Woody

Sheriff Woody "Woody Pride" is the protagonist of Disney/Pixar Toy Story franchise. He is a vintage cowboy doll that originally belonged to a boy named Andy Davis. As Andy's favorite kindergarten, Woody served as the leader of Andy's toys, a position he upheld by looking out for each member of the group. When Andy entered into adulthood and leaves for college, Woody is donated to a little girl named Bonnie Anderson. He remained with Bonnie for some time before choosing to become an owner-less antique devoted to helping lost toys find their owners, alongside his girlfriend Bo Peep.

Background
Within the universe of the Toy Story films, Woody is toy based on the character of the same name from a 1950s children's TV series called Woody's Roundup as revealed in Toy Story 2.

Official Description
"Woody is a cowboy sheriff with a pull-string that, when pulled, proclaims Woody's signature catchphrases from the 1950s TV show Woody's Roundup. He's always been Andy's favorite toy since kindergarten. Even though, his owner is now all grown up, the loyal sheriff Woody maintains a steadfast belief that Andy still cares about his toys. As the toys venture into their unknown future, Woody remains the voice of reason. As their dependable leader, he ensures that no toy gets left behind".

Development
In the original story pitch for Toy Story, Woody had a markedly more distasteful personality; having the character of one who had let his role as "leader" go to his head and had little compassion toward his peers. One notable example of this from the original script is that Woody actually throws Buzz out of the window on purpose, and doesn't care not one bit about what had happened or what the other toys thought of the incident, even saying in a casual tone that it was a "toy-eat-toy world" when being accused of doing so. He also proceeded to heavily insult the toys, especially Slinky, during this time, which resulted in all of them turning on him and attempting to throw him out.

This choice in characterization for Woody had been forced upon Pixar by then-Disney's chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg due to the latter of wanting more of an adult, cynical, edginess to the story, resulting into Woody becoming jealous, sarcastic, narcissistic, belligerent, cynical and mean towards Buzz and the other toys. This nearly lead to Toy Story being canceled after a Black Friday viewing. However, Pixar was given another chance, and over the next two weeks, they reworked the movie's plot, giving Woody a more likable and sympathetic character.

According to John Lasseter, they wanted the audience to be like, "No, Woody, don't make those choices," instead of just "Wow, what a jerk". In an addition, the changes was also brought about because Apple and Pixar co-founder Steve Jobs and the rest of the production team did not like how Woody ended up and decided to change his personality by making him the wise and loyal leader of the toys, and his jealousy over Buzz was more sympathetic.

Personality
Woody is a loyal toy who had been Andy's favorite toy since Andy was in kindergarten. Woody is a smart, determined, and passionate man, and would do everything for his nearest and dearest friends. He considers his friends as family, and he tries his best to keep them together at all times.

Yet, he is a flawed character. He has a lot of doubt, anger, and frustration, uncertainty, and sadness, almost like a human. But despite his jumbled emotions, he tries his very best not to show them to his friends, so he can seem brave and courageous, but he's not afraid to confront or comfort his friends with utmost care.

Interestingly, Woody is arguably the most tactical and developed character in the series, since the plots and ploys that the main characters pull to achieve their won endeavors are more or less formulated by him. This indicates that he is smarter then he, himself acknowledges.

His character has developed very much since the first movie. In Toy Story, when he first met Buzz, he is very intimidated by this space ranger's more modern appearance compared to his rag-doll like appearance. Soon his jealousy begins to manifest him, he plans to hide Buzz from Andy so that he can be remembered. Yet when things go awry and Buzz is thrown out the window and into a bush, Woody learns to think twice about his little schemes.

His adventurous spirit is not intact in the first film as well, as he's a more wimpy compared to future installments. When he runs into Sid's mismatched and deformed toys, Woody is instantly frightened by them and comes to this false accusation that they want to eat him and Buzz. Throughout the film, Woody beings to develop a more courageous personality.

In Toy Story 2, his personality begins to upgrade, even more, learning to understand other people's rejections. When he met Jessie, they instantly become close but get into a heated argument when Woody is determined to get home to Andy. Jessie accused Woody of abandoning them and he instantly protested. Yet soon, he has a change of heart when he learns about the hardships Jessie had been through after her owner Emily grew up and realizes that Andy is growing up too and becomes afraid of what will happen.

