Big D has a friend in TS: Taylor Swift involved with ‘Toy Story’ billboard in Dallas

Drivers making that familiar downtown shuffle from I-30 East onto US 75 North — eyes flicking between brake lights, the skyline, Deep Ellum exits and whatever fresh chaos the interchange has prepared — may have noticed something oddly cheerful floating above the concrete: a bright blue billboard, dotted with “Toy Story” clouds, bearing only two giant letters: TS.

Dallas, it seems, made the list. Not just any list, either. We are among roughly 10 cities with confirmed sightings of the cryptic billboard, joining Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco in the United States, plus London, Toronto, Amsterdam, Paris and São Paulo abroad. Apparently, Dallas is important enough to receive an international breadcrumb from the Pixar-industrial complex. Take that, Austin and Houston.

At first glance, the answer seemed simple. TS could mean “Toy Story,” and “Toy Story 5” opens in theaters on June 19. Case closed. Sheriff Woody holsters the mystery. Except the internet does not close cases.

Swifties, who can turn a nail polish color into a federal investigation, quickly noticed that the billboard appeared to include 13 clouds. That number, of course, is Taylor Swift’s lucky number and longtime Easter egg of choice. Suddenly, TS was no longer just “Toy Story.” It was Taylor Swift. It was theory season. It was Da Vinci Code with friendship bracelets.

Maybe she was voicing a character. Maybe she was covering “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” Maybe she had written a new song. Given Disney’s cozy relationship with Swift — her documentary and Eras Tour film both live on Disney+ — the last theory carried a certain sparkle.

Now the clouds have parted: Swift wrote an original song for “Toy Story 5” called “I Knew It, I Knew You,” releasing June 5 ahead of the film’s theatrical debut. Swift wrote and produced the track with her longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff, inspired by the cowgirl Jessie’s ongoing journey, which began in “Toy Story 2.” The track marks a return to Swift’s country roots, blending the styles that have defined her career as a songwriter and artist.

Swift announced on her socials with the caption-opening wink, “It’s a *Toy* Story 🤠,” adding, “I’ve always dreamed of getting to write for these characters who I’ve adored since I was a 5-year-old kid watching the first ‘Toy Story’ movie.”

Naturally, the song is not arriving alone. Swift’s online store is already selling limited-edition collector’s-edition CDs featuring the standard track, an acoustic version and a piano version, available for preorder until June 3 at 12:59 p.m. CST or while supplies last.

And yes, this is the familiar Taylor merch maneuver: one song, multiple editions, a ticking clock and thousands of fans suddenly convincing themselves that financial planning is for people without feelings. At least these versions offer different recordings, not just three covers and a prayer.

So, the Dallas billboard was not random. It was a little blue-clouded flare above the freeway, and for once, traffic near Deep Ellum came with a plot twist.