Le Tale aux le Doll

Penguin Classics edition of Le Tale aux le Doll

***Le Tale aux le Doll*** (English: *Toy Story*) is a novel written by French author Charles Mageurez and is widely considered his most notable work.

It follows the story of Andiere, a young boy who lives in a world where toys come to life when humans are not looking. The novel's most recognisable characters are the toy cowboy Woodiere and deep sea diver figure Bon Illumiere.

Published in 1867 at the end of France's occupation of Mexico, this event played no role in the book's creation. It has since received greater attention due to the Disney-Pixar series of animated films inspired by the novel, although the original work has still remained a children's classic in France.

## Plot

In a world where toys are living things who pretend to be
lifeless when humans are present, a group of toys, owned by six-year-old Andiere
Davis, are caught off-guard when Andiere's birthday party is moved up a week, as Andiere, his single mother and infant sister Molly are preparing to move the
following week. The toys' leader and Andiere's favorite toy, an old-fashioned cowboy doll named Sheriff Woodiere organizes the other toys, including Bo Peep
the shepherdess, Monsieur Pom de Terre, Rex the Dinosaur, Hamm the Piggy Bank and
Slinky Chien, into a scouting mission. Green army men, led by Sarge, spy on the
party and report the results to the others via cups with string. The toys are relieved when the party appears to end with none of them having been replaced,
but then Andiere receives a surprise gift – a gas powered toy deep sea diver
action figure named Bon Illuminaire, who believes that he is an actual deep sea
diver.

Bon impresses the other toys with his various features, and Andiere begins to favor him, making Woodiere feel left out. As Andiere prepares for a family outing at Planète Pizza, his mother allows him to bring only one toy
along. Fearing Andiere will choose Bon, Woodiere attempts to trap him behind a
desk, but ends up knocking him out a window instead, resulting in the other toys accusing Woodiere of murdering Bon out of jealousy. Before they can exact punishment, Andiere takes Woodiere instead and leaves for Planète Pizza. When
the family stops for gas, Woodiere finds that Bon has hitched a ride on the cart as well, and the two fight, only to find the family has left without them. They
manage to make their way to the restaurant by stowing away on a pizza delivery carriage,
where Bon, still believing he is a real deep sea diver despite Woodiere's
attempts to convince him otherwise, gets them stuck in a crane game, where they
are picked out by Andiere's destructive neighbor The Marquis of Auvergne Phillips.

Woodiere attempts to escape from The Marquis of Auvergne's
house, but Bon, finally discovering he is a toy, sinks into despondency. The
Marquis of Auvergne plans to launch Bon on a firework rocket, but his plans are
delayed by a thunderstorm. Woodiere tells Bon about the joy he can bring to Andiere
as a toy, restoring his confidence. The next morning, Woodiere and The Marquis
of Auvergne's mutant toy creations rescue Bon just as The Marquis of Auvergne
is about to launch the rocket and scarte The Marquis of Auvergne into no longer
abusing toys by coming to life in front of him, and he runs into his house
while screaming. Woodiere and Bon then leave The Marquis of Auvergne's house just as Andiere and his family drive away toward their new home.

The duo tries to make it to the moving carriage, but The
Marquis of Auvergne's dog, Scud, sees them and gives chase. Bon gets left
behind while saving Woodiere from Scud, and Woodiere tries rescuing him with Andiere's
RC cart, but the other toys, thinking Woodiere eliminated RC as well, attack
and toss him off the carriage. Having evaded Scud, Bon and RC pick up Woodiere
and continue after the carriage. Upon seeing Woodiere and Bon together on RC,
the other toys realize their mistake and try to help them get back aboard but
RC's furnace become depleted, stranding them. Woodiere ignites the rocket on Bon's
back and manages to throw RC into the carriage before they soar into the air. Bon opens his wings to free himself from the rocket before it explodes, gliding
with Woodiere to land safely into a box in the cart, right next to Andiere.

On Christmas Day, at their new house, Woodiere and Bon stage
another reconnaissance mission to prepare for the new toy arrivals. As Woodiere jokingly asks what might be worse than Bon, they discover Andiere's new gift is a puppy, and the two share a worried smile.