When Buzz and the gang arrive to save Woody, Woody stubbornly refuses to leave with them, saying that Andy will be done with him when he grows up. Buzz accepts Woody's fate but confronts him by saying being admired from afar by millions of kids doesn't compare to being loved by just one kid. Realizing his error, Woody comes to his senses and makes a promise to himself that he'll be there for Andy until the very end.

It isn't a whole long time until Andy is about to depart for college in Toy Story 3, and Woody is also uncertain about his fate when his dear owner leaves since his so attached to Andy. After a misunderstanding that they've been thrown away and left on the curb, he and his friends end up in Sunnyside Daycare where they meet Lotso, Ken and other bright faces. Still staying true to his promise to Andy, Woody decided to leave his friends, who stubbornly decided to stay at the daycare, to their happy future.

Woody is then taken home by Bonnie and told of Sunnyside's real nature by her toys, he decides to help his friends. Yet out of rage for mentioning Daisy, Lotso leaves the toys at the dump and abandons them in the incinerator to die, even when Woody (in an act of honor and selflessness) helped him avoid being killed by blades. Choosing to perish with his friends over getting back to Andy (since there is literally no way out), he holds Buzz and Slinky's hands and closes his eyes as they all accept their fate in flames. Luckily, the Pizza Planet aliens saves them from a fiery death. As Andy departs for college, Woody sees how his owner's family are able to accept his departure, despite their feelings, and realizes he must do the same. He hastily suggests that they be passed down to Bonnie for a better life. As Andy drives down the road, Woody sadly whispers "So, long partner.", accepting it's time to move on. But he is glad he's still with his friend and is ready for a new life with Bonnie and her toys too.

In Toy Story 4, he secretly hides his disappointment due to Bonnie not playing with him as often. He is shown to get stressed due to Forky.

Physical Appearance
Woody is a slender man and fair-skinned in plastic. He has brown eyes, hair hand-painted in brown that is attached to his head in plastic, rosy cheeks, thin brown eyebrows, a yellow shirt with red square outlines, a couple of white buttons laying vertically on his chest and each matching cufflink on both his cuffs, cowboy boots made from brown plastic with both each couple outlined cacti on both sides and a black handwriting reading "ANDY" on his right boot sole, spurs made from gold plastic on both side of his boots, a holster made from brown plastic with a gold brooch with a red center on it, a white vest with black cow spots all over, a red bandanna, blue jeans, a belt made from brown plastic with a buckle that has a bull design on it made from gold plastic, a cowboy hat made from brown plastic with a triangle-shaped brim, star-shaped badge made from gold plastic with small spheres on each tip and a word "SHERIFF" on the center, and a pull string on his back with a white hoop attached to it. Woody is 15.18 inches without his hat, and 15.93 inches tall with his hat on.

Toy Story
In the first Toy Story, Woody is Andy's favorite toy and leader of Andy's toys. His best pal is Slinky Dog who he often played checkers with and he had a relationship with Bo Peep. Woody has been the favorite since Andy went to kindergarten and had the place of high honor on Andy's bed as well as his owner's name on his right boot.

He holds a meeting informing them of an upcoming move to a new house that is next week and the fact that, due to the move, Andy's birthday party is being held that day. At the request of the other toys, Woody coordinates a reconnaissance mission to discover what Andy's new toys are, as everyone fears being replaced. At first, the gifts are mostly toys and games.

However, to Woody's dismay, Andy receives Buzz Lightyear, a Space Ranger action figure complete with impressive electronic gadgets including high-pressure space wings, a laser, an electronic voice box, karate chop action, wrist-communicator, open-able space helmet, and can even glow in the dark. He is instantly extremely popular with the other toys, making Woody feel jealous. To make matters worse, Buzz is under the delusion that he is a real Space Ranger and needs to travel back to his own planet.

As the days go by, Buzz seems to be getting most of the attention and Woody feels his world crumbling all around him especially when the posters on the walls, the pictures, and even the bedclothes with his theme all change to Buzz and he ends up in the toy box instead of on the bed. Buzz even gets his owner's name on the bottom of his right boot with permanent ink (just like Woody), which infuriates Woody even further.

