Disney fans think they've uncovered Woody's true origin and it's blown their minds
The theory has been shared on social media
Ellie Kemp
Disney fans reckon they've worked out Woody's origin story - and it's pretty convincing, if you ask me.
The charismatic toy cowboy, voiced by Tom Hanks, has been at the heart of every Toy Story movie and is set to return for Toy Story 5 next summer.
We all know Disney loves to reward eagle-eyed fans with Easter eggs across its huge catalogue of movies.
And while fans reckon they've figured out who Andy's mom really is, they've also worked out how Andy's absent dad plays a pretty big role in the nostalgic movie franchise - and Woody's start in life.
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Andy's dad fails to appear in any of the Toy Story movies, but this is never addressed.
Some pretty dark theories have circulated on social media about it, with a number suggesting Andy's dad died from post-polio syndrome after welcoming his children. Disney writers later rubbished this explanation via X, though.
Anyway, one fan reckons a scene in Toy Story 2 not only sneakily featured Andy's dad, but also explains where Woody came from.
Taking to Reddit, they posted in the R/FanTheory thread about the scene, where Woody is sitting and watching a tape of a Woody puppet singing You've Got A Friend in Me.
You can see the clip for yourself below.
The social media user explained how in the video, 'a kid comes up to the Woody puppet and grabs and hugs it.'
They added: "My theory is the kid in that video is actually Andy’s Dad. Andy’s dad went to some kind of Woody’s Roundup convention where he purchased Woody and played with him just like Andy did (Note Andy’s mom mentions Woody being 'an old family heirloom').
"He then passed Woody onto this son Andy."
They added: "Note in the clip above, when Woody sees the kid approach the Woody puppet he instantly perks up and watches with interest, as though he recognises the kid in the video.
"He then wipes the brown paint of his boot revealing 'Andy.' Indicating that seeing Andy’s dad again convinced Woody to go back to Andy instead of going to Japan."
Taking to the comments section, fans seemed to agree with this theory.
One person added: "Andy's dad was also named 'Andy,' and Woody was put in storage between Andy's Dad's childhood and Andy's childhood, so Woody thinks Andy and Andy's Dad are the same person.
"This explains why Woody is so loyal to Andy and doesn't seem to remember any owner before Andy despite being an 'old family heirloom.'"
Another pointed out: "In Toy Story 3 he says something about going to a sock hop and says 'big man on campus' so he definitely remembers the 50s."
Another person commented: "Annnnnnndddddd Hollywood just stole your idea, in 2-3 years we’ll have a prequel of how Woody met Andy’s dad and their journey."
Not everyone believed the theory though, as one person pointed out: "The Woody in the clip is a marionette puppet. OG Woody is a mass marketed toy version of the TV puppet, his mouth clearly isn't meant to move, so I don't buy it."