Goofy is a
cartoon character created by
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Disney Stud ...
. He is a tall,
anthropomorphic dog
who typically wears a
turtle neck
A polo neck, roll-neck (United Kingdom, South Africa), turtleneck (United States, Canada), or skivvy ( Australia, New Zealand, United States) is a garment—usually a sweater—with a close-fitting collar that folds over and covers the ...
and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled
fedora. Goofy is a close friend of
Mickey Mouse and
Donald Duck, and
Max Goof
Maximilian "Max" Goof is an animated character who is the son of the Disney character Goofy. He first appeared in the 1951 short "Fathers Are People" as Goofy Jr., and later appeared in the 1992 television series '' Goof Troop'' as Max Goof, a pr ...
's father. He is normally characterized as hopelessly
clumsy and
dim-witted, yet this interpretation is not always definitive; occasionally, Goofy is shown as
intuitive
Intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without recourse to conscious reasoning. Different fields use the word "intuition" in very different ways, including but not limited to: direct access to unconscious knowledge; unconscious cognition; ...
and clever, albeit in his own unique, eccentric way.
Goofy debuted in
animated cartoons, starting in 1932 with ''
Mickey's Revue
''Mickey's Revue'' is a 1932 Walt Disney cartoon, directed by Wilfred Jackson, which features Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow performing a song and dance show. The film was delivered to Columbia Pictures on M ...
'' as Dippy Dawg, who is older than Goofy would come to be. Later the same year, he was re-imagined as a younger character, now called Goofy, in the short ''
The Whoopee Party
''The Whoopee Party'' is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on September 17, 1932. It was the 46th Mickey Mouse short, and the tenth of that year.
Plot
Mickey Mouse and friends have a party in which Minnie Mouse is playing the p ...
''. During the 1930s, he was used extensively as part of a comedy trio with
Mickey
Mickey is a given name and nickname, almost always masculine and often a short form (hypocorism) of Michael, and occasionally a surname. Notable people and characters with the name include:
People Given name or nickname Men
* Mickey Andrews (bor ...
and Donald. Starting in 1939, Goofy was given his own series of shorts that were popular in the 1940s and early 1950s. Two ''Goofy'' shorts were nominated for an Oscar: ''
How to Play Football
''How to Play Football'' is an animated comedy short film by Disney starring Goofy, released on September 15, 1944. The short was directed by Jack Kinney. The seven and a half minute film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short ...
'' (1944) and ''
Aquamania
''Aquamania'' is a 1961 American animated Goofy cartoon produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution on December 20, 1961.
This cartoon was the last from Disney's "Golden Era" which featured Goofy as a solo star, a ...
'' (1961). He also co-starred in a short series with Donald, including ''
Polar Trappers'' (1938), where they first appeared without
Mickey Mouse. Three more ''Goofy'' shorts were produced in the 1960s after which Goofy was only seen in television and
Disney comics. He returned to theatrical animation in 1983 with ''
Mickey's Christmas Carol
''Mickey's Christmas Carol'' is a 1983 American animated family comedy-drama featurette directed and produced by Burny Mattinson. The cartoon is an adaptation of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'', and stars Scrooge McDuck as ...
''. His most recent theatrical appearance was ''
How to Hook Up Your Home Theater
''How to Hook Up Your Home Theater'' is a 2007 American animation, animated comedy film, comedy short film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, directed by Kevin Deters, and co-directed by Stevie Wermers-Skelton. It was the first theatrica ...
'' in 2007. Goofy has also been featured in television, most extensively in ''
Goof Troop
''Goof Troop'' is an American animated sitcom television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series focuses on the relationship between single father Goofy and his son, Max, as well as their neighbors Pete and his family. ...
'' (1992), ''
House of Mouse
''Disney's House of Mouse'' (or simply ''House of Mouse'') is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation that originally aired for three seasons on ABC and Toon Disney from January 13, 2001, to its final ...
