Toy Story 4
Pat Lawlor builds a carnival-themed adventure with a hilarious number of things to do — and the jump ramp is the star of the show.
The jump ramp in the upper right is the mechanical star of the game. It launches the ball off a ramp into a mini stunt deck, and it's endlessly satisfying. Shoot the upper loop to enable the left inlanes to lower the jump ramp, then pass through the correct inlane to pop it up. Ten jump ramp shots qualify the Caboom scene, and three consecutive jumps score the Caboom Jackpot. During Carnival Multiball, the jump ramp is your Super Jackpot target. It's also the key to the Fireworks finale of the wizard mode. This shot makes the game.
The sheer volume of rules is the biggest challenge. There are seven scenes, twelve carnival games, eight wheel awards, and multiple multiballs — it's easy to lose track of what you're supposed to be doing. The Buzz saucer is not a direct shot; you have to shoot into the pop bumpers and hope the ball bounces in. The Bo Peep Loops scene requires you to first earn Super Loops from the Take A Chance Wheel, which adds RNG to a required objective. Rescue Forky gets progressively harder with multi-shot combos. Despite the cute theme, this game can absolutely bury you in complexity.
Your Game Plan
Lock Balls, Start Carnival Games
BALL 1Nail the Skill Shot Earnable
Plunge the ball into the Woody saucer for 50 tickets, 50K points, and a +5x bonus multiplier. That bonus multiplier boost is enormous early on. After a successful skill shot, you get a chance to shoot the upper loop repeatedly for Super Skill Shot awards. Three skill shots in a game lights an extra ball.
Start Road Trip Multiball Earnable
Shoot the Drop Target / Lock-Up to light the three physical locks behind it, then lock three balls to start Road Trip Multiball. During the multiball, shoot lit shots for 1x-3x Jackpots. When enough shots are hit, the Super Jackpot lights at the drop target. After the Super, the lock shot lights for a Mega Jackpot hurry-up. Shoot the Left Ramp during Road Trip to light a Shot Multiplier at the Captive Ball for up to 4x on your next jackpot.
Earn Tickets and Start a Carnival Game Earnable
Shoot either ramp to earn tickets. After enough tickets, the Left Ramp lights to start a carnival game (the first game is free — no tickets needed). Use the left flipper to cycle through the available games. Flipball and Squirrel Derby are the easiest to complete. Winning a carnival game collects a character perk for the upcoming Carnival Multiball.
Complete FORKY for Kickback Earnable
Hit the roving FORKY standup targets to spell F-O-R-K-Y. Completing it enables the kickback (left outlane save) and lights Rescue Forky at the left ramp. The kickback alone makes this worth doing every ball. Rescue Forky requires a Duke Caboom ramp → scoop combo for 250K.
Play Carnival Multiball, Work the Wheel
BALL 2Lock Balls for Carnival Multiball Earnable
After playing any carnival game, Carnival Lock lights at the Second Chance Scoop. Lock three balls to start Carnival Multiball. This is a staged multiball with escalating Super Jackpots at the Duke Caboom Jump Ramp. Keep an eye on the popcorn meter — when it fills, the Captive Ball lights for a Popcorn Jackpot hurry-up that also completes the scene.
Spin the Take A Chance Wheel Earnable
Spell ALIEN by shooting the Captive Ball (4 letters lit by default) to qualify the wheel. The wheel has 8 awards including Unlimited Kickback, Super X (2x-4x playfield), Caboom (free jump ramp loops), and Super Loops (required for Bo Peep scene). Change the wheel award with the captive ball or upper loop. Prioritize Unlimited Kickback early — it lasts the rest of the ball with no exceptions.
Build Spinners for Super Spinners Earnable
Rip both the Woody Spinner and Bo Peep spinner to bring Woody and Bo Peep closer together on the display. When they meet, Super Spinners activates and qualifies the scene. During Super Spinners, rip the spinners to build value, then collect at the captive ball twice — once for Woody, once for Bo Peep.
Complete Scenes, Reach the Wizard Mode
BALL 3Finish Duke Caboom (10 Jumps) Earnable
You need 10 jump ramp shots during normal play to qualify the Caboom scene. Shoot the upper loop to enable the inlanes, pass through the flashing inlane to lower the Duke Caboom Jump Ramp, and launch. Once qualified, three consecutive jump ramp shots score the Caboom Jackpot and complete the scene. The Caboom wheel award makes this much easier by letting you continuously loop the jump ramp.