When Woody hears Andy is going to Pizza Planet for dinner and he has to bring only one toy, he fearfully knows that Andy will choose Buzz; confirmed when he shakes a Magic 8-Ball for answers. As a result, he sees an opportunity to get Buzz out of the way and keep Andy to himself. First, he hatches a plan to knock Buzz behind Andy's desk using RC Car, but it backfires and Buzz gets knocked out of the window instead. The other toys, especially Mr. Potato Head and Hamm (excluding Rex, Slinky, and Bo Peep), gang up on Woody, believing he attempted to kill Buzz out of jealousy. They immediately strangle him to exact revenge, but the struggle is cut short when Woody is taken by Andy to Pizza Planet. While Andy's mother refuels the car at a gas station, Woody ponders how he can return to Andy's room alone, knowing that without Buzz, the toys will tear him apart as they still don't believe him. Suddenly, he is confronted by Buzz, and the two end up fighting and accidentally land outside the car, which drives off and leaves the two stranded.

A bitter argument between them ensues, ending with Woody, upset, frustrated, and furious, telling Buzz once and for all that he had turned Andy against him, and that he is a toy, not a real Space Ranger, so they go their separate ways. Suddenly, Woody spots a truck bound for Pizza Planet and plans to rendezvous with Andy there. Remembering he has to face the wrath of the other toys if he returns without Buzz, Woody convinces Buzz that the truck will take them to a spaceship. At Pizza Planet, Buzz stuffs himself into a rocket-shaped claw game machine, forcing Woody to clamber into the machine to try and rescue him. Woody and Buzz are then captured by Andy's next-door neighbor, the toy-destroying Sid Phillips. As Woody desperately attempts to escape from Sid's house before Andy's family's moving day, Buzz finally realizes (the hard way) that he is a toy and becomes a depressed burden to Woody. In the film's turning point, Woody admits that Buzz is a "cool toy" and despairs that he himself stands no chance of being Andy's favorite; so he was afraid to come back, afraid Andy and his toys wouldn't love him anymore.

When Buzz is taken away by Sid to be destroyed with a firework rocket, Woody teams up with Sid's mutant toys and stages a rescue of Buzz, terrifying Sid into running away in fear of his own toys. Woody and Buzz climb into the moving van, attracting the attention of Sid's dog Scud. When Buzz sacrifices himself to save Woody by tackling the dog, Woody attempts to rescue Buzz with Andy's RC. However, he is then chucked out of the van by the other toys, who mistakenly believed that Woody is trying to get rid of RC like he did to Buzz. Woody hitches a ride on RC with Buzz, then the other toys witness this and realize they made a mistake, then they try to help him get back on the van. When RC's batteries run out, Woody realizes that he can ignite Buzz's rocket and manages to toss RC into the moving truck just as he and Buzz go soaring into the air. They glide in the air until they land safely inside Andy's car. At the end of the film, which takes place at Christmas, Woody and Buzz stage another reconnaissance mission to prepare for the new toy arrivals. As Woody wonders what gift may be worse than Buzz, Andy receives a puppy, to which Buzz and Woody share a worried smile.

Toy Story 2
In Toy Story 2, about a year after the first film, Woody, ready for an annual trip with Andy to a place called Cowboy Camp, struggles to find his trademark cowboy hat. He sends everyone in search of it, and while everyone is searching, Bo Peep snags him with her cane (again). She encourages him that everything will be all right, nearly kissing him before being interrupted by Rex struggling with her sheep, and moments later Slinky finds the hat.

After preparing for departure, Andy accidentally tears Woody's arm while playing with him and Buzz Lightyear before leaving for camp. To Woody's dismay, Andy leaves Woody on the shelf, despite Ms. Davis offering to fix him on the way. Woody, being unable to move his arm, begins to have recurring nightmares of becoming a disused toy which Andy says that he does not want to play with anymore and drops him into the pile of cards left on the floor by Rex, Mr. Potato Head, and Rocky, which leads him into a trash can filled with severed hands, and they grab him by the neck while he's begging Andy not to do it, but he sadly says goodbye to Woody and closes the trash can lid, ignoring Woody's pleads. Woody wakes to find that Wheezy, a penguin toy whose squeaker is broken, is being taken by Andy's mother to be sold at a yard sale. Woody rescues Wheezy with the help of Andy's dog Buster, but he is accidentally left behind at the yard sale and subsequently located by Al McWhiggin, the owner of the toy store, Al's Toy Barn. He tries to offer, bribe, and bargain with Ms. Davis, but she refuses to sell the sheriff and stores him in the cash box. Irritated at her noncompliance, Al resorts to thievery, stealing Woody by causing a distraction with a skateboard. He quickly hurries to his car, storing the bag holding Woody in the trunk, as Buzz tries to save his friend, but fails.

