In the original Toy Story film, Bo Peep was little more than Woody’s love interest. The blonde-haired, pink-bonneted porcelain shepherdess displayed flashes of a personality – she was witty, and very loyal to Woody – but was nonetheless very much a supporting part.

But in the forthcoming Toy Story 4, Bo Peep is taking centre stage for the first time. In a sign that the beloved Pixar/Disney franchise wants its latest film to reflect the zeitgeist, Bo Peep is being promoted into a leading role – and she will be a very different doll to the passive flirt we saw in the first Toy Story film.

The new Bo Peep will be a much tougher, more independent character, who has become chipped and faded in the years she’s been apart from Woody. (She’s even ditched her voluminous pink gown in favour of practical blue dungarees.) And when she is reunited with her long-lost cowboy lover under unlikely circumstances, she realises they no longer have much in common.

“Bo’s strength and sarcasm always belied her delicate porcelain exterior, and it turns out she’s an adventure-seeking free spirit who feels right at home on the road,” said Pixar in a statement.

Bo Peep will be the unexpectedly independent star of Toy Story 4