New Toy Story 5 Image Reveals First Look at Conan O’Brien’s Character

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O’Brien will be voicing the character of an electronic toy named Smarty Pants, and thanks to Destination 23, fans got their first look at the adorable character, which you can check out in the image below (via Boardwalk Times). We don’t have the footage yet of Smarty Pants in action, but knowing O’Brien, Smarty Pants is likely to have the comedian’s sarcastic wit in spades.

First look at Conan O'Brien's Smarty Pants in TOY STORY 5.#DestinationD23 pic.twitter.com/AIS4NpIton
— Boardwalk Times (@BoardwalkTimes) August 30, 2025

What We Know About Toy Story 5

Smarty Pants will likely be one of several new characters in Toy Story 5, and while we wait to learn more about the rest of the cast, we do know that the film will bring back series icons like Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and Jessie, who is going to be a more central character this time around.

The overall theme of the film is the evolution of toys and how traditional toys fare against the increased presence of digital and electronic toys. There was a semblance of this conflict in the original Toy Story when Woody had to adapt to the more high-tech Buzz Lightyear, and it will be interesting to see how Buzz now adapts to being more in Woody’s position as tablets and interactive toys take more precedence in the toy box, as it were.

Speaking of Buzz, it’s also been rumored that the toys will have to face a legion of Buzz Lightyear action figures for some reason, so that will only make things that much more chaotic for our favorite crew.

Toy Story 4 ended with Woody staying with Bo Peep, but Woody and Buzz will be reunited in the sequel, and that seems to also be tied to what is being described as an “unbelievable” opening sequence by Tim Allen.

A True Smarty Pants

How Smarty Pants fits into all this remains to be seen, but O’Brien did reveal how excited he was to play the character. That said, he did reveal that Smarty Pants wasn’t his first choice. On Instagram, O’Brien said, “Initially, I wanted the role of Woody, and they told me that they already promised that to Tom Hanks. And I was like, ‘You kind of been there and done that. You know, you’re in a bit of a rut, don’t you think?’ And they said, No, it’s Tom Hanks. It’s his role.”

“So I said, ‘Ok, how about Buzz Lightyear?’ And I said, ‘Let me guess, Tim Allen.’ And they were like, ‘Yeah, Tim Allen.’ And I went, ‘Guys, you gotta think outside the box.’ But anyway, then they showed me this new character, Smarty Pants. It’s the best character of them all,” O’Brien said. “I far prefer this character. I don’t even wanna play Woody or Buzz anymore, even if they beg me. I’m Smarty Pants. I love this!”

Toy Story 5 will land in theaters on June 18th, 2026.

What do you think of Smarty Pants and Toy Story 5 overall? Let us know in the comments or join the discussion in our ComicBook forum right here!