Woody is brought to Al's apartment, where he discovers that he is a toy based on Woody's Roundup, a TV show from the 1950s. By acquiring him, Al now has a complete collection of the show's merchandise, which he plans to sell to a toy museum in Tokyo, Japan. Woody meets the toy versions of the show's co-stars: his sidekick Jessie, his horse Bullseye, and an old prospector named Stinky Pete also known as 'The Prospector' (who is still apparently in mint condition in his original box). The three are excited to be going to Japan, but knowing that he is still Andy's toy, Woody has doubts and intends to return home. When Al rips off his torn arm by accident, Woody tries to recover his arm and then escape the apartment, but without success as the TV turned on and waked up Al in the process. Seeing the remote next to her, Woody confronts Jessie. She is furious when Woody answers to her question that he's labeling her with "if the boot fits!" and confirms it, leading to a scuffle that is broken by intervention from the Prospector.

The next day, Woody's arm is repaired and he is given a fresh paint job, which he appreciates. He slowly warms up to the idea of going to Japan, particularly after learning that Jessie was once the favorite toy of a little girl named Emily, who gave her away after growing up and he is convinced by Stinky Pete that, if he returns to Andy, he will eventually be thrown away or left in storage when he grows up like with what happened to Jessie, whereas if he goes to Japan, he will be remembered and treasured forever. He is later confronted by Buzz and the other toys, who try to take him home. While Woody initially turns his back on them, both literally and figuratively, he soon comes to his senses and invites the other toys from Woody's Roundup to come along, but is denied freedom by the disgruntled Prospector, who is determined to go to Japan (in process, it's revealed he turned on the TV and framed Jessie). Woody and the rest of the collection are packed up for shipping overseas and taken to the Tri-County Airport.

Woody gets into a spat with the Prospector in the baggage handling area, during which the old rip in his arm is reopened on purpose by Stinky Pete to force Woody into getting back in the suitcase (but this time, his arm still can move, because it's just a little rip). Woody is eventually able to defeat the Prospector with help from the other toys by tossing him into a girl's backpack (sentencing him to an unfortunate fate of being doodled on by its owner, much to his grief). While Bullseye is rescued, Jessie is loaded into the plane's cargo hold, forcing Woody to slip on board and extract her from the cargo hold just before the plane takes off. Woody and the others happily return home, using one of the airport baggage trucks to do so, where his arm is once again repaired (Andy's fix is somewhat lopsided, but Woody takes this as a badge of pride), and Jessie and Bullseye are made members of Andy's toys. Woody and Buzz now accept the fact that Andy will eventually grow up, but even after he does, they will still be there for each other.

Toy Story 3
In Toy Story 3, Andy is now 17 years old and preparing to leave home for college. By this time, Woody is one of the very few toys remaining in Andy's possession, as a majority have either been sold or lost over the years. Fearing abandonment is on the horizon, Woody holds a meeting with the other remaining toys to discuss their future. According to Woody, they will more than likely be stored in the attic, where, despite no longer being used, will still be in Andy's possession, which is most important. As expected, Andy places his toys in a garbage bag to be stored in the attic, but Mrs. Davis mistakes it for trash and leaves them on the street just as a garbage truck arrives. Woody saves the toys, but Mr. Potato Head and Jessie are furious at the event, believing Andy no longer wants them.

