It is the first short released as part of Pixar's SparkShorts program and focuses on a ball of yarn named Purl, who gets employed in a male-dominant company, which causes her to be ignored by her fellow employees.

The short was previewed at SIGGRAPH on August 14, 2018, premiered at the El Capitan Theatre on January 18, 2019, and released on YouTube on February 4, 2019, and on Disney+ on November 12, 2019, to acclaim from critics, particularly for its themes.

After being left alone while her coworkers go out for a group lunch, Purl observes from photos of the company's capital team that it is composed entirely of white men in similar power suits and hairstyles.

[10] Proma Khosla, of Mashable, wrote that the film is "a transparent allegory for women trying to break the glass ceiling in corporate culture".

[11] Marc Snetiker, of Entertainment Weekly, said that the film "[comments] quickly but efficiently on the prevalence of toxic masculinity in office culture and the old boys’ club social systems in place across corporate America".

[12] Chris Morris, of Fortune, said that "the fingerprints of the Me Too movement against sexual harassment in the office are all over the film", feeling that it "takes aim at testosterone-laden cultures and the importance of workplace diversity".

[13] Samantha Leach, of Glamour, said that "[w]hether you're a woman, trans, a person of color, or a ball of yarn, Purl is an extremely relatable symbol for the need for diversity in the workplace".

[15] Emily Canal, of Inc., said that "[t]he short emphasizes the importance of workplace inclusivity and diversity as Purl is ignored, shut down at meetings, and excluded from out-of-office bonding events simply because she's different", and that "the film is cute, but it also tackles two long-running complaints about male-dominated industries like tech and venture capital: They're still way behind in terms of hiring diverse teams and publicly reporting those figures, two things HR managers say are key to preventing toxic or alienating work cultures".

[17] Rae Alexandra, of KQED, said that "[t]he genius of Purl is that she captures, in eight delightful minutes, both the importance of diversifying workplaces and the difficulties faced by the pioneers who do so".

[22] The short was officially released on Pixar's YouTube channel on February 4, 2019, and on Disney+ on November 12, 2019, alongside fellow "SparkShorts" entries Smash and Grab, Kitbull, and Float.