Idea bulbs are actions that The Emotions can put into the console to control what Riley will do next. Ideas resemble lightbulbs and they are put into the console the same way. Once an idea has been placed in the console, it can not be removed until it has expired or a counter emotion takes it out.

History

Inside Out

When Joy used an Idea Bulb, she sent Riley and Mom up the street to order pizza only for Disgust to reject the idea when the pizza was made of broccoli.

When Anger used an Idea Bulb to make Riley run away he almost destroyed Riley's personality and the Islands of Personality collapsed one by one with Honesty and Family the last to fall into the Memory Dump. When Sadness took control of the console she removed the bulb. Sadness also puts the Core Memories back, leading Riley to feel remorse about the decisions Anger made that almost cost her her personality.

Inside Out 2

In an attempt to get Riley in with Val and the FireHawks, Anxiety gave her the idea to go talk to Val alone after overhearing the other FireHarks making fun of her.

Later, while looking for ways that Riley could change Coach Roberts' mind about her, Anxiety started a Brainstorm. Joy, wanting to prevent Riley from doing anything unbecoming, broke several of these ideas before they could reach Headquarters. Anxiety didn't think any of the ideas that reached Headquarters were good enough, so she said they needed bigger and better ones. One of these made it to Headquarters and Envy said she liked it. This caused Riley to go into the locker room and dye part of her hair red, like the FireHawks.

Notes and Trivia

• Idea bulbs can come in different shapes. For example, the one that Joy puts in is spherical, whereas Anger's idea to make Riley run away was cone-shaped.