Woody's Roundup
Encyclopedia
Woody's Roundup is a fictional show within the Toy Story universe. It ran from 1950-1959 that aired on the Watch with Woody series on Tuesdays. 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 Stinky Pete thinks the show was cancelled before it could conclude, although the Woody's Finest Hour episode ended with Jessie saving Woody and Woody playing You've Got a Friend in Me
.
ran from 1949-57 and may have been an inspiration for this fictional series.
Puppetry
Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance which involves the manipulation of puppets. It is very ancient, and is believed to have originated 30,000 years BC. Puppetry takes many forms but they all share the process of animating inanimate performing objects...
in a way not unlike the real-world shows The Howdy Doody Show
Howdy Doody
Howdy Doody is an American children's television program that was created and produced by E. Roger Muir and telecast on NBC in the United States from 1947 until 1960. It was a pioneer in children's television programming and set the pattern for many similar shows...
and similar in vein to Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
's marionette western, Four Feather Falls
Four Feather Falls
Four Feather Falls was the third puppet TV show produced by Gerry Anderson for Granada Television, from an idea by Barry Gray.-Production:The show was made on a tight budget and could not afford sophisticated special effects...
. The show followed a serialized format, including the use of cliffhangers. The show also had a peanut gallery
Peanut gallery
A peanut gallery is an audience that heckles the performer. The term originated in the days of vaudeville as a nickname for the cheapest seats in the theater; the least expensive snack served at the theater would often be peanuts, which the patrons would sometimes throw at the performers on stage...
. The show was cancelled after the launch of Sputnik
Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1 ) was the first artificial satellite to be put into Earth's orbit. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957. The unanticipated announcement of Sputnik 1s success precipitated the Sputnik crisis in the United States and ignited the Space...
made westerns unpopular with kids. The final episode ended on a cliffhanger at the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
that was never resolved; there was supposed to be a finale, dubbed "Woody's Finest Hour", but Stinky Pete thinks the show was cancelled before it could conclude, although the Woody's Finest Hour episode ended with Jessie saving Woody and Woody playing You've Got a Friend in Me
You've Got a Friend in Me
"You've Got a Friend in Me" is a song written and first recorded by Randy Newman. Originally written as the theme song for the 1995 Disney·Pixar animated film Toy Story, it has since become the theme song for its sequels, Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3...
.
Main Cast
The main cast of the show consisted of:- Sheriff WoodySheriff WoodySheriff Woody Pride, or simply Woody, is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Toy Story franchise . He is voiced by Tom Hanks in the films, and by Jim Hanks in most other media.-Toy Story:...
- JessieJessie (Toy Story)Jessie, the Yodeling Cowgirl is a fictional character who is the main tritagonist of the films Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3. At Christmas in 1999, the Wall Street Journal called Jessie toys among the hottest of the season...
, the yodeling cowgirl. - Stinky Pete the Prospector.
- Bullseye, Woody's horseHorseThe horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
. - Assorted 2-dimensional critters such as rabbits and snakes.
Theme song
- 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 SongsWoody's Roundup: A Rootin' Tootin' Collection of Woody's Favorite SongsWoody's Roundup: A Rootin' Tootin' Collection of Woody's Favorite Songs is a studio recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky on August 29, 2000...
by Riders in the Sky. - This tune is also renditioned on the record playerPhonographThe phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
when Bullseye jumps onto the disc.
The Lone Ranger and Woody's Roundup
It is interesting to note that The Lone Ranger (TV series)The Lone Ranger (TV Series)
The Lone Ranger is an American western television series starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels as Tonto. The live-action series initially featured Gerald Mohr as the episode narrator...
ran from 1949-57 and may have been an inspiration for this fictional series.