In the classic nursery rhyme, she is generally depicted as a pretty yet passive young shepherdess, waiting for her sheep to come home.

As she makes her return to popular culture in Toy Story 4, Bo Peep will be given a newly feminist makeover to don practical trousers to seize “control of her own destiny”.

The makers of Toy Story 4 have spoken of how their modern Bo Peep will be “independent and comfortable” for the latest installation of the film franchise, saving the day.

Missing from the last film, the character found herself sick of gathering dust and “took it upon herself to head out into the world” and make her return, the director said.

Wearing trousers instead of her old, pink floor-length shepherdess dress and bonnet, the new version of the Bo Peep is simply the “right way to tell the story”, he added, with a team of six women assigned to making sure she was fit for the cinema in 2019.

She now wears a blue jump suit and purple cape, wielding her crook as a weapon.