“Early in his career, David Lynch was a bit obsessed with Woody Woodpecker and traveled around with five identical Woody dolls.” — Peteykins, via Cartoon Research
As a longtime fan of both Lynch and Woody, this comment inspired me to go sniffing around the internet, looking for more info regarding this unusual ‘obsession.’
Apparently, carrying the dolls around was Lynch’s way of subtly beating and/or leading interviewers to the quickly-cliched comparison made between his tall flop of hair and Woody’s similarly feathered ‘do. A quick Google of the words ‘david lynch woody woodpecker‘ will bring up dozens of interviews from the early 80s, almost ALL of which open with a mention of the two.
Even Lynch’s unofficial 2008 biography, David Lynch: Beautiful Dark, makes the comparison while describing the dolls:
Never having been in LA. nor seen any of Lynch’s films, [Kyle] MacLachlan was on edge with nervous anticipation as he sat in the Universal Pictures reception room waiting to meet the director. [...] Lynch’s low-key style of interivewing actors would become legendary, and even back in 1982, there was something about the director’s uncluttered office, with its six prominent toy figures of Woody Woodpecker (whose erect topknot mimics Eraserhead Henry’s and Lynch’s own hair) that put MacLachlan at ease.
Ah, but the absolute oddest Lynch/Woody moment I could find was a short video that Lynch made for the Nuart Theater, thanking them for their support with Eraserhead. In it, Lynch introduces the Woody Woodpecker dolls as ‘my boys — Chucko, Buster, Pete and Dan.’ And it only get stranger from there. Enjoy!
Related: Cartoon Look-Alikes
