The 2009 Woody PEZ Dispenser Is the Toy Story Essential Every Pixar Collector Treasures
A Beloved Cowboy Comes Home to PEZ
When the 2009 Woody PEZ dispenser hit store shelves, I immediately grabbed a copy. There's something magical about seeing Pixar's original cowboy hero captured in that iconic die-cast form - and this particular release stands as the foundational piece of what would become one of my favorite Disney sub-collections.
The 2009 Woody PEZ dispenser represents the very first wave of Toy Story dispensers. Woody launched alongside Rex the Dinosaur and Buzz Lightyear, and honestly, Woody should have his own spotlight. The head sculpt is wonderfully detailed - they captured his confident, friendly expression with molded features that really shine under good lighting. His signature red bandana wraps around his neck in glossy paint, with an additional painted knot detail on the back. The face itself is a soft yellow plastic with clean paint lines marking his eyes and smile.
Here's what makes the 2009 original special: look closely at the underside of his Sheriff badge. On first-run 2009 releases, there's a small black dot that doesn't appear on later reissues. It's subtle, but it's the collector's tell - your mark that you're holding a piece of the original line. That tiny detail changed my whole relationship with tracking variants. I immediately went back to re-examine my other early Disney PEZ releases through the same lens.
The mechanism is classic PEZ - that satisfying spring-loaded press that's been unchanged for generations. It's stainless steel and solid. No wobble, no sticking. After nearly two decades on shelf, mine still performs perfectly. The construction quality is excellent ABS plastic that hasn't yellowed or become brittle, even in my Texas sun exposure. At roughly 4 inches tall, Woody sits comfortably among standard-height dispensers.
What really drives Toy Story PEZ appeal is the character completeness. 2009 gave us Woody and Rex and Buzz. Then 2010 expanded the roster with Hamm the Pig, Jessie, and Slinky Dog. But Woody is where collectors' hearts live - he's the anchor character. Pixar knew it, and so did PEZ.
The 2009 Woody release taught me something crucial about modern PEZ collecting: pay attention to the first-year cosmetic variants, because those become the gold standard that future reissues are judged against. Collectors want the "original flavor," and manufacturers know it.
Mint-in-bag vintage copies from 2009 fetch solid premiums on the secondary market, especially the black-dot variant. Loose copies in great condition run -10 depending on shelf appeal. It's not an exotic price point, but the demand is steady and collectors actively seek complete Toy Story lineups, which drives secondary-market interest.
For display purposes, Woody belongs in one of three arrangements: (1) grouped by character with your other Toy Story PEZ across a shelf, (2) organized by year to show PEZ's Disney expansion 2009-2010, or (3) mixed into a broader Pixar-character display. Any of these approaches shows off the 2009 generation nicely and invites conversation about why this particular dispenser matters to Disney and PEZ collectors alike.
I'm currently looking to complete my Toy Story set with a pristine 2009 Rex to pair with my Woody. If you have one you're considering letting go, I'd love to hear about it. You can find me on my needs list right here in the Collectiblz app, where I track everything I'm hunting for.
Grab your Woody PEZ if you spot an original 2009 release. Your collection deserves that foundational piece of Toy Story magic.
