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So far, the Toy Story films have involved a bunch of familiar faces that were reintroduced to an audience alongside a sense of childlike wonder. Cowboys, spacemen, Mr. Potato Head, plastic dinosaurs, army men, piggy banks – all of these are toys and objects from our childhoods. Hell, they are even adding a Ken doll to the mix in the new movie.

Now, we’re being introduced to a character we never knew.

Mr. Pricklepants not only has the same name as Rob Hunter’s nickname in high school, he’s a stuffed hedgehog in traditional German lederhosen. So, yes, the similarity to Rob Hunter in high school continue.

What I find interesting about this is that it’s the first character that really doesn’t come from any real-world history. Ever as Buzz Lightyear is a new personality, he’s still modeled after a very classic toy. Mr. Pricklepants seems to be overly stuffed with comedic elements – a pompous thespian, a hedgehog, wearing funny tights.

I suppose a teddy bear would have been too boring.

Here’s a look at Toy Story 3 that aired on the Disney Channel not too long ago that actually lets Mr. Pricklepants speak for himself (in Timothy Dalton’s voice). He’s a small part of the feature, but the video is actually pretty exciting in terms of bringing those old friends back to us in a new adventure:

What do you think?