Last summer, legendary Japanese figure maker Kaiyodo released a Revoltech figure of Woody from Toy Story. Soon after it was released, people started noticing that, yes, something was off with the figure.
In the West, figure collectors noticed that Woody looked psychotic and juxtaposed him with, for example, Gears of War's brutality. In Japan, figure collectors noticed that Woody looked like the kind who'd run around with panties on his head, squealing with glee. The Revoltech Woody looked like a pervert.
Toy Story is popular in Japan. Ditto for Pixar. Japanese filmgoers love how Pixar seems to give the country knowing nods, whether that be the sushi restaurant in Monsters Inc. or Totoro in Toy Story 3.
Nobody likes Cars 2. Nobody. (Kidding! Well, sorta.)
With Toy Story having a Japanese fan base, Woody was a logical choice for the Revoltech line, which also includes Jack Sparrow, Iron Man, Predator, and Monster Inc.'s Sulley and Mike, as well as home-grown characters like Gamera.
The Revoltech Woody has two alternate faces. The grinning maniac mug became the choice for the "hentai Woody" ("pervert Woody") pics that started in Japan and then spread to Western websites and forums.
Revoltech Woody is a posable figure, making it ideal for an array of, what have become, lewd poses. The eyes can be adjusted, too, meaning endless hijinx.
Even though the hentai Woody meme first began in Japan last summer, it's still going strong. Sometimes the Revoltech Professor Layton figure joins Woody in his dirty exploits.
Japanese figure websites, such as Kyou mo Yume wo Mitsuzukeru Blog, continue to drag hentai Woody out for shits and giggles. On that site, there's even a Woody tag.
Not all the Woody pics are him leering at plastic girls. Many of them are him getting his ass kicked by them. Others put Woody's head on different bodies for comic effect.
Largely unintentional, hentai Woody does play on stereotypes of how foreigners behave in Japan—namely, how aggressive they are in pursuing the local ladies. The Japanese netizens, however, are more likely doing this for laugh, exploiting that creepy Woody face.
Abroad, hentai Woody is now an established meme, proving that creepy plastic figurines are the lingua franca for nerds everywhere.
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You can contact Brian Ashcraft, the author of this post, at bashcraft@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.
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