Summary

• Recent Toy Story films challenge what it means to be a toy, hinting at deeper levels of existence for characters like the Woody's Roundup puppet.
• The Woody puppet could have been alive like Buzz Lightyear thought he was in the first Toy Story movie.
• The Woody's Roundup puppet wasn't included much in Toy Story 2, as its presence could have complicated the story and diminished the uniqueness of Andy's Woody.

An unsettling Toy Story timeline. As such, there's a specific figure in the series' first sequel whose very nature is called into question, when the matter at the time was pretty clean-cut. Despite the release dates of the second and fourth Toy Story movies being separated by two decades, one of the bad guys from 2019's entry into the franchise retroactively changes a scene in Toy Story 2.

By the end of the first Toy Story movie, the universe of Pixar's first film franchise had obeyed the same set of rules. In the sequels, Toy Story canon has expanded in several ways, including the definition of what a toy really is. The original meaning of the term was used to refer to a child's plaything, which while it's a broad category, at least offers some semblance of consistency. However, an insidious Toy Story 4 character casts doubt on this definition, and by extension, suggests a deeper level to the the fictional world.

Toy Story 4's Ventriloquist Dummies Suggest The Woody's Roundup Puppet From Toy Story 2 Was Also Alive

Woody's Roundup is a fictitious show-within-a-movie that starred Woody

The biggest clue to the limits of which inanimate objects could come to life in the Toy Story universe has always been embedded within the franchise's name. However, Toy Story 4 blurs the lines when the Benson ventriloquist dummies also display sentience and the ability to move autonomously. What's interesting about this revelation is that the Bensons aren't toys. If anything, the dummies are performative tools, not designed to be used or played with by young children. This makes it likely that other dummies and puppets could also come to life, with the Woody marionette from Toy Story 2 included.

Since the puppet itself never appears in the Toy Story franchise, it's impossible to prove whether it was alive.

Toy Story 2's Woody puppet is used sparingly in the movie and is only shown on old tape recordings of Woody's Roundup, which was the fictional show of which Woody was the star. Since the puppet itself never appears in the Toy Story franchise, it's impossible to prove whether it was alive, but Benson's presence in Toy Story 4 strongly hints at the possibility. Forky's origins as a plastic spork in Toy Story 4 also the theory that the Woody puppet was alive, as the minor Toy Story 2 character is arguably more of a toy than Forky is.

If the Woody's Roundup puppet was alive, then it's likely his marionette co-stars Jessie, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete were too.

The Original Woody Doll Could Have Been Like Buzz Lightyear In The First Movie

Buzz Lightyear initially didn't know he was a toy

Just as Buzz initially thought he was a genuine Space Ranger in 1995's Toy Story, it's possible the experiences of the Woody's Roundup puppet led him to share a similar thought process. If the marionette was used to create the world of Woody's Roundup, then he may very well have believed he was the real Sheriff Woody rather than a fictional character. If so, his behavior could have been comparable to Buzz's in the first movie, when Tim Allen's character refused to believe he was anything but the real Buzz Lightyear.

If Woody hadn't been rescued by Buzz and the others in Toy Story 2, Woody might very well have met his stringed counterpart in the Japanese museum.

Little is known about the origins of Andy's Woody, although Woody confirms he was made in the late 1950s in Toy Story 4. It's only confirmed that he's highly collectible and was desired by a toy museum in Tokyo. If Woody hadn't been rescued by Buzz and the others in Toy Story 2, Woody might very well have met his stringed counterpart in the Japanese museum. Should that have happened, Andy's Woody would have had to go through a much more existential version of what he'd already endured with Buzz in the first Toy Story movie.

Toy Story 2 Was Right Not To Include The Woody Puppet In The Movie

The Woody puppet would have been too high-concept in 1999

The Woody's Roundup puppet appearing in Toy Story 2 beyond his actual role would have been a mistake for a few different reasons. Firstly, the franchise at the time had clear rules on what constituted a toy. Having the puppet as a bigger part of the story would have forced Pixar to address whether it would come to life, and if not, why this wasn't the case. The franchise was also still fairly new, so making encounters like this too meta could have alienated the audience.

In addition to the continuity issues the puppet's presence could have caused, it would have also made Andy's Woody seem less special. A big part of why Woody is so sought after is because of his rarity. If Al already had the Woody marionette from Woody's Roundup, also having Andy's Woody as simply show merchandise would have given Tom Hanks' character an easier decision to make regarding whether to leave the others and return home. So, while the dummy in Toy Story 4 teases an extension to franchise canon, Toy Story 2 got the balance right the first time around.

All available Toy Story movies are available to stream on Disney+. Toy Story 5 will be released in cinemas on June 19, 2026.