Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Win or LoseThe third episode of the Disney+ streaming show Win or Lose features a creepy yet hilarious villain who might ring a bell for fans of classic Pixar movies. The story of “Raspberry” focuses on the character Rochelle, a put-on member of the Pickles little league softball team who’s forced to start multiple side hustles to cover the cost of her membership. Early on in the episode, Rochelle receives an ominous warning from Odo, a kid whose addiction to orange soda apparently gives her the power to predict the future in Win or Lose.
“Beware of the chicken,” Odo tells Rochelle. Sure enough, a giant chicken appears later in the episode to lead Rochelle astray. It then takes center stage in a sequence that borrows heavily from the horror genre, at one point tipping its severed head to the A24 movie Hereditary. Win or Lose isn’t the first Pixar work to feature a chicken mascot as its villain, though. In fact, this element of Rochelle’s story seems to be a direct reference to the classic Pixar movie Toy Story 2.
Win Or Lose Episode 3 Introduces A Chicken Mascot As A Villain
This Character Adds A Dark Twist To The Show’s Rochelle Episode
The giant chicken first appears right at the start of Win or Lose, just as its Laurie episode begins, when we see it entertaining the crowd as the mascot of Pickles softball games. This fleeting appearance does nothing to prepare us for its return as a terrifying but hilarious villain later in the series.
It’s in Rochelle’s episode “Raspberry” that we’re properly introduced to the chicken as a character. Desperate for money, Rochelle has decided to sell the new raspberry sneakers her mom gave her to a stranger she’s met online. She goes to the location he gives her to complete the sale, only to find the chicken mascot outside. From that moment, the episode takes a dark turn that pushes the limits of what’s possible in a children’s TV show.
The Chicken Storyline In Win Or Lose Is Inspired By Iconic Horror Movies
There Are References The Exorcist, Hereditary And More
In its entirety, the chicken mascot character in Win or Lose is an affectionate pastiche of some of cinema’s greatest horror movies. Even Oda’s “Beware of the chicken” premonition is a nod to the 1981 John Landis horror comedy An American Werewolf in London.
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Meanwhile, when Rochelle first sees it, the chicken tilts its head 90 degrees in a disturbing reference to The Exorcist’s possessed child Regan McNeil, before giving a creepy quack in honor of the entire bird horror movie subgenre. It turns out that underneath the chicken costume is one of a gang of high-schoolers who want Rochelle to help them steal from the fast food stand she works at. When she refuses, a genuinely scary car chase ensues, during which the mascot loses its chicken head to a tree branch, invoking the death of Charlie Graham in Hereditary in satirical fashion.
Win Or Lose’s Chicken Mascot Is Also A Callback To Al’s Toy Barn In Toy Story 2
Toy Story 2’s Villain Al McWhiggin Dressed As A Chicken Mascot To Advertise His Store
The movie primarily being referenced by the chicken mascot in Win or Lose isn’t from the horror genre, however. It’s actually one of Pixar’s own classic films, 1999’s Toy Story 2. Pixar’s brilliant movie sequel has its own chicken mascot villain, Al McWhiggin, a toy store owner who steals Toy Story’s main hero Woody and tries to sell him to a museum in Japan. To advertise his store Al’s Toy Barn, McWhiggin dresses up as a giant chicken during TV commercials showcasing the toys he’s selling.
“The fact that Woody was kidnapped by Al, who also broke into Andy’s mom’s safebox at the garage sale, should’ve been far more of a red flag for her when the doll reappeared.” – Grant Hermanns – ScreenRant’s review of Toy Story 2
Because of his devious plan to take Woody away from them, he’s hated by the other toys in the movie, with the piggy bank Hamm best articulating their feelings when he says, “I despise that chicken.” Al’s depiction as Toy Story 2’s villain is masterfully dialed up to a maniacal fever pitch by voice actor Wayne Knight. Win or Lose’s chicken mascot, on the other hand, is made even scarier by the fact that it doesn’t talk. Nevertheless, the character is a blatant callback to Al’s Toy Barn, at the same time as a superb homage to the horror movie genre.
Win or Lose
6/10
- Release Date
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February 19, 2025
- Network
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Disney+
- Writers
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Carrie Hobson, Michael Yates
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Will Forte
Coach Dan (voice)
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Milan Ray
Rochelle (voice)
