Bing Bong

Bing Bong is a minor character in Inside Out parodies. As Riley Andersen's imaginary friend, he was much more significant in Riley's toddlerhood, before she got real friends such as Meg, and therefore, by the time of Inside Out he is all but forgotten. Hence, he does not appear in Headquarters and has little potential in parodies, other than those that are primarily audio-based.

In Inside Out
Riley's playing with Bing Bong dates back to when she was 3. At the time, she was learning about the sounds of various animals, which she became obsessed with, and thus, his appearance is primarily based upon that of animals, including a cat tail and whiskers, an elephant head and trunk and the ability to make dolphin sounds. However, another element of his conception is sweets, and as such, he is made of cotton candy and cries candy whenever hurt.

During Inside Out, Bing Bong is found wearing a hobo-esque outfit and, in general, being sad over Riley not remembering him. However, Joy promises him he'll make Riley remember him again, and thus, he joins Joy and Sadness on their journey back to Riley's Headquarters.

However, the journey does not pass without an incident: while trying to use a Recall Tube, Joy falls into the Memory Dump, and Bing Bong, attempting to rescue her, falls in as well. The two resolve to escape using Bing Bong's song-powered rocket, which made it to the Dump previously; however, the rocket is too heavy to carry both of them out of the Dump, and Bing Bong decides to sacrifice himself. In his last moments, he asks Joy to take Riley to the Moon, which she agrees with.

In parodies
As Bing Bong is exclusively featured in scenes outside of Headquarters, his appearance in parodies is also limited to parodies which would feature the entire length of Inside Out anyway, such as the main Andersen's Mind series and its promotion, and audio-based parodies, such as those in the "The Emotions play" series. In the latter, and in particular in "The Emotions play Kerbal Space Program", his dreams of visiting the Moon are revisited, though this time inside the game Kerbal Space Program.

The cast listing for Andersen's Mind also indicates that at some point, Bing Bong got resurrected in Riley's mind. However, details of this resurrection are hitherto unknown.

Trivia

 * In the original drafts of Inside Out, Bing Bong was to feature among a wide array of imaginary friends (see deleted scene Misdirection). He was also intended to be the main villain of Inside Out, bent on preserving Riley's childhood (see deleted scene Construction); however, that role was relegated onto Joy, the main protagonist, and as such, Inside Out has no true villain.
 * In general, Bing Bong was omitted from any American promotion of Inside Out prior to the film's release. However, he is prominently featured in international promotion.