'' (2001–2003), ''
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
''Mickey Mouse Clubhouse'' is an American interactive computer-animated children's television series which aired from May 5, 2006, to November 6, 2016 on the Disney Channel. Produced by Disney Television Animation, it is the first computer-a ...
'' (2006–2016), ''
Mickey Mouse'' (2013–2019), and ''
Mickey and the Roadster Racers / Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures'' (2017–2021).
Originally known as Dippy Dawg, the character is more commonly known simply as "Goofy", a name used in his short film series. In his 1950s cartoons, he usually played a character called George G. Geef. Sources from the ''Goof Troop'' continuity give the character's full name as G. G. "Goofy" Goof, likely in reference to the 1950s name. In many other sources, both animated and comics, the surname Goof continues to be used. In other 2000s-era comics, the character's full name has occasionally been given as Goofus D. Dawg.
Background
According to
Pinto Colvig
Vance DeBar Colvig Sr. (September 11, 1892 – October 3, 1967), professionally Pinto Colvig, was an American voice actor, newspaper cartoonist, and circus and vaudeville performer whose schtick was playing the clarinet off-key while mugging. C ...
, the original voice artist for the character, Goofy was inspired by a "grinny, half-baked village nitwit" from his hometown of
Jacksonville, Oregon, and he had previously used his mannerisms for a stage character he created named "The Oregon Appleknocker". After a discussion with
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
and director
Wilfred Jackson
Wilfred Jackson (January 24, 1906 – August 7, 1988) was an American animator, arranger, composer and director best known for his work on the ''Mickey Mouse'' and '' Silly Symphonies'' series of cartoons and the ''Night on Bald Mountain''/''Ave ...
, it was decided that this would be the basis for a new member of the expanding Mickey Mouse cast. Colvig would spend the next day in the recording studio acting out the new cartoon character in front of animator
Tom Palmer. Based on Colvig's "grotesque poses and expressions", Palmer would sketch out what would become Goofy. Animator
Art Babbit is credited for developing his character. In a 1930s lecture, Babbitt described the character as: "Think of the Goof as a composite of an everlasting optimist, a gullible
Good Samaritan
In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil and is of interest in the study of ethics, morality, ph ...
, a half-wit, a shiftless, good-natured hick".
In the comics and his pre-1992 animated appearances, Goofy was usually single and childless. Unlike Mickey and Donald, he did not have a steady girlfriend. The exception was the 1950s cartoons, in which Goofy played a character called George Geef who was married and at one point became the father of a kid named George Junior. In the ''
Goof Troop
''Goof Troop'' is an American animated sitcom television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series focuses on the relationship between single father Goofy and his son, Max, as well as their neighbors Pete and his family. ...
'' series (1992–1993), however, Goofy was portrayed as a single father with a son named
Max, and the character of Max made further animated appearances until 2004. This marked a division between animation and comics, as the latter kept showing Goofy as a single childless character, excluding comics taking place in the ''Goof Troop'' continuity. After 2004, Max disappeared from animation, thus removing the division between the two media. Goofy's wife was never shown, while George Geef's wife appeared—
but always with her face unseen—in 1950s-produced cartoon shorts depicting the character as a "family man".
![Disneyland IMG 3970](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Disneyland_IMG_3970.jpg)
In the comics, Goofy usually appears as Mickey's sidekick, though he also is occasionally shown as a protagonist. Goofy lives in
Mouseton
The Mickey Mouse universe is a fictional universe, fictional shared universe which is the setting for stories involving The Walt Disney Company, Disney cartoon characters Mickey Mouse, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Pluto (Disney), Pluto, Goofy, and ...
in the comics and in Spoonerville in ''Goof Troop''. In
comics books and strips, Goofy's closest relatives are his smarter nephew
Gilbert Gilbert may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Gilbert (surname), including a list of people
Places Australia
* Gilbert River (Queensland)
* Gilbert River (South ...