Against Woody's wishes, the toys donate themselves to Sunnyside Daycare, where the leader of the facility— Lotso—promises that they'll be loved and played with for the rest of eternity. Woody refuses to abandon Andy and tries to return home, only to be taken by a little girl named Bonnie. At Bonnie's house, Woody gets acquainted with her toys - Mr. Pricklepants, Dolly, Buttercup, Trixie, Peas-in-a-Pod, and Chuckles the Clown - and learns that Lotso is actually a tyrant that abuses the toys of Sunnyside after being abandoned by his owner, Daisy. Woody returns to Sunnyside to save his friends, but Lotso and his cronies corner them. Woody calls Lotso out on his tyranny and manages to turn his henchmen against him, who dispose of Lotso in a garbage bin.

While trying to escape, Lotso drags Woody into the trash with him, prompting the other toys to run to his rescue. They are all taken to the city dump, where Lotso nearly meets his demise. Woody and Buzz save the plush bear but are soon faced with a fiery incinerator. Lotso notices an off switch that can save them but refuses to do so, leaving Woody and the others to die. Woody and the toys connect hands and accept their fates, only to be saved by the Little Green Men. Woody and the others return to Andy's house just before he can leave for college. As Andy plans to take Woody to college with him, the cowboy bids farewell to the others, who ready themselves to be stored in the attic.

Not wanting his friends to waste away, however, Woody sneakily gets Andy to donate the toys to Bonnie, where they'll be loved and played with again. Andy comes to accept that he has outgrown his toys, and happily gives them away. When it comes time for Woody, however, he shows especial reluctance. Despite this, he eventually finds peace in the separation, and parts ways with his favorite toy. Andy thanks his toys for all they've done for him, and drives off into the distance as Woody and the others watch on.

Toy Story 4
In Toy Story 4, Woody begins to feel washed-up, since Bonnie is hardly playing with him and trying to adjust to his new life. When Bonnie creates a new toy named Forky, Woody makes it his goal to make sure Forky makes Bonnie happy. When Woody and Forky get lost on the Anderson family's road trip, he bonds with the spork after lamenting how he much he misses Andy, and is thus able to convince him of his purpose as Bonnie's toy. they run into an antique store, where they reunite with Woody's old flame, Bo Peep, who has embraced the life of a lost toy. When Forky is kidnapped by a doll named Gabby Gabby, Woody and Bo team up with Buzz Lightyear, Ducky, Bunny, Giggle McDimples and Duke Caboom to rescue Forky.

At the antique store, they run into Gabby Gabby and the Bensons and they accidentally let Forky left behind again. Woody begs everyone to get back into the store, but they give up and leave back to the carnival.

Having a lose of hope, Woody gives his voice box to Gabby Gabby and Bonnie arrives at the store and she finds Forky. Bo, Duke, Ducky and Bunny return and help Woody and Gabby Gabby get to Bonnie.

However, Gabby Gabby winds up with a kid of her own. Being chased by the police, Bonnie and her family arrive back at the carnival and the police tell them to get out. Ducky, Bunny, and Duke Caboom say goodbye to Woody as Buzz and the entire gang arrive and meet Bo Peep for the last time.

Woody is hesitant to return to Bonnie, but after Buzz ensures that Bonnie will be okay without him, he decides to spend a new life with Bo Peep and the rest of her gang. He gives his sheriff badge along to Jessie. Everyone gives Woody a goodbye hug, including Forky. At the RV, Rex asks if Woody will be a lost toy, and Buzz replies that he's not, as he's found a new path to follow in his life. Bonnie's toys all wave goodbye to him at the same time that the RV starts moving, and Woody and Bo Peep look at the carnival view together.

In a mid-credits scene, Woody can be seen spending his days at the carnival with Bo Peep, the sheep, Giggle McDimples and Duke Caboom who help Ducky and Bunny find their kid.

Toy Story Toons
Woody has appeared in all of the Toy Story Toons shorts, playing a supporting role to the other toy characters. In "Hawaiian Vacation", Woody, Jessie, and Buzz get the idea to turn Bonnie's room into a Hawaiian paradise after Ken and Barbie fail to sneak into Bonnie's luggage.

In "Small Fry", Buzz gets left behind at the Poultry Palace, with his place being taken by a smaller, Happy Meal version of Buzz Lightyear. Woody and the toys try to form a plan as to how to rescue Buzz, but the latter soon returns on his own accord.

