Did Woody belong to Andy’s father?

“Toy Story” can be considered one of the Pixar productions that has more theories about its plot. Among the most famous ones, we have what happens to Sid in adult life, what happened to Andy’s father, Jessie’s real owner, the immortality of toys and much more.

In addition to them, another hypothesis much discussed by fans would be the true owner of Woody, Andy’s favorite toy. This theory, in addition to explaining the reason behind the boy’s great affection for the cowboy, also links with another famous assumption in the film: that of putting Andy’s father never appeared.

Woody and Andy’s past

In 2017, the SuperCarlinBrothers YouTube channel released an interview with Mike Mozartbest friend of Joe Ranft, co-author of Toy Story and original voice of the penguin Wheezy in the first films, where he reveals the whole past of the relationship between Woody and Andy. According to the video, the story would have been told by the man himself. Joe The Mike before her tragic death in a car accident in 2005 – and she is exactly the basis of the whole new theory.

The hypothesis begins by stating that the name present on Woody’s boot would be Andy’s father, who had the same name as his son, and that, in reality, the house where the family lives belonged to the boy’s paternal grandparents, being the place where the man spent all his childhood.

When younger, Andy Pai would be a huge fan of “Woody’s Roundup”, the program responsible for inspiring the toy featured in the film. However, his family didn’t have much money and, therefore, the boy would not have the opportunity to buy items inspired by his favorite character. However, he found an opportunity when he discovered a promotion where kids could win a Sheriff Woody doll if they collected 30 gift coupons in cereal boxes.

The SuperCarlinBrothers claims that, around 1957, Andy Sr., being poor, had only managed to redeem seven coupons. Determined not to give up on his dream, he wrote a letter and sent it along with the coupons to the responsible company, where he explained why he was in love with the character, and how much he identified.

However, with the launch of the Sputinik space program, “Woody’s Roundup” was canceled and, with that, the promotion came to an end, ending the opportunity for children to win an unprecedented Woody doll. However, the theory has a twist when it reveals that the letter sent by Andy Pai was found by one of the company’s employees, who was touched by the boy’s words and sent him one of the last existing dolls.

For this reason, the existence of a Sheriff Woody doll has become so rare, and perhaps explains the excitement of Al McWhiggin, a collector of items from the “Woody’s Roundup” program presented in the second film, when he found the toy.

And why did Woody never mention Andy Sr. to Andy Sr.?

Simple: he doesn’t remember. According to the theory, Andy Senior suffered from polio as a child and, upon recovering from the disease, ended up moving with his family to Seattle, where he meets Emily, his future wife and mother of his two children, Andy and Molly.

However, after getting married and with the second daughter about to be born, the father ends up contracting Post-Polio Syndrome, a disease that can affect people who are infected or who have already recovered. Thus, as told by Mike Mozart, the family decides to return to Andy Pai’s hometown, where the man gives his firstborn one of the most precious items in his life: Woody.

Along with the cowboy doll, he delivers a key to open a chest in the attic of the house where, in addition to Woody, Betty, Sr. Potato Head and Slinky. However, the man ends up dying before the boy unlocks the box, and Andy Filho ends up putting it aside for many years.

For remaining many years inside the trunk, Woody, Betty, Sr. Potato Head and Slinky end up not realizing how much time has passed and, therefore, do not recognize that the Andy who opened the box is not the same as in 1957.

Check out the video with the full theory!