So why doesn't Woody carry a gun?

[sbaxter]

Hi, so sorry for bringing back an old thread, I’m new to this forum stuff, but there is a canon reason as to why Woody doesn’t have a gun.

On the back of the box for the 1995 woody doll, it is stated that Woody DID have a gun, but he misplaced it “years ago.” I’m pretty sure by Woody they mean the Woody in Woody’s Roundup.View attachment 1551395
Again, sorry if this counts as necroposting, I just felt as if it was worth saying because the real answer hadn’t been said.

There's that ... and there's also the fact that the Woody we see in the film is a toy, not an actual cowboy or even a toy who thinks he is a real cowboy (as he would have been the first to point out), and if he did have a gun, it would be a static, one-piece toy gun and would have served no purpose in the story. I suspect there was at least a little PC motivation behind him not having one, but he is clearly a toy that would have had a gun originally (hence the "Reach for the sky!" voice clip) -- but it is more than reasonable to think it would have been lost long ago.

Zurg does have a gun (and he uses it too), and Buzz Lightyear has a laser -- but Zurg's gun fires Nerf-like projectiles, and Buzz's laser is a red light that is just about as satisfying as the "laser" on the nose of my vintage X-wing toy!

I've always been more intrigued with why Buzz, who thinks he is a real space ranger through much of the first film, still goes instantly inert whenever a human might see him, just as the other toys do. Why does he do that? Is it some sort of instinct built into him as a toy that he isn't even fully aware he's doing? If so, does that mean Woody being able to put that aside to "come alive" later in order to terrify Sid is evidence of a great act of courage or force of will on his part?

SSB

 

[Krieger]

Interesting thread. This just reminds me about how many times I was warned to put my toys away after playing, and what would happen to legos, and other items, if stepped on

thats why some items remain in the box, so I don’t lose them even though I am only a child at heart now

 

[Lightning]

In the original movie, his holster is empty because he's an old toy and would have lost his gun years ago. Plus he needs a empty holster for Sid to stick a match in.

Things only got odd when, in TS2, we see that the original marionette doesn't have a gun, and Al proclams Woody complete.

It's easy enough to come up with a rationale for that. Just say the original TV show makers couldn't come up with a workable "pull gun and fire" mechanism, so they ran with the "lost gun/gunless sheriff" concept. Not less realistic than everyone else shooting guns out of people's hands.