Woody's Roundup



Toy Story character Woody is actually based on a character from the fictional 1960s television show Woody's Roundup, which in Toy Story 2 ran from 1941-1943, then 1946-1957 and gained a great deal of popularity, especially for its lead character, Sheriff Woody. The show was a western adventure series that utilized puppetry in a way not unlike the real-world shows The Howdy Doody Show and similar in vein to Gerry Anderson's marionette western, Four Feather Falls. The show followed a serialized format, including the use of cliffhangers. The show also had a peanut gallery. The show was cancelled after the launch of Sputnik made westerns unpopular with kids. The final episode ended on a cliffhanger at the Grand Canyon that was never resolved; there was supposed to be a finale, dubbed "Woody's Finest Hour", but the show was cancelled before it could conclude.

The main cast of the show consisted of: The main theme song for Woody's Roundup is heard in its entirety in the end credits of Toy Story 2. It appears as the first track on both the Toy Story 2 original soundtrack and Woody's Roundup: A Rootin' Tootin' Collection of Woody's Favorite Songs by Riders in the Sky. This tune is also renditioned on the record player when Bullseye jumps onto the disc.
 * Sheriff Woody
 * Jessie, the yodeling cowgirl.
 * Stinky Pete the Prospector.
 * Bullseye, Woody's horse.
 * Assorted 2-dimensional critters such as rabbits and snakes.

It is interesting to note that The Lone Ranger (TV series) also ran from 1949-57 and may have been an inspiration for this fictional series.