Sandbox / Toy Story - Woody Pride

Sheriff Woody Pride

Voiced by: Tom Hanks (movies and shorts), Jim Hanks (most other media) ^{Other voice actors} Jean-Philippe Puymartin (European French), Alain Zouvi (Canadian French), Björn Skifs (Swedish 1-2), Jan Mybrand (Swedish 3-4), Carlos Segundo (Latin Spanish, first two movies), Arturo Mercado Jr. (Latin Spanish, all other appearances since Toy Story 3), Alexandre Lippiani (Brazilian Portuguese, first movie), Marco Ribeiro (Brazilian Portuguese, 2-4), Peer Augustinski (German, 1-2), Michael "Bully" Herbig (German, 3-4), Kishore Bhatt (Hindi), Jang Se-Jun (Korean, first movie), Kim Seung-Jun (Korean, 2-4, Robert Czebotar (Polish)

Film Appearances: Toy Story | Toy Story 2 | Toy Story 3 | Toy Story 4

Other Appearances: Toy Story Treats | Buzz Lightyear of Star Command ^note intro cameo only | Toy Story Toons | Toy Story of Terror | Toy Story That Time Forgot | Lamp Life

"There's a snake in my boot!"

Woody is a 1950s pull-string cowboy doll. He is Andy's favorite toy, and the team leader of the main toy protagonists of the Toy Story films. He is at first jealous of newcomer Buzz, but after going through hell at Sid's house and overcoming it together they become friends for life. In Toy Story 2 Woody is stolen, finds out he was the hero of the TV show Woody's Roundup and meets his co-stars from it.

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• #1 Dime: Woody is very fondly attached to his hat. In the beginning of Toy Story 2, he's in a panic when it's lost and has the entire room tracking it down, while in 3, he becomes briefly distressed over finding he lost it.
• The Ace: He's the most experienced toy in Andy's Room, befitting of his role as The Leader, and works diligently to take care of the other toys in any way he can. This means he handles staff meetings, organizes recon units for birthday parties and Christmas, strategizes escapes from Sid's Room and Sunnyside Daycare, and sneak around without getting caught. He's briefly knocked off his pedestal by Buzz in the first movie, but the two work together to complement each other's strengths and assume co-leadership roles in later films.
• Adaptational Badass: He's much more of a fighter in Kingdom Hearts III than he is in the movies.
• Aesop Amnesia: Subverted. In 4, the other toys assume Woody's up to his old tricks when he falls out of favor with Bonnie and stops being played with, and is just trying to bodyguard Forky to feel useful. In reality, Woody is just trying to keep Bonnie happy by keeping Forky from throwing himself in the trash, with nary a thought towards doing the spork harm despite his frustrations. The other toys realize Woody was being honest when Bonnie sees Forky is missing and gets upset.
• Alliance with an Abomination: At least from a toy's perspective. Woody recruits Sid's horribly mutated and disfigured toys (who themselves aren't as scary as they seem to be) to help rescue Buzz and give Sid his overdue dose of karma.
• All-Loving Hero: Woody's nobility is his greatest strength, and he takes great strides towards helping his friends and making sure his owners are happy. It's briefly deconstructed in 4 when this driving focus towards protecting Forky puts his friends at risk, but it gets Reconstructed when Bo goes back to help him, remembering this is what makes Woody who he is.
• Always Second Best: This is the central conflict in the first film when Buzz comes along and knocks Woody off his pedestal. Sure, Andy loves Woody, but Buzz has everything Woody doesn't: a crisp voice box with multiple phrases, pop-out wings, karate-chop action laser lights, glow in the dark paint, and a retractable helmet. The fact that all the other toys are fawning over Buzz doesn't ease Woody's mind, and he grows increasingly jealous of Buzz.
• An Arm and a Leg: His arm gets a small rip when Andy plays with him, then falls off completely when the thread is unraveled.
• And the Adventure Continues: At the end of 4, he leaves the group to join Bo and her friends on the road, helping toys to get new owners.
• Armor-Piercing Question: He manages to unravel Lotso's entire regime with just three little words:
  Woody: "What about Daisy?"
• The Atoner: Just in case you thought he got off a little too easily for his arguably selfish behaviour in the first two movies, the third has him give up his dream of going to college with Andy so that the rest of the toys won't have to be left in the attic, and so that he and the other toys will be with an owner who would have more fun playing with them.
• Badass Boast: To Sid in the first film.
