Toy Story: 10 Bizarre Facts You Never Knew About Woody

A while ago, we did an article about some bizarre facts about Buzz Lightyear which fans likely never knew. That said, to simply leave everyone’s favorite space ranger alone without his best friend would be an unforgivable crime.

What is there to say about Woody from the Toy Story franchise? Well, there’s actually a lot to say about him, mainly because there are some facts and bits of trivia about the character which still elude many fans. With Toy Story 4 in the rearview mirror, let’s take a look at some facts about Woody.

10 He Was Supposed To Be A Dummy

In a very early draft for Toy Story, dating back to when it was a sequel to Pixar’s Oscar-winning short Tin Toy, Woody actually served as the foil to the main character Tinny. He was also supposed to be a discarded ventriloquist dummy.

This was until John Lasseter and crew decided to toss out Tinny, as they felt he wasn’t the character they wanted to focus on. When they decided to up Woody’s role in the project, they also decided to turn him into a pull-string doll as opposed to a weird dummy.

9 The Man Who Made Woody

Even though the minds at Pixar brought created Woody, it was Bud Luckey who truly brought Woody to life. Luckey was an animation veteran in the truest sense, as he had been in the business since the 1950s. John Lasseter, who directed Toy Story, credits him for making Woody who he is today.

Luckey’s legacy at Pixar stretches far beyond Woody, as he’d go on to direct the short Boundin’. He also did the voices of Rick Dicker in The Incredibles and Chuckles The Clown in Toy Story 3. Luckey sadly passed away in February of 2018.

8 He Was Going To Be A Murderer

Due to Disney chairman Jeffery Katzenberg’s pressure, Pixar was more or less forced to make Woody wildly unappealing. In an early test cut of the film, Woody was an unlikeable jerkface who acted more like a dictator than the leader of Andy’s toys.

What’s worse is that Woody actively tried to murder Buzz in this version of the film. When Disney execs, Katzenberg included, laid eyes on this version, they were appalled, allowing Pixar to give the story another go-round.

7 He Was A Hand-Me-Down

Although every child that is growing up watching the Toy Story films would give their left arms for an official Woody doll, in truth, he would be an odd choice for a child’s favorite toy. Let’s be honest, a pull-string doll doesn’t have the bells and whistles that most toys have.

However, if John Lassiter is to be believed, Woody may mean more to Andy than he would to most people. Lassiter says that, in everyone’s opinion, Woody was a hand-me-down toy from Andy’s father, so Andy’s love for Woody may actually be a sentimental one.

6 He Has A Full Name

Everyone knows Buzz’s full name is Buzz Lightyear, but did you know that Woody has a full name as well? For most fans, characters like Woody don’t really need a full name, but, regardless, he does actually have one.

According to Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich, Woody’s full name is actually “Woody Pride.” This may seem like a needless recent addition to the lore to some people, but Unkrich also claims that his surname has been a staple of the character since the development of the first movie.

5 The Original Actor Considered

Tom Hanks was always the first choice to play the role of Sherriff Woody in Toy Story, but there was another legendary actor on Pixar’s list of people who they considered to bring Woody to life. Though Paul Newman made an impact on Pixar fans at a later date, he almost did far earlier when he was considered to voice Woody.

However, much like Jim Carrey, who was considered for the voice of Buzz, Newman was a tad too expensive for Pixar, and Hanks was able to swoop in to voice the character. Newman would go on to do the voice of Doc Hudson in the film Cars, which was one of the last films he did before his death.

4 The Origin Of His Name

Woody Strode was one of the first African-American football players to play in the National Football League. He was also a notable actor who appeared in several western films and was nominated for a Golden Globe for his supporting role in Spartacus.

Not only does Strode have a legacy all on his own, but his name will be ever-present to anyone who loves the Toy Story movies. After considering a few names, Pixar eventually settled on the name Woody after the legendary western star.

3 A Woody Doll Motivated Toy Story 2

Even though working on the movies must have been hard, it didn’t take long for Pixar to realize the impact they’d made with Toy Story. A well-known fact is that Toy Story 2 was never supposed to be a theatrical release, but, when Pixar saw the potential, they turned it into the movie we all know and love.

Early on in production, John Lasseter was in an airport, and he saw a little boy who had a Woody doll in his hands. Lasseter claims that the little boy was on his mind when motivation was needed.

2 His Theorized Past Has Been Debunked

Toy Story 2 gave us a good deal of information about Woody’s history as the icon of a canceled children’s puppet show. With that in mind, some creative fans have come up with how Andy got his hands on the Woody doll we all know, but it was swiftly debunked.

According to the theory, Andy’s dad died of Post-Polio Syndrome before the events of the first Toy Story, leaving him Woody, along with Potato Head and Slinky. It’s an intriguing, albeit morbid theory, but one of the old hands at Pixar, Andrew Stanton quickly debunked the theory, labeling it as “fake news.”

1 He And Barbie Almost Joined Forces

You may be familiar with the name Joss Whedon, the director of The Avengers, creator of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Agents Of SHIELD, and, for some, “destroyer” of Justice League. Back in the mid-90s, though, he was a writer hired by Disney to polish the script for The Little 3D Film Who Could.

Not only did Whedon create Rex and make Buzz delusional, but he also wanted to include an interesting cameo from Barbie. According to both Whedon and Pixar, Barbie would have played a pivotal role in the finale, but Mattel refused to allow Barbie’s inclusion.

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