# why doesn't Woody from Toy Story have a gun? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 17, 2009, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847 "2009-11-17T00:23:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/1 "2009-11-17T00:23:26Z")
He has an empty holster instead. Now sure, for an old toy that makes sense,of course e gun would get lost.But even when Sheriff Woody is restored in Toy Story 2, there’s still that empty holster. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/2 "2009-11-17T00:42:49Z")
The restorer didn’t have an original Woody the Cowboy gun to give him. He could have given him a replica gun, I suppose, but if you’re going that route, then why not just a replica Woody? Did the Woody character on the Woody’s Roundup TV show have a gun in his holster? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/3 "2009-11-17T01:55:32Z")
Was it replaced with a walkie-talkie? ---
**Author:** ![Odaran09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Odaran09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odaran09)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/4 "2009-11-17T02:17:03Z")
My guess is that the Woody doll did not come with a gun. When Al finds Woody, he wonders about the hat before finds it. I would assume being a collector, he would have know whether or not Wood came with a gun and mentioned it too. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/5 "2009-11-17T02:19:04Z")
It wouldn’t make any sense for Woody to have an empty holster if he didn’t originally come with a gun. Maybe the animators just left out the gun because they didn’t want it in a kid’s movie. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/6 "2009-11-17T02:35:52Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > It wouldn’t make any sense for Woody to have an empty holster if he didn’t originally come with a gun. Maybe the animators just left out the gun because they didn’t want it in a kid’s movie. I’m not really sure that’s the case. Woody is a really old toy, and a doll rather than an action figure like G.I. Joe. It wouldn’t surprise me if he didn’t come with a gun. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/7 "2009-11-17T03:33:24Z")
Welcome to political correctness gone amuck in the U.S. We can’t distort the minds of kids, can we? Even a harmless cowboy can’t have a six shooter anymore. We live in a weird world these days. I grew up watching Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett and Gunsmoke. Now, even the Woody Halloween costume comes with an empty holster. ---
**Author:** ![Anduinel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Anduinel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anduinel)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/8 "2009-11-17T03:38:47Z")
The orgina Toy Story movie site had a trivia game that said Woody’s gun was in the stomach of Hamm the piggybank. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/9 "2009-11-17T04:11:18Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Welcome to political correctness gone amuck in the U.S. We can’t distort the minds of kids, can we? Even a harmless cowboy can’t have a six shooter anymore. I read somewhere what the reasons were behind the lack of gun, but I can’t find it again. I think it said that it was a story choice, because if you introduce a gun, even a toy one, it is almost forced to become a plot point, which wasn’t the story they wanted to tell. But if it doesn’t exist, it won’t need to be glaringly overlooked. I may be misremembering. I wish I could find what I read. ---
**Author:** ![wunderkammer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ed8c4c/32.png) [@wunderkammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wunderkammer)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/10 "2009-11-17T04:30:18Z")
There was a thread about this a while ago. It got kinda [silly.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=305728) (Only thread I ever bookmarked back in my lurking days.) ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/11 "2009-11-17T04:34:30Z")
It was started by **DrDeth** also, interestingly. Short memory? ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/12 "2009-11-17T04:36:43Z")
> [@shy\_guy](#): > > I’m not really sure that’s the case. Woody is a really old toy, and a doll rather than an action figure like G.I. Joe. It wouldn’t surprise me if he didn’t come with a gun. I can’t think of a plausible reason the Woody doll would come with a functional holster but wouldn’t come with a pistol that fits in the holster. I’m completely ok with Woody not having a gun in the movie but it makes more sense that it was lost over the years. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/13 "2009-11-17T04:40:18Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I can’t think of a plausible reason the Woody doll would come with a functional holster but wouldn’t come with a pistol that fits in the holster. I’m completely ok with Woody not having a gun in the movie but it makes more sense that it was lost over the years. [Read the original thread that’s already been linked to.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=11787185&postcount=10) EDIT: Damn you and your ninja edit making my post make slightly less sense. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/14 "2009-11-17T05:12:28Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > EDIT: Damn you and your ninja edit making my post make slightly less sense. You fell into my trap. [Vader breathing]All too easy.[/Vader breathing] ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/15 "2009-11-17T05:14:35Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > [Read the original thread that’s already been linked to.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=11787185&postcount=10) > > EDIT: Damn you and your ninja edit making my post make slightly less sense. Yeah, ScissorJack’s posts in that thread are absolutely board classics. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/16 "2009-11-17T05:24:45Z")
> [@](#): > > I think it said that it was a story choice, because if you introduce a gun, even a toy one, it is almost forced to become a plot point, which wasn’t the story they wanted to tell. But if it doesn’t exist, it won’t need to be glaringly overlooked. Ah, Chekov’s Six-Shooter. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/17 "2009-11-17T06:26:13Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > It was started by **DrDeth** also, interestingly. Short memory? I never got a definitive answer, although certainly it was a fun thread. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/18 "2009-11-17T06:53:37Z")
Didn’t Buzz Lightyear have a raygun or something? So it doesn’t seem like it would be PC-ness gone amok if Buzz had a gun but Woody didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/19 "2009-11-17T06:57:58Z")
I swear to god, before I just read that thread, I was gonna say it was to make him seem impotent compared to Buzz. Dammit, ninjaed by a thread three years old! (Talk about a slow-moving ninja!) ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847/20 "2009-11-17T07:24:06Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > He has an empty holster instead. Now sure, for an old toy that makes sense,of course e gun would get lost.But even when Sheriff Woody is restored in Toy Story 2, there’s still that empty holster. > 😕 Because that was the way it was written? Does it have to have some hidden meaning? You cant take it at face value and let it go? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-woody-from-toy-story-have-a-gun/517847.md?page=2)