In "Partysaurus Rex", Rex is chastised by Mr. Potato Head and the other toys for his clumsiness. Towards the end, Woody drags Potato to give an apology, though this is interrupted by a house flood caused by Rex and the bath toys.

Toy Story of Terror!
In Toy Story of Terror!, Bonnie and her mother spend the night at the Sleep Well motel, where Mr. Potato head goes missing. As the toys investigate, Trixie, Rex, and Mr. Pricklepants are taken by a mysterious creature, which is revealed to be an iguana named Mr. Jones. Woody, Buzz, and Jessie run for their lives and find one of Potato Head's arms. The arm leads them to a bathroom where Woody and Buzz get taken by Mr. Jones. After Jessie is taken by Jones, Woody, Buzz, and the others are seen in a cabinet and reunite with Jessie. They are all being held by the motel manager Ron Tompkins who is using Mr. Jones to steal the toys of his guests so he can sell them online in bidding wars. After Woody is purchased, Ron puts him in a box and gets ready to stand him off. Luckily Jessie escapes and frees Woody. They manage to rescue their friends by exposing Ron's scheme to Bonnie and her mom.

Toy Story That Time Forgot
In Toy Story That Time Forgot, Woody, Buzz, Rex, Trixie, and Angel Kitty are taken to Mason's house with Bonnie. There, they meet Reptillus Maximus, The Cleric, and the Battlesaurs, who kidnap Woody and Buzz to be killed off in the Arena of Woe. They survive thanks to Trixie and discover that The Cleric is a power-hungry dictator. The Cleric demands that Woody, Buzz, and Angel Kitty be tossed down a shredder. However right when they're about to be shredded, Trixie and Reptillus arrive with Bonnie and Mason, whose desire for playtime saves Woody and Buzz.

Other Appearances

 * In A Bug's Life, Woody makes a cameo appearance during the blooper reel.


 * Woody, along with Buzz Lightyear and Hamm, appears in Cars as car versions during the end credits. Woody is a woody wagon.


 * Woody, along with Jessie and Bullseye, briefly appear in a poster in Meet the Robinsons, during Goob's baseball game.


 * Woody, along with Buzz Lightyear, appears as a piñata in Coco.

Kinect Disneyland Adventures
Woody appears in the game as a meet-and-greet character near Rancho Del Zocalo in Frontierland. He also asks the player to help track down some rustlers that are supposedly in the area.

Disney Infinity
Woody appears as one of the playable characters in the first Disney Infinity and subsequent games.

Kingdom Hearts series
Woody appears in Kingdom Hearts III alongside Buzz, Hamm, Rex, and Sarge and his soldiers, aiding Sora, Donald, and Goofy into saving their friends from the Heartless at Galaxy Toys. He, alongside Buzz are also party members in the game, with their signature move involving Sora riding on a rocket with them and then ram it straight into enemies, Afterwards, they jump off the rocket and send it crashing into the target enemy.

Woody also appears in Kingdom Hearts Union χ as a Super Rare attack medal for the game's avatars as part of the Toy Story Land event.

Disney Parks
Toy Story Midway Mania! Woody prominently appears this shooting-game ride found in Disney's California Adventure and Disney's Hollywood Studios. The story of this ride being that the toys are throwing a carnival from a play-set owned by Andy.

Big Thunder Trail
A veiled allusion to Woody was added to Big Thunder Trail in Disneyland, coinciding with the opening of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. A post on a shack found along the trail has a warning for it being rattlesnake season and warning residents to check their boots. The illustration of the post shows a cowboy boot resembling Woody's with a rattlesnake crawling from it, alluding to his, "There's a snake in my boot" line.

Live-Appearances
Woody is a very common for meet 'n' greet opportunities, often appearing with Buzz, Jessie or Forky. There used to be a rule in-which when a guest yelled, "Andy's coming" that the toys had to go limp. This has become much more lenient due to working conditions for cast-members.

