7 Things You May Not Know About Woody From Toy Story
1. Sheriff Woody’s pal Buzz has a rather famous last name, but throughout the Toy Story films Woody was only known by his first name. So does that mean the rootinest tootinest cowboy never had a last name? Of course not! Sheriff Woody’s full name is, get ready, Sheriff Woody Pride! The name is not a recent invention; it was his name from the earliest days of development for Toy Story.
2. His name was always Woody, but he wasn’t always the cowboy toy we’re all familiar with. Woody was originally going to be a ventriloquist dummy, but director John Lasseter felt that his hinged jaw was, well, too “creepy.” Lasseter decided to transform him into a pull-string doll inspired by his own Casper the Friendly Ghost toy.
3. Woody was originally portrayed as abrasive and sarcastic. After receiving poor marks in a test screening, he was reworked into the happy-golucky cowboy we all know and love today.
4. Woody might be the “big man” in Andy’s room, but how big is he really? Our favorite sheriff is 15.18 inches tall without his hat. And with the hat? Just a shade under 16 inches, not too shabby for a toy!
5. As impressive as that is, it pales in comparison to the six-foot-six-inch tall version of Woody that was created by LEGO when Toy Story 3 was released. The imposing likeness was built from more than 17,200 bricks and weighed 80 pounds!
6. Woody is certainly capable of giving a stirring speech when called upon, but what happens when you actually pull his string? You might hear any one of these memorable phrases:
“You’re my favorite deputy.”
“Reach for the sky.”
“Somebody’s poisoned the waterhole!”
“This town ain’t big enough for the two of us.”
“ Yee-ha! Giddy up, partner! We’ve got to get this wagon train a-movin.”
“ I’d like to join your posse, boys, but first I’m gonna sing a little song.”
And our personal favorite: “There’s a snake in my boot!”
7. Woody’s lips don’t move when his string is pulled, but how about when he talks for real? To create those movements, Woody’s face contains 229 animation variables, which the animators manipulate to create movement.