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In the theatrical films, the featured Buzz is a toy — a spaceman action figure — whereas the television properties follow the adventures of the fictional space ranger on whom the toy is modelled. His name was inspired by Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

History

Buzz Lightyear is first seen as a birthday gift for Andy. At this time, Buzz does not realize that he is a toy, believing himself to be the real Buzz Lightyear. He also thinks that all of his equipment is fully functional, not realizing that his communicator is a sticker, his laser is an LED, etc. This belief causes friction between Buzz and Woody, who he refers to as a 'sad, strange, little man', Andy's previous favorite toy. The other toys in Andy's room are attracted by Buzz's doo-dads and gung-ho attitude, but Woody becomes increasingly jealous and contrives to cause Buzz to fall behind Andy's desk. Instead, Buzz falls out of the window and is thought to be lost. During this period, Buzz manages to survive and save Woody numerous times due to the fact that he still believes that he is a space ranger. Using both stealth and agility, he manages to get through all challenges with Woody until he learns the truth. Eventually Buzz and Woody meet up and through a series of incidents, Buzz comes first to realize that he is, in fact, a toy (he learns this when he attempts to fly out the window of toy-destroying child Sid's house, only to fall and break his left arm in the process). At first, he falls into depression after learning the truth, but with encouragement from Woody, he gradually comes to accept the situation (being loved by Andy). He teams up with Woody to escape Sid, and together, they are able to reunite with Andy and the other toys.

In Toy Story 2, Buzz leads Slinky, Mr. Potato Head, Rex, and Hamm on the mission to find and rescue Woody after he's stolen by Al McWhiggin, the owner of Al's Toy Barn, for his collection. Assuming the leadership role, Buzz manages to track down Woody's trail and find the culprit. He appears to be a serious leader right on his task, as he demands the toys not to give up until Woody is safely back in Andy's room. Buzz and the toys eventually succeed by navigating traffic, elevators, cars, airports, and aircraft. At one point in the movie, while investigating Al's Toy Barn itself, Buzz is captured by a newer Buzz Lightyear action figure, who overpowers him and imprisons him in a display box, showing that the entire toy line apparently holds the same ignorance of their existence as toys as Buzz once had (a discarded script for Toy Story 3 had Buzz and his toy line recalled back to Taiwan due to a defect, which could have explained why he and the rest of the line's figures believed themselves to be their characters while Woody, who also possessed his own series, was never aware of his origins until the events of Toy Story 2). Nevertheless, Buzz manages to break free from the box and follows the rest of the toys and Al all the way to his apartment, where he uses Woody's exact words from the first film to persuade Woody to come back home with him. After rescuing Woody and getting rid of the vile Prospector at the airport, Buzz assists Woody in rescuing Jessie. Despite being separated from Woody, Buzz commandeers Bullseye to follow Woody and is seen galloping next to the plane's wheels when he catches Woody's hat. After the toys finally return home, Buzz and Jessie enter a relationship together (the same way as Woody and Bo Peep). The last shot shows Woody, Buzz, and their respective girlfriends watching Wheezy sing "You've Got a Friend in Me". In the Super Bowl on February 3, 2008 during the 3rd quarter, Buzz and Woody are watching the Super Bowl and then watch a promo for WALL-E, who is playing with a vacuum.

Buzz was featured in the 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as a giant helium balloon.

Buzz as a character

Buzz is a space ranger from the Intergalactic Alliance and is stationed in the Gamma Quadrant of Sector 4. He is the captain of the Alliance's Team. Lightyear and is known for his bravery and courage. Buzz believes that following rules are the way people should live their life. Though a great leader, at times he can be rather unemotional, one of his biggest character flaws. Buzz is said to be Emperor Zurg's son (a la Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back) as mentioned in Toy Story 2, but in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, this is revealed to be a taunt intended to catch Buzz off guard. Either way, this shows that Buzz does not know his father. Buzz is trained in several forms of martial arts and is a highly skilled warrior in hand to hand combat. Being in peak physical condition, Buzz makes a perfect space ranger and is an example to many.

On October 2007, readers of Empire voted him #1 of the Top 20 Greatest Pixar Characters. [1]

Buzz's suit

Buzz wears a rather high-tech space suit, similar to that of astronauts, though more streamlined. The suit chest features a control panel. On the left hand side of the suit, a large red button activates the suit's flight system. When activated, the wings on the suit's backpack will unfold, and the boosters at the bottom of the pack will ignite, allowing the wearer to fly. The sides of the wings carry lights that blink in order to prevent any in-air collisions.

