touch them—or, if you encounter Baloney Tony, get smacked with a slice of processed meat!

Before the new comedy film comes out, TopMob chatted with three of the actors about a unique prop: Tony’s bologna pocket. Here’s what they had to say…

  • Craig Robinson: Disgusting…
  • Jolie Hoang-Rappaport: I’m in Stevie’s camp. I’m a little like, grossed out by it, but it makes sense for Elliot.
  • Elias Janssen: Yeah. I thought it was funny. It’s kind of subtle, but it shows both Baloney Toney and Elliot’s personalities. Like, because it’s just bologna, like Elliot loves bologna.

Robinson and Hoang-Rappaport didn’t seem interested in silly, low-effort fun, but Janssen, embracing his playful personality, was all for it. Hopefully, this isn’t the last we see of Tony, because it would be great to see him continue his bizarre adventures with that old sandwich, traveling through strange and scary places.

We may not know what the future holds for Tony, Elliot, and Stevie, but you can finally watch In Your Dreams – it’s now available on streaming!

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2025-11-14 17:10