<P> It was screenwriter Joss Whedon's idea to incorporate Barbie as a character who would rescue Woody and Buzz in the film's final act . The idea was dropped after Mattel objected and refused to license the toy . Producer Ralph Guggenheim claimed that Mattel did not allow the use of the toy as "They (Mattel) philosophically felt girls who play with Barbie dolls are projecting their personalities onto the doll . If you give the doll a voice and animate it, you're creating a persona for it that might not be every little girl's dream and desire ." Hasbro likewise refused to license G.I. Joe (mainly because Sid was going to blow one up), but they did license Mr. Potato Head . The only toy in the movie that was not in production was Slinky Dog, which was discontinued since the 1970s . When designs for Slinky were sent to Betty James (Richard James's wife) she said that Pixar had improved the toy and that it was "cuter" than the original . </P> <P> On October 2, 2009, the film was re-released in Disney Digital 3 - D . The film was also released with Toy Story 2 as a double feature for a two - week run which was extended due to its success . In addition, the film's second sequel, Toy Story 3, was also released in the 3 - D format . Lasseter commented on the new 3 - D re-release: </P> <P> The Toy Story films and characters will always hold a very special place in our hearts and we're so excited to be bringing this landmark film back for audiences to enjoy in a whole new way thanks to the latest in 3 - D technology . With Toy Story 3 shaping up to be another great adventure for Buzz, Woody and the gang from Andy's room, we thought it would be great to let audiences experience the first two films all over again and in a brand new way . </P> <P> Translating the film into 3 - D involved revisiting the original computer data and virtually placing a second camera into each scene, creating left eye and right eye views needed to achieve the perception of depth . Unique to computer animation, Lasseter referred to this process as "digital archaeology ." The process took four months, as well as an additional six months for the two films to add the 3 - D . The lead stereographer Bob Whitehill oversaw this process and sought to achieve an effect that affected the emotional storytelling of the film: </P>

What toy became the must have toy in 1996