#GetWoodyHome

Overview

#GetWoodyHome is a hashtag campaign launched by British motorist Bev McNeill in search of the owner of a Woody (a character from the Pixar film Toy Story)
doll she had found on the roadside of the M4 Motorway in early June 2014.

Background

According to Metro UK, McNeill first noticed the dirt-covered Woddy doll lying on the side of the motorway during her commute in May 2014, but she didn’t retrieve the doll until many weeks later in early June, when she noticed it for the second time while stuck in traffic. On June 3rd, Twitter user @HarrietScottie^[1] tweeted a picture of the Woody that McNeil had picked up from the roadside, along with a mention that the doll has the name “Liam” written on its foot, and introduced the hashtag #GetWoodyHome in an attempt to arrange a reunion between the doll and the child. In less than 48 hours, the tweet gained over 5,000 retweets, including one from Toy Story writer Andrew Stanton.^[6]

Notable Developments

In less than 48 hours, the hashtag^[2] was tweeted out over 6,000 times and became a trending topic on Twitter UK.

News Media Coverage

On June 4th, Metro UK^[3] reported on the hashtag campaign in an article titled “Real life Toy Story: Help reunite lost Woody doll with owner ‘Liam’ #GetWoodyHome,” followed by additional coverage from several U.S. and U.K.-based news outlets, including the Daily Mail, NBC Today, ITV, ABC News and Digital Spy.

Claim of Ownership

The same day the hashtag was introduced, Twitter user LiamHasPie^[7] came forward claiming the toy, explaining he knew it was his because of a bite mark his sister had caused.^[8] McNeill contacted him through Twitter, promising to contact him about the toy on June 5th.