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Man shares ‘Toy Story’ fan theory about Woody’s true identity; franchise fans are divided

A fan of Toy Story and social media influencer, known for his creative fan theories about Disney films and non-Disney films alike, has shared his personal theory about the true identity of Sheriff Woody.

His recent TikTok video about who Woody really is, which has only been up for about 3 weeks, has garnered nearly 570,000 likes, almost 2,500 comments and has been shared nearly 8,300 times.

@innovatorguy

Follow for More⚠️ #fy #fypシ #xycba #satisfy

♬ Night Trouble – Petit Biscuit

innovatorguy is the self-proclaimed “CEO of Trending,” and he has more than 4.7 million followers on TikTok. All of his fan theory videos are similar in that they show him pouring a liquid into a glass, followed by photos from films and text that explain what’s going on in his mind as he thinks about his theories.

When it comes to Toy Story, his theory is that Woody is actually the spirit of Andy’s late father, who passed away when he was very young.

He believes that Andy’s father is watching over him through Woody’s eyes, and when Andy is older and leaves for college, he’s able to give Woody to Bonnie because he’s grown up and no longer needs the constant guidance of his father.

I love every bit of PIXAR’s Toy Story franchise, except for Toy Story 4, but that’s a story for another time.

Photo: Disney

Some say that they don’t understand the excitement over such a mediocre storyline–an idea we’ve probably all imagined to some degree as children: that our toys can hear us, see us, etc., and that when we aren’t at home, they have lives of their own.

But that’s EXACTLY the appeal! Remember the doll you loved more than anything? The toy you couldn’t travel without? The collectibles in that one box in your attic that you can NEVER discard?

From dozens of PIXAR Easter eggs strewn throughout each film and PIXAR’s ability to make us feel emotions toward a treasure trove of CGI-rendered toys to the endless possibilities of backstories and alternate endings, thanks to PIXAR fan theories, what’s not to love?

But not everyone agrees with innovatorguy’s theory. Some think it’s pretty ridiculous, including TikTokker Luke Guerin, who commented, “That’s the worst theory I’ve ever heard.”

ClassLad194 commented, “OK, this is nonsense,” and “just your average memer” responded with, “if Woody is Andy’s dad, then who’s Rex?”

Other TikTokkers responded with online applause, saying they’d never thought about that possibility before and that innovatorguy’s theory would make a lot of sense in the storyline.

TikTokker 005051 commented, “I’m crying now.”

John Crist commented, “I can believe that,” and CandaceLovesNick responded to the video, saying, “I love this; I would definitely go with this.”

What do you think? Do you have a fan theory to share, or do you feel like fan theories are a complete overthinking of the storyline?

About Becky Burkett

Becky's from the Lone Star State and has been writing since she was 10 and encountered her first Disney Park when she was 11. It was love at first Main Street Electrical Parade. Joy is blank lined journals, 0.7 mm pens, and all things Walt, Woody and Buzz, PIXAR, Imagineering, Sleeping Beauty (make it blue!), Disney Parks history and EPCOT. At Disney World, you'll find her croonin' with the birdies at the Enchanted Tiki Room or hangin' with Woody and the gang at Toy Story Land. If you can dream, you really can do it!