It’s a definite possibility, and one that would explain Woody’s ignorance of his origins and of the fact that kids eventually outgrow their toys. And It kind of explains why Andy’s mom would refer to Woody as an old family toy, though to me, the line sounds more like something she would say if Woody was a hand-me-down toy.
It’s tough to pin down a time frame in which the films take place. I suspect they’re generally meant to be viewed as “timeless,” but there are a few clues that suggest a general span of years. The whole “Woody’s Roundup” scenario suggests that enough time has passed since the 1950s for most of the characters, particularly Andy, to be unaware of the show. The console on which Rex is playing the Buzz Lightyear game in Toy Story 2 appears to be a Super Nintendo, which suggests that the movie probably takes place sometime in the 1990s. (The Super Nintendo was released in North American in '91 and discontinued in '99. While it’s certainly possible that it would have been Andy’s primary console for some years after Nintendo stopped producing the system, it’s less likely that a game for the still popular Buzz Lightyear property would have been released for a previous generation console.) You could probably make some educated guesses about when the third move takes place based on the fact that Andy has a cell phone and what that cell phone looks like. And I’m sure there are other hints that I’m forgetting.
I wouldn’t say that Andy’s mom being in her 50s by Toy Story 3 is out of the question. She has definitely aged since the previous film and just because she hasn’t gone grey and sprouted a ton of wrinkles doesn’t mean she can’t possibly be over 50.
His mom did seem kinda protective of Woody in TS2, so there has to be something there.
I can go with the idea of Woody being a last minuet buy from someone on the father’s side. I dont see his mom owning Woody, since most girl’s were’nt into cowboys.
I always thought that the father died of an illness or an accident.
Anyway…where was I…
Oh, so yeah I can see the dad picking up Woody at a store, still in the cowboy phase but the Roundup Gang had been disbanded.
This can lead to why Woody has no recolection of the show. I can see the dad keeping Woody for his kids and thus when Andy was born, he gave up Woody to him.
That can be why Andy’s mom was so protective…cuz it’s a memory of her late husband.
With the filmmakers having it in mind that Woody belonged to Andy’s father, not many hints were given that he could be Andy’s mother’s toy, other than the fact that Woody is a hand me down. Andy’s Woody is said to be one of the older ones from 1958. I’m pretty sure that Woody’s Roundup ran from 1958-1959.
The timeline from Toy Story has been factually messed up since Toy Story 3, so the first 2 are the best references.
You guys are forgetting that it didnt have to be a childhood toy for Andy’s Dad. Mr. Davis could have been a collector of some sort, or maybe even an original fan of the show. I’ve always thought that he found Woody in an antique store and remembered him from the classic Woody’s Roundup, and bought him as a collectable. Some antique stores have items of great value but just don’t know it. He could of then looked it up and found that this Woody doll was extremely expensive. So Mr. Davis then kept it mint in the box and therefore not “alive” (like Buzz came) and put him in storage. But when Andy was approaching Kindergarten and Andy’s dad was going to be soon out of the picture (either from death or divorce) he felt he should give his prize posession to little Andy to show he still loves him. Woody was then opened, brought to life and introduced to the world and his owner Andy.
So that my take on it. May not make so much sense so the short version is:
Andys dad was an original fan of the show. He found Woody at a antique store for a good price. He then realised the worth of the doll and kept it in storage mint in box. When he was on his death bed or leaving for some other reason he gave young Andy the Woody. Woody was then opened and introduced to the world.
This would explain the time difference, why he wasnt aware of Woody’s Roundup etc. And as for Stinky Pete? I concur with who ever said he might of been put on display and opened (bringing him too life) then put back in his box when the space toys came.
I like it, except Woody mentions to haven’t seen a record player in ages. Still, as for Stinky Pete’s backstory, I think that Buzz Lightyears are the only toys that are frozen in “hypersleep” before they’re opened.
He could be exaggerating. Ages could mean a few years. Who knows he could of saw one on TV and is trying to make himself sound experienced!
And as for the Buzz thing, that could be just how Buzz toy’s describe it. I don’t think toys are really alive until they are out of the packaging completely. Thats why in Al’s Toy Barn only the opened toys are alive (display Buzz, Barbies).
Maybe woody was made a few years after the show went off so he was a late realease like maybe a 10 year anniversary realease so he wouldn’t know where he was from.
Woody as a doll was very much intended to be sold as a TV tie in toy- [spoil]hence the You’ve Got A Friend In Me advertisement - where the boy hugs the Woody marionette in TS2.[/spoil]
Still, I like the idea of Woody being in “hypersleep” as Buzz 2 puts it, until Andy opened him up. -Omar
I posted something in another thread, but when I came back the next day, the post was gone as if it’d never existed- in that case I forgot to put spoiler tags for something that happened in TS1, so the other day I got a little spoiler mad. Sorry -Omar
In Toy Story 2, Woody said “A record player! I haven’t seen one of these in ages!” This clearly implies that Woody is indeed far older than Andy. Record players were big in the 50s (which matches up with Woody’s Roundup timeline) and died out in the 60s due to the introduction of the eight track. Woody has to be hand-me-down but whether or not he was Mom or Dad’s might remain a mystery.
This is probably the biggest mystery out of any of the Pixar films. I know someone in his family had him originally because Andy’s mom implied to Al that it was an old family toy. My guess was probably his dad who never got a mention in any of the films. I could be wrong on that though but it’s just my theory.
Vinyl was still a popular format well into the 70s, though it’s been established that Woody is from the 50s. Again, I personally believe Woody used to belong to Andy’s father, but I’ve stated my reasons many times before. It’s not quite fact, since Pixar doesn’t like to touch upon the subject.
An article I saw only made me think more about Andy’s relationship with Woody: inkandpixelclub.com/2011/01/sayi … part-five/
He basically goes into great detail about… everything. It’s interesting to note that the connection is brought up between Woody as a father figure. It certainly makes sense, as a favorite toy is similar to a parent (in the eyes of a child). Assuming Andy’s father is deceased, that only makes Woody’s relationship with Andy even more special. Andy’s mom’s emotions and Woody’s were also similar; both had to eventually come to terms with the fact that they’d be seperated from Andy. Except the decision was made by both to give him room to let him grow up.
Again, I might be overthinking this, but the metaphor is still present. Even if the only reason Andy didn’t have a father was that Pixar didn’t want to animate another human.
Thanks for the link! I don’t think I’ve stopped by here since I wrote my big Toy Story 3 analysis and I don’t like to plug my own work too much, so it’s great to see that my article found its way to you guys regardless.
Like I said in the article, I don’t think Andy consciously thought of Woody as a father figure. Woody’s relationship to Andy is very paternal, but Andy treats him more like his best pal who is also a toy. Because Woody is never “alive” around Andy, his influence on Andy is limited to what Andy imagines and just being there for him. But whether intentionally or not, I do think Andy gave Woody not just the qualities he thought a good cowboy should have, but the qualities he thought a good man should have.