  "From now on, you must take good care of your toys. Because if you don't, we'll find out, Sid. We toys can see everything. So play nice."
• Beware the Nice Ones: Woody is usually a good-natured, laid-back toy. So if anyone does anything to threaten his friends, or dares to insult Andy, watch out.
• Big Brother Instinct: He and Jessie are Like Brother and Sister, and he puts himself at great risk to get her from being shipped to Japan, even scaling down a plane while it's taxing on the runway.
• Big Good: Of Andy's toys. When they are given to Bonnie, he gradually ends up ceding the role to Dolly (the de facto leader of Bonnie's original toys), as well as Buzz and Jessie.
• Big "WHAT?!": Woody screams this when Buzz accuses him of endangering the universe.
  Buzz: Because of you, the security of the entire universe is in jeopardy!
  Woody: WHAT?! What are you talking about?!
• Book Ends: In the first film, he's introduced during a play session in Andy's room, itself painted with clouds on the walls. In 4, he bids farewell to his friends under the starry night sky. Both films play the same music to complete the circle.
• Borrowed Catchphrase: During the "falling with style" part at the end of the first film, Woody shouts "To infinity and beyond!" He does it again at the end of the second movie.
  Woody: When it all ends, I'll have ol' Buzz Lightyear to keep me company. For infinity and beyond.
• Both Sides Have a Point:
  • In the first film, his anger towards Buzz wasn't entirely unjustified; given that Buzz thought he was a real space ranger and not a toy, he was taking Andy's love for granted. On the other hand, everyone else rightfully pointed out that Woody was letting his jealousy of Buzz go too far, which even Woody eventually admits to Buzz when the space toy is at his lowest point.
  • The second film sees Woody debate with the Roundup Gang about wanting to go back home to Andy instead of being sent to the Toy Museum in Japan. Woody isn't wrong that Andy's a good kid (though they don't know that), his arm being ripped was just an accident, and he doesn't want to leave Andy without his toy. However, Prospector points out that Andy will grow up sooner or later, and he may not want Woody around when it happens. Combined with Jessie's Dark and Troubled Past, Woody considers going with them to Japan for a brief time.
  • The third movie makes Prospector's prediction come true, and Andy has grown up, no longer playing with his toys. A misunderstanding causes them to decide to donate themselves to daycare, which Woody protests; Andy was trying to put them in the attic, and only landed out on the curb by mistake. But his friends point out that Andy has moved on, and they need to do the same, but Woody refuses and leaves them. He does come back when he learns that Sunnyside is really more of a prison camp, and by then the toys do realize that Woody was telling the truth about Andy.
  • In the fourth film, Woody's attempts to rescue Forky with Bo Peep's help goes horribly wrong and they get into an argument over it. Woody callously calls out Bo's questioning of loyalty, which causes her to storm off until she does remember Woody's loyalty is his most admirable trait and turns around to help him. However, Bo's point that Woody is just holding too tightly onto Andy to compensate for the fact Bonnie no longer wants to play with him sinks in hard and makes him realize he has to move on. He choses to go with Bo in the end, which makes him much happier.
• Brains and Brawn: He's the brains to Buzz's brawn. While Buzz isn't stupid (at least unit the fourth film), he's a bit more naive, but nevertheless more combat capable. Woody is depicted as the more level-headed and strategic of the two.
• Brainy Brunette: Woody has shown to be quite intelligent when making plans, and his "hair" is painted a deep shade of brown.
• Break the Haughty: Whilst Woody tends to not rub it in anyone's faces, he is top of the heap and knows it until Buzz shows up and threatens his position as Andy's favourite toy. Then he becomes increasingly jealous and insecure.
• Broken Ace: He was on top of the world living high, it was right in his pocket. Then from out of the sky, like a bomb, came some little punk in a rocket, then all of a sudden, he found his life, his friends, and the love of his kid taken away from him by a space toy. What he does afterwards to reclaim it gets him in even bigger trouble.
• Buffy Speak: "Your helmet does that...that "whoosh" thing!"
• Bullying a Dragon: He accuses Jessie of trying to ruin his escape from Al's apartment ... with just one arm. Little wonder he got his rear handed to him after, and Jessie might have torn him up further had Prospector not intervened.
• Butt-Monkey: In all four films, he is subjected to Cassandra Truth, and he rarely seems to win any fight he is in.
• The Cameo: He makes a gag cameo in the outtakes of A Bug's Life, as a car in the In-Universe movie Car Story in Cars, and as a piñata in Coco.
• Cassandra Truth: In all four films.