Trivia

 * It was revealed in August 2009 by Lee Unkrich, director of Toy Story 3, on his Twitter account that Woody's full name is "Woody Pride", and has been since the earliest days of developing the original Toy Story. However, his last name, which was based on actor Woody Strode, was never used in the films.
 * Woody's forehead isn't burned anymore in the second film, like his fixed arm isn't muscular anymore in the third movie.
 * In an episode of House of Mouse, Donald Duck dresses up as Woody.
 * In the 101 Dalmatians: The Series episode "Mall Pups", Woody can be seen the toy store at the Stiffle Mall.
 * Lotso actually served as a dark counterpart to Woody, because Woody would have ended up like Lotso if he didn't move on with his life (or in the first film, if he allowed his jealousy to completely consume him).
 * Woody was originally going to be a ventriloquist dummy, as seen in early Toy Story sketches. He was later changed to be a stuffed cowboy doll because he looked sneaky, disturbing, and mean as a dummy.
 * What attracted Tom Hanks to voice Woody was that during his childhood he would always wonder if his toys were alive and moved around when nobody was in his room.
 * Woody's design bears a striking resemblance to the French comic character Lucky Luke, in particular Lucky Luke's earliest design, with his yellow shirt with red checkered pattern, dark blue jeans, brown boots and red scarf, and while his hat isn't the same colour, it does have a very similar design. The only thing woody doesn't share with Luke's design is his cow print vest and sheriff badge.


 * Woody's appearance in A Bug's Life is the first time a Toy Story character created by Pixar has appeared outside the Toy Story franchise.
 * Woody is the only Pixar movie franchise protagonist to be the protagonist of all the movies in his series.
 * While Woody is voiced by Tom Hanks in all the films and few of the toys, his brother, Jim Hanks, voices most of the Woody toys and him in the video games and Toy Story shorts (excluding Toy Story Toons).
 * When Jessie first meets Woody in Toy Story 2, she exclaims, "Sweet mother of Abraham Lincoln!" Abraham Lincoln's mother was Nancy Hanks, a blood relative of Woody's voice actor Tom Hanks, who is a direct descendant of an uncle of Nancy Hanks.
 * Woody is based on John Lasseter's Casper doll, as well as the Howdy Doody puppets from the 1950s.
 * Woody's pull-string voice box has many phrases and presumably can say nine like Jessie and Stinky Pete or maybe even more. Seven of them have been heard, sometimes more than once in the films: "Reach for the sky!", "You're my favourite Deputy!", "Somebody's poisoned the waterhole!", "Yee-Haw! Giddyap Partner. We've got to get this wagon train a-movin'!", "There's a snake in my boot!", "This town ain't big enough for the two of us!", and "I'd like to join your posse, boys, but first I'm gonna sing a little song." The others could possibly be "Yee-Haw!" as heard in a cutscene of the Toy Story 2 video game, "Ride like the wind, Bullseye!" from the Woody's Roundup television show and his signature saying that is shown on his merchandise "Hey! Howdy! Hey!".
 * Woody is the first and only one of Andy's toys to "come alive" while in the presence of a human.
 * Woody has 229 animation points of movement on his face.
 * Woody, along with Buzz, was originally going to be in Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix as new summons but were later scrapped.
 * In Toy Story 2, when Woody uses his pull-string to swing from the airplane onto Bullseye, none of his phrases are heard when the string retracts. However, in the Toy Story 2 video game cutscene, the phrase "Yee-Haw!" is heard. This is also a reference to the first Toy Story video game where Woody could use his pull string to swing across hazards using nearby hooks.
 * Woody's facial features are slightly based on a talking Casper the Friendly Ghost doll that Lasseter had as a kid.
 * Woody losing Bo Peep between Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 makes him the third Pixar protagonist to lose his love interest after Marlin and Carl.
 * He is also the first Pixar protagonist to not to have married his love interest before losing it, and the first one to lose the love interest without her dying (as Bo Peep was sold, and her reunion with Woody is the main plot of Toy Story 4).
 * Paul Newman was the original first choice for voicing Woody in early production, but he turned down the role later on. He would later work with Pixar as the voice of Doc Hudson. In addition to Newman, John Travolta, Kevin Kline, Mel Gibson, Steve Martin, John Cusack, Matthew Broderick,
 * Robin Williams and Clint Eastwood were also considered to voice Woody.
 * In the Toy Story 2 blooper reel, he played several pranks on Buzz like they were actors on a set.
 * The scene where Woody is looking at the Woody's Round-Up merchandise, Tom Hanks genuinely had several of the items he looked at during recording.