The buttons on the right of the suit have numerous functions. Though it is unknown which button does what, when pressed the wearer will be able to contact Star Command, the headquarters of Buzz Lightyear and his allies. The suit also has a liquid adamantium-nitrogen layer which allows Buzz to withstand virtually any physical attack and, in special circumstances, can be used to repel telepaths.

Buzz's suit also protects against the vacuum and cold of space. It can also translate all he says into any language even an outspace dialect. A retractable helmet, when activated, covers Buzz's head and allows him to breathe in space or on planets lacking a sufficient supply of oxygen. The helmet is activated by pressing the purple button on the side of the chest armour. When pressed once, the helmet automatically swings up and seals; when pressed again the helmet flips back down. To protect against the heat of re-entry, the suit contains a shield generator.

The left arm of the suit has a panel that flips open to reveal a display that contains a mission log in the wrist area to record history and provide records. It is also where a "Made In Taiwan" wording is embossed, one of the critical evidence that made him realize he was really a toy. Also located in this area are oxygen gauges, a fuel gauge for the jet pack, and a speaker. The right arm contains the weapon system which projects a powerful laser out of the small cannon on the back of the wrist. It is unknown how long the laser's battery life lasts, but it is known that it requires a recharge after some time.

The suit's backpack, containing folded wings and boosters, allows Buzz to fly through space. It runs on rechargeable fuel cells. Depending on the situation, a different backpack can be attached to the suit. The wings, when enabled, are lined with strobe lights.

Utility belt

As seen in Toy Story 2, Buzz has a utility belt as an upgrade to his already powerful suit. The buckle of the belt activates the anti-gravity servos stored around the belt. When pressed, a blue beam shoots out before completely covering the wearer in a bubble which allows them to, as the name suggests, defy gravity and fly without the aid of the jetpack. On the sides of the belt, two magnets are stored for climbing reasons. The magnets are shown to be able to support up to three pounds (1.3 kg) before slipping, making them rather strong for toy magnets. At the back of the belt a compartment contains a grappling hook which can easily fold up. The string of the grappling hook is estimated to be about 12 inches (30 cm) long and strong, being able to hold four toys without fraying.

Variant space suits

Though how many different space suits Buzz has is unknown, it is known that there are two different series of suits. The first series consists of modified version of his original suit, but with different weapons. The other series are for different rescue missions. There are three different types of rescue suits that have been shown so far: Delta, Alpha and Gamma. Delta consists of the basic suit, and a bigger jet pack and a grappling hook. The others have been shown to have a similar look but with different weapons.

Action figure

Toy figure, Buzz Lightyear, with packaging, licensed from the film Toy Story, plastic / cardboard, made for Thinkway Toys in China, 1995-1999. The Buzz Lightyear is made of plastic and is dressed in grey, green and blue with touches of red and black. The figure is sealed in a cardboard and plastic blister pack with color illustration of the characters Woody and Buzz from the film 'Toy Story'. The text 'Disney's Toy Story' Collectible Figure' is printed on the front of the packaging. Additional color illustrations and character histories are printed on the reverse side of the pack. The toy sells for $19.95 at Disney's stores currently.

The Buzz Lightyear figure was manufactured by Thinkway Toys, New York between 1995-1999.

The Toy Story Action Figure, Buzz Lightyear was subject to mass sales in the Christmas after the film's release, mainly in the United States and United Kingdom. Additional parts could be purchased, e.g. wings etc... It was the number 1 toy sold in the UK and has remained a sought-after collectible since.^{[citation needed]} In 1995, Thinkway didn't think that Toy Story would be that popular hence didn't make enough dolls to meet demand, as referenced in Toy Story 2.

In May 2008, NASA and Disney announced that an original Thinkway Toys' Buzz Lightyear action figure would fly aboard the space shuttle Discovery on mission STS-124. The 12-inch toy was to remain on the International Space Station for six months, where it would take part in an experiment and appear in a video downlink from space. The flight was arranged as part of the Toys In Space program that began in 1985.[1]

The mission launched with Buzz aboard the NASA space shuttle Discovery (STS-124) on May 31, 2008, to celebrate the opening of Toy Story Midway Mania at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's California Adventure theme parks, with the ultimate destination of the International Space Station (ISS). The action figure "ate" dinner with the 10 astronauts and cosmonauts and was seen peering out a window aboard the ISS. The action figure will stay aboard the space station for a period of six months as part of a NASA toys-in-space educational program.[2]