  • The first movie he was trying to convince the other toys that Buzz was still alive and he didn't kill him.
  • The second one he insisted to Jessie and Stinky Pete that Andy didn't break him intentionally.
  • In the third one, he had difficulty telling the other toys that Andy really wanted to put them in the attic and not in the garbage.
  • A more downplayed example in the fourth film, he tells the other toys that Forky is Bonnie's most important toy right now and she needs him. Everyone else assumes Woody is just body guarding him to feel useful and think he hasn't learned his lesson since the first film, but once they see how distraught Bonnie is when Forky goes missing, they realize how right he was.
• Character Catchphrase: Being merch from a TV series, he has several like "Hey, howdy, hey!", "There's a snake in my boot!" or "Somebody poisoned the water hole!". These only sound when somebody pulls his string — the "sentient" Woody only uses the first phrase once in the second film and once in the fourth, and never uses the other two.
• The Chains of Commanding: Shows up a lot in the third film. Not only is Woody the one to come up with the toys' plans to try and get Andy to play with them again, but after they keep failing and the situation becomes more dire, Woody struggles to keep an optimistic face on for everyone.
• Character Development:
  • In the first film, he is a full-blown jealous Jerkass toward Buzz, who tries to get him out of the picture so he can have Andy all for himself. The movie ends with him and Buzz becoming friends due to putting aside their differences and Woody admitting that Buzz is a cool toy.
  • In the third film, he plays the Only Sane Man more than he has ever done before, and has the most reasonable, non-selfish arguments to stay with Andy of all. Moreover, after escaping the incinerator, he tells the others not to bother chasing after Lotso for revenge, as he is not worth it. In short, he is far more mature and level-headed in the third film than in the first film.
  • Even more in the fourth film, as he never has the slightest bit of resentment for Jessie and Forky becoming Bonnie's favorite toys while he is mostly relegated to the closet, and ultimately sacrifices his voice box, meaning he can never be played with as intended again (unless he can get a new one), just so the toy he has been fighting against can be happy, and even retires fully from being in any child's collection in favor of staying in an amusement park for any kid to come across.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Even if he has selfish motives sometimes, Woody just cannot be happy if he's not making someone, usually his kid, happy. With Andy, he is always determined to get back to Andy whenever they get separated, because he knows how much Andy loves and needs him. When living with Bonnie, despite not being her favorite toy, he still goes out of his way to make her first day of kindergarten easier, and goes to almost ridiculous lengths to keep Forky from throwing himself in the trash, just because Forky makes Bonnie happy by being her favorite toy. At the end of Toy Story 4, he decides to walk the earth with Bo Peep and her crew, helping ownerless toys find forever homes.
• Clasp Your Hands If You Deceive: He does this when plotting to get Buzz out of the way so Andy will take him to Pizza Planet.
• Classical Anti-Hero: For most of the first movie, Woody is selfish, insecure and oftentimes childish regarding his loss of popularity to Buzz, which culminates in him attempting to knock Buzz down the side of Andy's desk. Following his accidentally knocking Buzz out the window and starting a chain of events that lead to the two being stranded in Sid's house, Woody sheds these nastier parts of himself to become a more standard, heroic Nice Guy.
• Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: Woody takes on this role a bit to Buzz when they get lost in the first movie, especially in the gas station and at Pizza Planet.
• Color Motif: He's very recognizable by his yellow and red shirt, his black and white vest, his red and white ascot, his blue jeans, and his brown hat and belt.
• Container Cling: Currently the trope picture. In the first film, he clings to the inside of a milk crate to hide from Sid so he won't get tied to a rocket and blown up.
• Culture Blind: Unlike Buzz, Woody had no idea that he was based on a popular '50s children's show and had no knowledge relating to his background until he met the rest of the Roundup Gang in the second film.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: On the receiving end. Due to being more like a ragdoll, he gets thrown around by stronger toys a lot more easily.
• Deadpan Snarker: Somewhat snarky towards Buzz in the first film, but this gets heavily downplayed in the later films after his Character Development. He is a bit snarkier with Spaniard-mode Buzz Lightyear in the third movie, though.
• Deconstructed Character Archetype: His All-Loving Hero and Determinator traits get subject to this in the fourth movie, where his actions in trying to keep Forky from throwing himself in the trash and rescue him from Gabby-Gabby only serve to put his friends lives (and even their existence as Living Toys) at risk.
