John Ratzenberger is one smart guy. After all, he's played two of the most beloved know-it-alls in Hollywood -- Cliff Clavin on "Cheers" and Hamm in "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2." But it was his comedic "cents" that came in handy when we asked John to snout off about everyone's favorite piggybank!

How has Hamm changed since the first movie?
They gave him a new cork. The first [movie] was so successful they could afford a real good Spanish cork. The other one was just Jersey cork.

But he keeps dropping his cork. Is Hamm losing weight?
Yeah, he was on the treadmill too much! [laughs] Well, actually there is more action in this film. I love that scene where [the toys are] crossing the street. I kept laughing when we recorded that. The thing that really impressed me after seeing it was when the truck skids -- it looked real. That wasn't a cartoon crash … you felt it!

What's the recording process like?
I don't record with other actors. What tends to happen -- especially if they're not used to the process -- is they'll make a mistake or you'll make a mistake and then you both have to go back to the beginning and the process is much longer. So [I go in alone], the directors give me a line, and I'll give them five different readings of that line. Then the directors can discuss which one they like best after I go home. They usually book the [recording studio] for three or four hours [per session], but I pride myself on being out of there in 45 minutes. They now call that "Doing a Ratzenberger."

Do you think there's a little bit of Cliff Clavin in Hamm?
When [the filmmakers] were creating the characters for "Toy Story," they used the attitude that I had as Cliff -- that's why they asked me to do Hamm's voice. He's a pink Cliff.

Hamm and Cliff have an answer for practically every question. What's the coolest bit of trivia you've learned from playing these characters?
The pig is the smartest animal, next to human beings. Did you know that? That's true. They're more easily trained than dogs.

Okay, we believe you. If you could be any famous toy, which one would you be?
Hmmm … that's a stumper … famous toys … Hamm! Because he's got money -- six dollars in change!

JOHN RATZENBERGER (Hamm) snouts off once again as the voice of this pigheaded piggybank. You can always bank on this know-it-all to have an opinion about things, but now he's ready to give the old "pork chop" to the fiend who stole his pal Woody. Using his common cents, he helps reconstruct the scene of the crime and joins the others in the big rescue effort.

Following his hugely successful stint as Cliff Clavin -- mailman extraordinaire and trivia king -- on the hit television show "Cheers," Ratzenberger has moved on to producing, directing, and writing. He heads up his own company, Fiddlers Bay Entertainment, and is actively involved in the creation of an internet company that brings together quality content and e-commerce. Ratzenberger also serves as chairman of childrenwithdiabetes.com, the world's largest Internet venture dealing with research and information exchange in connection with juvenile diabetes. He is part of an effort that has raised more than $100 million for this worthy charity. An avid environmentalist, he created Eco-Pak Industries, a manufacturer of environmentally safe packaging materials.