This wonderful collectible was released as an Exclusive from Mattel at the 2011 D23 Expo. It pays homage to the Toy Story 2 movie premise that Woody was actually a hero from the 1950s children’s television show called Woody’s Roundup. This show utilized marionettes to animate the characters and it was broadcast in glorious black and white!
Toy Story 2 was one of the few movies that one could argue for it being better than the original. From Buzz Lightyear’s video game opening to Woody finding his television pals, especially Bullseye and Jessie, this installment of the Toy Story franchise has everything you could want in an animated movie!
I couldn’t attend the D23 Expo in person but I did have some friends that were there. I texted them and begged that they purchase one of these for me! They did, and after reimbursing them for the purchase price and paying for shipping to Canada, it was mine.
The box doubles as a Theatre of the Arts, if you will, which you can use to put on your very own marionette puppet shows. Simply manipulate the controller at the top of the box, and slide the lever on the back of the box, and Woody will sway and wave his arms like a real dancing cowboy!
Backing up a bit, the box that the theatre box comes in is also pretty cool. It eludes to the fact that the theatre box within is made to resemble an old television from the 1950s, a Budtone, complete with channel selector. But don’t try to change the channel, it only has one!
Why Budtone? It’s not a real brand of vintage television. I imagine it was created to intimate the friendship between Woody and Bullseye, or more likely, between buddies Woody and Buzz Lightyear.
Woody may move to your dictates, but he does it with a look on his face that could creep you out if you focus in on it too much! There are three backgrounds provided: Bullseye outside the Hotel; a diorama of the Grand Canyon; and the dynamite scene featuring Jessie and the old Prospector. Two are found on a double-sided removable card with the third image printed on the back of the box.
Another feature of this collectible that I love is that Woody is black and white in colour, as is his stage. This obviously depicts the original broadcast signal, as Woody’s Roundup would not have been filmed in colour. Only Walt Disney had the forethought to do that for his early programming with later showings and residuals in mind.
Are you ready to see Woody in action? Please enjoy the following video:
I hope you enjoyed the show! If you did, please consider giving the video a like, as every ‘thumbs up’ helps our YouTube Channel to grow.
To see more of the other two marionettes shown in the video, please see the post entitled Woody’s Roundup Real Working Marionettes. I’d be mighty obliged if ya did, Pardner!