• Determinator:
  • Lampshaded by Buzz in the second film and by Andy at the end of the third film:
    Andy: But the thing that makes Woody special is he'll never give up on you. Ever. He'll be there for you, no matter what.
  • Also in the third film, this trait really shines through in the incinerator scene, where he continues to struggle to escape even as the others begin to hold hands and accept their fate, and he is the last of the gang to surrender to dying.
  • Deconstructed in the fourth film, as Bo is quite put off by his willingness to put not only his life but the rest of the group in danger, and he finally snaps that getting Bonnie's favorite toy Forky back is the only thing he has left in his life after she lost interest in him.
• Detrimental Determination: In 4, when Bonnie stops playing with him, he decides the best way to help her is to take care of her new favorite toy, Forky, by keeping the spork from throwing himself in the trash, and later trying to rescue him from Gabby-Gabby. Doing so not only risks exposing the toys as being alive, but his determination to try and save Forky ends up endangering Buzz, Bo, and her group of toys, and all but Buzz walk out on him when he refuses to back down. His decision to leave Bonnie and go with Bo is fueled by him realizing he isn't able to move on from Andy, and it's hurting those he cares about.
• Despair Event Horizon: Woody tells Buzz to just leave him at Sid's and go back to Andy's to save himself, feeling unworthy of being Andy's toy. Buzz decides otherwise.
• Didn't Think This Through: His scheme to knock Buzz under the desk might have worked out a bit better if he just stayed out of RC's line of sight, which resulted in him getting ratted on.
• Disproportionate Retribution: During the first film, Woody feels jealous of Buzz, and so actively exhibits hostility towards him to the point that he attempts to trap him behind a desk so he would not be taken out for a trip with Andy to Pizza Planet. Getting over this attitude and realizing this reaction was too much is his Character Arc for the movie.
• Distressed Dude: Becomes this in the second film, after being stolen by a toy collector and prompting the other toys to rescue him.
• Drama-Preserving Handicap: Upon learning that he and the rest of the roundup gang are going to be sold to a toy museum in Japan, he tries to bolt for it, but then Al comes back home. Any attempt to go back is thwarted by the fact a piece of fabric from the tear on Woody's arm snags on the display stand, tearing it right off and forcing Al to call a repairman to get it fixed. Were it not for that little factor, he might have had an easier time sneaking out in the night, but he had to go and retrieve his arm first before he could leave. That little factor lets Prospector wake up Al by turning on the tv just when Woody gets the arm.
• Escape Artist: Becomes this as of Toy Story 3, as he not only escapes Sunnyside Daycare while completely unaware of Lotso's security measures, but he breaks back in and successfully helps all of Andy's other toys escape with him.
• Exorcist Head: In the first film during his fight with Buzz, Buzz punches him and his head spins completely around. Later he uses it to scare the pants off Sid.
• Everyone Has Standards: He didn't want to knock Buzz out of the window and get him lost, just trap him behind the desk. This doesn't make his situation and the ensuing misunderstanding any better.
• Famed In-Story: Used to be this as The Hero of Woody's Roundup; however, by the time of the first movie, the show has long faded into obscurity, and Woody doesn't seem to think he is any more than a simple cowboy doll.
• Fat and Skinny: He's the Skinny to Buzz's Fat. Woody is a tall, thin cowboy doll while Buzz is a short, stocky space ranger figure.
• Fatal Flaw:
  • Jealousy. Due to his need for attention and his love for Andy, Woody didn't take it well when Buzz replaced him as Andy's favorite toy. He quickly became jealous of Buzz to the point that he tried to knock him behind the desk so Andy would take him to Pizza Planet rather than Buzz. Unfortunately, this resulted in Buzz being knocked out a window and the other toys, having caught onto Woody's jealousy towards Buzz, accuse him of murder. For most of the 1st film, Woody's hateful envy towards Buzz prevents them from working well together and only after Woody comes to terms with Buzz does he finally let go of his jealousy.
  • Selfishness. In the first two films, Woody often focused on himself, which was a major contribution to his need for Character Development. First, because he couldn't accept Buzz becoming Andy's favorite toy, he quickly grew jealous towards Buzz and acted very rude and angry towards him. Second, after being abducted by Al Mc Whiggin , Woody considers going to Japan with Jessie, Bullseye and Stinky Pete out of fear that Andy won't want to play with him anymore. As Buzz points out, it contradicts Woody's earlier statement that toys are meant to be played and loved by children. By the time Toy Story 3 has come out, Woody has learned to let go of his selfishness.
