After finishing the first Toy Story, I wouldn't blame anyone for having zero sympathy for Sid Phillips, Andy's mean next-door neighbor. Sid tortures his toys and makes them into things resembling abominations, for crying out loud.But what if we got this character all wrong?


What if Sid reformed his ways, and became someone nobler?

The idea isn't so outlandish. Consider the ending of Toy Story 1, where Woody and the gang reveal to Sid that all his toys are actually 'alive.' Here's the scene, in case you need a refresher:

Something like that would mess a kid up, right? Later on, when Pixar shows us Sid as a garbageman in Toy Story 3, it's easy to laugh at the cameo without giving it a second thought.


But what if there was a reason that Sid picked up being a garbageman? This weekend, a great fan theory was written up by Reddit user londongarbageman, where they explain an alternate reading of Sid's appearance in Toy Story 3:

There is some tenuous evidence that can back this theory up. Sid isn't re-introduced in Toy Story 3 as some villainous character. Actually, he seems like a pretty cool guy that likes his job:

Plus, the theory makes sense. Looking back at Sid in Toy Story 1, I don't think he's evil or beyond reform. Hell, it would be easy to read Sid as someone who is just misunderstood. After the scare he gets at the end of the movie, it's easy to see why Sid might consider being a better person, and putting his creative talents to good use. If nothing else, he knows that the toys are watching—so either out of paranoia, or because of a change of heart, he has plenty of reason to try to start fixing toys after he collects them as a garbageman.


Obviously, though, this is just a theory. As much as I like it and think it might as well be canon, I'm curious: does this idea seem convincing to you?

And if this interests you, be sure to check out some other awesome fan theories about Toy Story and Pixar Movies.