Group Asks Director Josh Cooley to Ditch the Character's Archaic Crook

For Immediate Release:

February 1, 2019

Contact:

Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Los Angeles – Bo Peep will return to the Toy Story franchise with a “modern” new look for its final film, and PETA is calling on director Josh Cooley to complete the character’s transformation by retiring her crook—a tool historically used to hook lambs by the legs and neck in the wool industry, much as the bullhook (now widely banned) is used to jab and pull elephants in the circus.

“A ‘badass’ Bo Peep would likely bop the shearers, not the sheep,” writes PETA Manager of Animals in Film and Television Lauren Thomasson. “[A] symbol of domination over any animal is a thing of the past and not something that belongs in Toy Story 4. Won’t you please consider removing Bo Peep’s crook from the final animation?”

PETA and its affiliates have released 11 exposés of 99 sheep operations on four continents revealing that the animals are beaten, stomped on, mutilated, and even skinned alive for wool. Because shearers are typically paid by volume, not by the hour, they’re driven to work quickly and carelessly. Strips of sheep’s skin—and even pieces of their ears—are cut or torn off during shearing, and the most gaping wounds are stitched up without any pain relief.

PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear.” For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA’s letter to Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley follows.

February 1, 2019

Dear Mr. Cooley,

Greetings from PETA! Many of our more than 6.5 million members and supporters worldwide have loved the Toy Story franchise since its inception. Being the first fully computer-generated feature film, it paved the way for computer animation and digital technologies to replace wild animals who would otherwise be exploited for the big screen.

I’m contacting you today about Bo Peep’s new look. Given that she was designed to have a “modern” look, why hasn’t she “lost” that outdated and cruel crook? You may not know that these “shepherd’s crooks,” are used solely to hook a sheep’s neck and force these gentle animals to move. That isn’t something that a progressive Bo Peep would countenance in 2019! A “badass” Bo Peep would likely bop the shearers, not the sheep.

At PETA, we’re working hard to change the way in which people regard and treat animals, including sheep. Our exposés are heartbreaking and show that sheep are routinely punched, kicked, dragged, and stomped on when they’re shorn by workers who are paid to work quickly and remove a lot of wool in a short amount of time, as you can see here . Surely you can agree that a symbol of domination over any animal is a thing of the past and not something that belongs in Toy Story 4. Won’t you please consider removing Bo Peep’s crook from the final animation?

We know that kind people everywhere would sing your praises—and Bo Peep’s, too—with this change. Thanks so much for your consideration. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Best regards,

Lauren Thomasson

Manager, Animals in Film and Television

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)