• A Father to His Men: Woody is the leader of Andy's toys, and cares deeply for all of them. He is regularly seen organizing rescue efforts for toys that get lost or are about to be sold. Toy Story 4 begins with a flashback of him leading a rescue operation to save RC from getting washed away in a rainstorm.
• Fire-Forged Friends: Woody starts out hating Buzz, who gets angry at him in turn after his Destination Defenestration. Their efforts to get back to Andy's room seal their friendship.
• Foil:
  • To Buzz. Woody is a simplistic cowboy doll with a pull string while Buzz is a complex spaceman action figure with a variety of functions. Woody is the Only Sane Man who knows he's a toy from the start, while Buzz is a Cloudcuckoolander who doesn't realize he's a toy until near the end of the first movie. Woody is a Primary-Color Champion while Buzz is a Secondary Color Nemesis. Woody lost his right arm while Buzz lost his left arm. 2 reveals Woody is a very rare antique while Buzz is a mass-produced action figure. By the end of 4, Woody is a free-spirited "lost toy" without a single owner while Buzz is still owned exclusively by Bonnie.
  • To Lotso. Both are leaders of their respective groups who became extremely jealous when their owners replaced them. However, while Woody managed to rise above his jealousy, remained loyal to Andy and stayed a benevolent leader to Andy's toys, Lotso gave into his jealousy, abandoned his owner Daisy when he believed she replaced him and became a vicious, manipulative tyrant over the Sunnyside toys.
• Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: Despite the fact that Woody didn't kill Buzz, or isn't a murderer even, and the toys did feel guilty throwing him out the moving van, it doesn't change the fact that he still acted out of jealousy to continue to be Andy's favorite toy. In the fourth film, the toys are all aware he has this tendency to make himself feel important and to be the center of attention, that they understandably think he's up to his old tricks again when he tries to protect Forky. His Character Development proves he's only acting in Bonnie's interest, and when the other toys realize how devastated she is when the spork goes missing, they quickly change their tune.
• Four-Temperament Ensemble: Mixture of Melancholic and Phlegmatic. He is wise, loyal and protective, but can act quite snarky and selfish and even goes through problems in his life.
• Friend-or-Idol Decision:
  • The plot of Toy Story 2. He ultimately chooses to stay with Andy and his friends rather than be taken to a museum to be worshipped as a collector's piece. Reconstructed in regards to the other Roundup members which he just brings along with him.
  • The end result of Toy Story 4; he has to pick either to go home with Bonnie or stay with Bo. Ultimately, he chooses the latter.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: In the first movie, the other toys (especially Mr. Potato Head) start turning against him when they believe he has tried to kill Buzz. Only Slinky and Bo Peep are sympathetic towards him about the whole situation, and only Bo still holds out any hope for Woody after the incident with Buzz's arm. When they realize Woody was telling the truth towards the end, they feel guilty over their actions (throwing Woody out of the moving truck, no less).
• Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Delivered this to Buzz in first movie - with Buzz's own severed arm – during the latter's Heroic BSoD.
• Good Ol' Boy: As he is a cowboy toy from the 50's when cowboy toys were very popular.
• Grail in the Garbage: He is an antique cowboy doll who's worth at least $2,000 (if not possibly more). The Davis family never realized this and gave him to Andy as a plaything. Andy would later give Woody to Bonnie, who also didn't know his worth and didn't notice or care when Woody left to be with Bo Peep in the fourth movie.
• Green-Eyed Monster: His Fatal Flaw in the first film. While he is a nice guy otherwise, the competition for his position as Andy's favorite toy leads him to causing trouble between him and Buzz, and he only gets more bitter until it culminates in a cruel scheme to get rid of Buzz for good. The events of the rest of the film take his resentment down a huge peg, and even help him befriend Buzz by the end.
• The Heart: Definitely the heart and soul of Andy's toys. Especially seen at the beginning of the first movie when he is clearly the one to hold all the toys together.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Buzz. They become tight-knit friends willing to go to great lengths for one another.
• I Choose to Stay: Willingly decides to remain with Bo in the end of Toy Story 4, choosing to help other lost toys find their future owners.
• Indy Ploy: Is a master of this. Woody comes up with complex yet effective plans almost instantly and is also a master at changing them to suit the situation.
• Informed Flaw: He is a 40-60 year old stuffed doll who a professional toy restorer declared to be so fragile that he is only fit for display purposes. Despite this, the only visible signs of wear or damage he has received in at least two decades of use is a burnt hole in his head from a magnifying glass, a small tear on his arm which the restorer fixed, and his voice box almost being ripped out of his back.
