Bing Bong is a hybrid of an elephant, a cat, and a dolphin.
Bing Bong is Riley Andersen’s imaginary friend in Pixar’s Inside Out. His unusual design combines a pink elephant’s body, a cat’s facial and physical traits, and a dolphin’s tail. He also cries candy when he becomes emotional and travels in a red wagon powered by his signature song, “Who’s your friend who likes to play?”
The hybrid design helps communicate that Bing Bong belongs to Riley’s early childhood imagination rather than the ordinary physical world. He is playful, affectionate, and increasingly forgotten as Riley grows older. That bittersweet idea drives his role in the story: he helps Joy navigate Riley’s mind, then sacrifices himself in the Memory Dump so Joy can escape and return to Headquarters.