 Toy Story had a large promotion before its release , leading to numerous tie @-@ ins with the film including images on food packaging . A variety of merchandise was released during the film 's theatrical run and its initial VHS release including toys , clothing , and shoes , among other things . When an action figure for Buzz Lightyear and Sheriff Woody was created it was initially ignored by retailers . However , after over 250 @,@ 000 figures were sold for each character before the film 's release , demand continued to expand , eventually reaching over 25 million units sold by 2007 . 