• It's All About Me: In the first two movies. The first movie has him so jealous of the attention Buzz is getting that he tries to knock him into the space between the table and the wall. The second movie has him refuse to return to Andy's place with the other toys, even after the journey the other toys went through to get him to do so — admittedly, it was at least in part out of empathy for Jessie. The third, on the other hand, has him come back to Sunnyside to help free his friends, and better yet, has him give up his dream of going to college with Andy to spare the other toys from going to the attic. He is also very selfless in the fourth, which shows all his Character Development.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Towards Bonnie in Toy Story 4. Even if Bonnie has forgotten about him, he is still loyal to her. He knows how much she loves Forky, her new favorite toy, and does all he can to explain Forky that he is important to her and not just trash. This is the opposite of his Attention Whore attitude and jealousy of Buzz in the first movie. It does wind up getting Deconstructed a bit, as Woody's attempts at making her happy put his friends in danger of being exposed and nearly ruins his relationship with Bo Peep (which partially motivates him to stay with Bo at the end), but it's also Reconstructed when Bo remembers that's Woody's most admirable quality: loyalty to his kid.
• Jerkass Ball: In the first film, he tries to be friendly with Buzz when they first meet, but he starts to grasp this firmly as Andy's other toys start to warm up to Buzz, causing him to become steadily more jealous, and Buzz's space ranger act starts to grate on him as a result.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Later films will occasionally go out of their way to point out how any sane toy who has to deal with a delusional space toy, including Forky, Mr. Potato Head, and even Buzz himself, would sympathize with Woody in hindsight.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He can be sarcastic, cynical, and sometimes even a bit selfish, but what he does toward the end of the third movie easily makes up for this; again, see The Atoner.
• Knight in Sour Armor: Becomes this in Toy Story 3, in that he knows full well that going back to the daycare is suicide, and the difficulty in helping his friends escape and making it back home before Andy leaves for college. The logical thing to do would be to try and go home alone. No points for guessing what he decides to do. Somehow he ends up in an even worse state in Toy Story 4. Unlike his time with Andy, Woody is not Bonnie's favorite toy, and he is often left in the background and can only watch as Bonnie plays with other toys instead. Despite this, his unconditional love for his owners drives him to still do his best to make Bonnie happy even if she will never notice him, never mind the risks he had to expose himself (and his friends) to in the process: it is the only thing he can still do.
• Large Ham: Woody has a tendency to make exaggerated motions and shout when particularly irritated. His reactions to Buzz's insistence that he is a real space ranger speak for themselves.
  WHAT?! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!
  YOU! ARE! A! TOOOOOOOY!
• Laser-Guided Karma: Buzz used the exact same phrase Woody used to snap him out of his fantasy.
• The Leader: He has the ability to quickly devise and carry out complex plans. By the time of 4, he steps aside due to Dolly having that role, and gladly backs away when asked.
• Like Brother and Sister: With Jessie, due to being from the same toy collection they are equivalent to siblings.
• Meaningful Name: His last name is Pride which is his vice and (nearly) Fatal Flaw and causes several of the main plot points in the first and second films.
• Mistaken for Murderer: In the first movie Andy's toys believe that Woody murdered Buzz after he falls out the open window.
• The Mourning After: A non-romantic example. Toy Story 4 has him come to terms with the fact that, despite being a toy that is ostensibly able to move between owners, he is not just a toy - he was Andy's toy. He is never able to fully adapt to being one of Bonnie's toys since he constantly compares her to Andy despite Dolly pointing out that she is not Andy and has different needs and interests. This is why he sacrifices his voice box to Gabby after she helps him realize he will never be able to be anyone else's toy, after she reminds him of the priceless years of love he had with Andy; and why he decides to leave Bonnie, accepting that he will never be anyone's one toy again like he was with Andy.
• Mr. Vice Guy: His pride and need for attention are important plot points in the first film and to a lesser level in the second.
• Mysterious Past: Nothing is known about his life before being owned by Andy. It is known that he was manufactured in the late 1950s and that he has been in the Davis family for a long time, but Woody always talks about Andy as if he was his first owner.

N-Y

• Never My Fault:
  • After accidentally being abandoned by Andy at the Gas Station, Woody blames Buzz for their current situation. When Buzz points out that Woody started this by knocking him out the window, Woody instead deflects the blame again and says that Buzz is responsible for 'showing up in his stupid little cardboard spaceship and taking away everything that was important to him'.