Qualify Bo Peep Loops Earnable
This scene requires Super Loops from the Take A Chance Wheel to have been started at least once, plus 15 total upper loop shots across the game (or a 3-shot upper loop combo). If you got Super Loops on Ball 2, just keep ripping the upper loop. The 3-shot combo instantly completes the scene if Super Loops has been played.
Get Buzz Quick Multiball Earnable
Shoot into the pop bumpers and hope the ball lands in the Buzz Inner Voice Saucer. This isn't a direct shot — it's a bumper-fed saucer. Multiple saucer hits light Buzz Quick Multiball. During the multiball, shoot ramps and captive ball for jackpots, then collect the Super at the saucer. It's the least controllable scene, so don't stress if it takes a while.
Shoot the Scoop for Meet Me at the Carousel Earnable
Once all seven scenes are qualified (or completed), shoot the Second Chance Scoop to start the 4-stage wizard mode. Each completed scene (not just qualified) adds a +1x multiplier to the wizard mode scoring, up to 7x. Shoot the ramps before starting to choose between Woody's Path and Buzz's Path. You need to complete both paths across the game to fully finish.
Stay Alive Out There
- → FORKY = Kickback = Life: Spell F-O-R-K-Y every ball to relight the left outlane kickback. It's the single most important defensive feature on the game. The roving targets make it achievable even by accident.
- → Unlimited Kickback from the Wheel: If the Take A Chance Wheel lands on Unlimited Kickback, drop everything and collect it at the left outlane. It lasts the entire ball with no exceptions. This can completely change a game.
- → The Skill Shot Bonus Multiplier Is Huge: Each successful skill shot adds +5x to your end-of-ball bonus multiplier. Three skill shots = +15x bonus multiplier. The plunge is gentle — just aim for the Woody saucer. Don't blow past it.
- → Use Mystery to Spot Progress: Mystery awards from the scoop can spot spinner progress, carnival locks, and add time to active modes. If a mystery is lit and you're struggling with a scene, the scoop might bail you out.
Don't Be a Hero
- ⚠ Hard Carnival Games: Some carnival games (Dragon Zone, Zoetrope, Star Adventurer) are complex multi-shot affairs. Cycle with the left flipper to find easier games like Flipball or Squirrel Derby. Winning matters because it earns better Carnival Multiball perks.
- ⚠ Completing Both Wizard Mode Paths: Reaching Meet Me at the Carousel once is excellent. The game asks you to qualify all seven scenes TWICE and complete both Woody and Buzz paths. In league play, completing one path is a triumph. Don't worry about the second.
- ⚠ Tiki Party Pinball: This wheel award locks the ball and makes you play a retro mini-pinball game on the screen. It's charming but the scoring is minimal compared to what you could be doing on the real playfield. Collect it if it comes up, but don't seek it out.
Toy Story 4 uses a compressed scoring scale — points are in the thousands and low millions, not hundreds of millions. A solid league game is around 5-10M. Eric Stone (IFPA World Champion) posted a 98M on video, so that gives you context for the ceiling. If you're above 3M, you're having a decent game. Don't compare scores to other Stern/Williams games.
This is a Pat Lawlor game through and through — compare it to Addams Family or Twilight Zone in terms of 'there are a million things happening.' The Take A Chance Wheel is essentially the mini-playfield mechanic from Road Show updated for 2022. If you've played other Lawlor games, the 'scene completion with a wheel mechanic' flow will feel familiar.
The LE features exclusive playfield art, upgraded audio, a lit jump ramp toy, and some additional physical features. The gameplay and rules are identical across all models. The LE is rarer at league but the strategy doesn't change.
Bo Peep Loops requires you to first earn Super Loops from the Take A Chance Wheel — which means you need RNG to cooperate. If the wheel isn't landing on Super Loops, use the captive ball or upper loop to cycle it. This is the scene most likely to block your wizard mode attempt.
The Research Pile
Every claim is sourced. Here's where we got our homework for this guide.
Exhaustive community-maintained rulesheet covering all scenes, carnival games, wheel awards, and wizard mode stages.
Community ratings, reviews, photos, and high scores for the LE model.
IFPA World Champion Eric Stone plays a 98M game, showcasing high-level strategy and multiball stacking.