  • A smaller example from earlier on, he points the binoculars (without much care) to show Sid to Buzz, only to point to Skud on accident. He proceeds to call Buzz an idiot for looking at the wrong thing.
• Nice Guy: By the time of Toy Story 3, Woody has moved out of Jerk with a Heart of Gold territory, having finally lost that selfish nature he had in the first two films.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: In the third movie, he and Buzz go out of their way to save Lotso, who leaves them for dead in the incinerator.
• Non-Action Guy: Without fail, Woody will be on the receiving end of a Curb-Stomp Battle when it comes down to fisticuffs, due to being made of soft vinyl and not being able to put any real damage behind his blows.
  • In the first film, Buzz, furious at Woody’s apparent attempted murder of him, smacks him around, with Woody only getting a few ineffectual blows to the head.
  • In the second, Jessie easily comes out on top when the two have a fight… though he only had one arm at the time.
  • Also from the second, his fight with Stinky Pete ends in seconds with Pete on top.
  • In the third film, thrown around by the cymbal monkey easily, but is saved with Slinky's intervention.
  • Averted with his appearance in Kingdom Hearts III, which puts him in the thick of the action to rescue his friends.
• Official Couple: With Bo Peep. Their relationship has been active since the first movie, and ultimately culminates in Woody retiring as the leader of Bonnie's toys to become a lost toy with Bo.
• Older Than They Look: He and his Roundup Gang are merchandise for a television show that aired before Sputnik was launched. After that, the show was cancelled and they probably stopped making the merchandise. That means that Woody, Jessie, Bullseye and Stinky Pete could be at least forty-nine years old as of the third movie. A line by Ms. Davis in Toy Story 2 reveals that Woody is a family heirloom.
• Only Sane Man: Is often placed in this role, acting as a serious Straight Man to the other more chaotic toys, as well as Day Dream Believer Buzz in the first movie.
• Parental Substitute:
  • Woody seems to be something of a father figure to Andy, who has no on-screen father. Woody thinks of him as his son in-turn, and vows to always be by his side no matter what.
  • By Toy Story 4, he's essentially Forky's 'father', having provided the items Bonnie used to create him. A major part of the first third of the movie is Woody teaching Forky about the world and helping him accept his new role as a toy.
• Passing the Torch: At the end of Toy Story 4, he decides to travel with Bo Peep instead of returning to Bonnie and pins his sheriff's badge on Jessie's shirt, marking her as the new leader of the toys.
• Pet the Dog:
  • His initial desire to stay with the Roundup Gang, while selfish on the surface, was really just so that Jessie would not have to feel alone all over again after having just met him. When he decides to go back to Andy, he even makes a point of selling her on the idea of being loved by another kid before trying to head off. (Key word: trying.)
  • Even though he is angry with the other toys for not wanting to return home to Andy in Toy Story 3, he softens when Bullseye tries to come with him and orders him to stay. Woody explains that he doesn't want Bullseye to have to live alone in the attic, which Bullseye sadly accepts.
• Platonic Life-Partners: With Jessie — they fight, apologize, love, and care for each other in a sibling-like fashion.
• The Prankster: If his numerous pranks on Buzz in the Hilarious Outtakes of Toy Story 2 are any indication. He doesn't seem to do it in the films themselves though.
• Pride: One of his main character flaws. He is Andy's favorite toy and is perfectly aware of this fact; when Buzz comes into the picture and becomes Andy's new favorite, Woody becomes jealous of him and inadvertently gets both himself and Buzz lost when his plan to get rid of Buzz backfires horribly.
• Primary-Color Champion: Yellow shirt, red scarf, blue trousers.
• The Protagonist: He is the main character in all of the films.
• Really 700 Years Old: While the rest of Andy's toys are obviously younger than him, Woody is revealed in the second film to be a toy from an old TV series, making him roughly 50 years old. This raises questions about his past and how he came to "forget" it.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: He is the emotionally expressive red to Buzz's stoic blue. However, he becomes the wise and calm blue to Jessie's fiery and rambunctious red.
• Retired Badass: By the end of the fourth film, Woody retires from being the leader of Bonnie's toys to become a lost toy, helping other lost toys find owners.
• Save the Villain: He goes out of his way to save Lotso in the third movie, not that Lotso appreciates it in the slightest.
• Screams Like a Little Girl: When Buzz startles him after saying hello, and before Scud bites his leg.
• Security Cling: To Buzz in the first movie when he sees Sid's mutilated toys.

• Signature Headgear: His hand-stitched polyvinyl hat is an indispensable part of his outfit.
• Stock Sound Effect: His comical screams have a tendency to be reused throughout the movies. For one example, his scream upon being Jump Scared by Buzz in the first movie is recycled for when he is scared by the Cymbal-Banging Monkey in Toy Story 3.
• Survival Mantra: In the first film when trying to escape from Sid's house. Also doubles as a Shout-Out:
  Woody: There's no place like home! There'snoplacelikehome!
• Take Care of the Kids:
  • In the first film, when Woody is grabbed by Sid's dog Scud and it seems he will be pulled off the truck and shredded, he tells Buzz to, "take care of Andy for me." Buzz rescues him instead.
  • In a less dire example, in the fourth film, Buzz tells Woody it is fine to go and that Bonnie will be okay in their care.
• Team Dad: At the start at least, he is the semi-official leader and most respected of the toys. It is also implied and played with that he is something of a father figure to Andy, who notably has no on-screen father.
• This Is My Chair: In the first movie, Woody says this to Buzz almost verbatim when the latter's spaceship-like toy box is on Andy's bed.
  Woody: Yes, it is a mistake, because, you see, the bed here is my spot.
• Took a Level in Badass: Goes from a somewhat whiny, selfish wimp in the first movie to a breakout mastermind by the third movie.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Gradually loses his selfish nature and becomes a more responsible leader throughout the series. Best shown in how he treats Buzz in the first movie versus how he treats Forky in the fourth: while Woody was jealous of Buzz being more popular among the other toys and Andy and dealt with Buzz's delusions by mocking, shouting at and generally screwing with him, he takes Forky becoming more popular than him with Bonnie much more gracefully and calmly helps Forky realise his purpose with a gentle hand.
• Took a Third Option: How he solves the dilemma of the other Roundup toys. Rather than abandon them to go back to Andy or leave Andy to join them at the museum, he has them adopted by Andy as well.
• True Companions: He realizes his friends are better than being worshipped along with the Woody's Roundup gang in the second movie. Reconstructed since he also makes the Roundup toys part of this and brings them to Andy's house.
• Undying Loyalty:
  • To Andy. A flashback in Toy Story 4 shows that Woody almost joined Bo Peep in her donation box, but changed his mind when he heard Andy desperately looking for him. Of course, once it is time to say "So long, partner...", he gets Andy to donate him and the others to Bonnie's and he begins to show this to her as well.
  • Severely deconstructed in the fourth film. Bonnie has grown tired of playing with Woody. He is often left behind in the closet and can only watch as Bonnie plays with other toys. However, his unconditional love for Bonnie (like he did with Andy) drives him to do everything in his power to make Bonnie happy, which leads to the creation of Forky. After that, protecting Forky from harm and bringing him back to Bonnie is his only goal, inadvertently leading his friends including Bo Peep into danger. He is just so driven by the loyalty he has for his owners that he doesn't even care if the owners do not love him back anymore, and his tendencies to put himself into danger to be there for his owners is ruining his friendship with his close friends. Once Forky is reunited with the others, Woody chooses to stay at the carnival with Bo, accepting that Bonnie doesn't need him.
• The Unfavorite: Believed this in the first film after Buzz came on the scene. The third movie proved he really was Andy’s favorite toy all along. He turns out to be this for Bonnie in Toy Story 4, as she has grown tired of playing with him and leaves him in the closet while she plays with the others. Eventually, Woody decides she doesn't need him anymore and he decides to leave her to be with Bo.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Has his moment in Toy Story 2. Buzz and friends go to great lengths to get up to the apartment and rescue him from toy collector Al, who is preparing to send him to Japan. The most prominent expression of this is when Buzz gives a heartfelt speech about how he once taught him that life as a toy was only worth living if he was loved by a child and he came to rescue him because he believed him. His response? "Well, you wasted your time." Although Woody does see Buzz's point and tries to leave with him almost immediately afterward.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Buzz, but later, they become brothers.
• Would Hit a Girl: During his short fight against Jessie in 2, he tells her: "Don't think just 'cause you're a girl I'm gonna take it easy on ya!" However, she noticeably could hold her own and had the upper hand.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are:
  • He gives one to Buzz when he is convinced he is nothing more than an insignificant toy. This is widely considered to be the turning point of their friendship.
  • He also gives one to Gabby Gabby in 4, after she was rejected by Harmony. He tells her that there are plenty of kids out there that are worthy of her time.