. and his grandmother, simply called Grandma Goofy. In Italian comics, he has been given several cousins, including adventurer
Arizona Goof
The Mickey Mouse universe is a fictional universe, fictional shared universe which is the setting for stories involving The Walt Disney Company, Disney cartoon characters Mickey Mouse, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Pluto (Disney), Pluto, Goofy, and ...
(original Italian name: Indiana Pipps), who is a spoof of the fictional archaeologist
Indiana Jones.
Goofy's
catchphrase
A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
s are "gawrsh!" (which is his usual exclamation of surprise and his way of pronouncing "
gosh"), along with "ah-hyuck!" (a distinctive chuckle) that is sometimes followed by a "hoo hoo hoo hoo!", and especially the
Goofy holler
Goofy is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. He is a tall, anthropomorphic dog who typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a ...
. In the classic shorts, he would sometimes say "Somethin' wrong here" (first heard in ''
Lonesome Ghosts
''Lonesome Ghosts'' is a 1937 Disney animated cartoon, released through RKO Radio Pictures on December 24, 1937, three days after ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' (1937). It was directed by Burt Gillett and animated by Izzy (Isadore) Klein, E ...
'') whenever he suspected something was not right about the situation he was currently in, or sing a few bars of "The World Owes Me a Livin'" from ''
The Grasshopper and the Ants'' (the first instance of Goofy singing this song is ''
On Ice'').
According to biographer
Neal Gabler
Neal Gabler (born 1950) is an American journalist, writer and film critic.
Gabler graduated from Lane Tech High School in Chicago, Illinois, class of 1967, and was inducted into the National Honor Society. He graduated ''summa cum laude'' from t ...
, Walt Disney disliked the Goofy cartoons, thinking they were merely "stupid cartoons with gags tied together" with no larger narrative or emotional engagement and a step backward to the early days of animation. As such, he threatened constantly to terminate the series, but only continued it to provide
make-work
A make-work job is a job that has less immediate financial or little benefit at all to the economy than the job costs to support. It may also have no benefit. Make-work jobs are similar to workfare, but are publicly offered on the job market and h ...
for his animators.
Animation historian
Michael Barrier is skeptical of Gabler's claim, saying that his source did not correspond with what was written.
Appearances
Early years
Goofy first appeared in ''
Mickey's Revue
''Mickey's Revue'' is a 1932 Walt Disney cartoon, directed by Wilfred Jackson, which features Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow performing a song and dance show. The film was delivered to Columbia Pictures on M ...
'', first released on May 27, 1932. Directed by
Wilfred Jackson
Wilfred Jackson (January 24, 1906 – August 7, 1988) was an American animator, arranger, composer and director best known for his work on the ''Mickey Mouse'' and '' Silly Symphonies'' series of cartoons and the ''Night on Bald Mountain''/''Ave ...
this short movie features
Mickey Mouse,
Minnie Mouse
Minnie Mouse is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a bow, polka-dotted dress, white bloomers, and low-heeled shoes occasiona ...
,
Horace Horsecollar
Horace Horsecollar is a cartoon character created in 1928 at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Horace is a tall anthropomorphic black horse and is one of Mickey Mouse's best friends. Characterized as a boastful show-off, Horace served as Mickey’s s ...
and
Clarabelle Cow performing another song and dance show. Mickey and his gang's animated shorts by this point routinely featured song and dance numbers. It begins as a typical Mickey cartoon of the time, but what would set this short apart from all that had come before was the appearance of a new character, whose behavior served as a running gag. Dippy Dawg, as he was named by
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
artists (Frank Webb), was a member of the audience. He constantly irritated his fellow spectators by noisily crunching peanuts and laughing loudly, until two of those fellow spectators knocked him out with their mallets (and then did the same exact laugh as he did). This early version of Goofy had other differences with the later and more developed ones besides the name. He was an old man with a white beard, a puffy tail, and no trousers, shorts, or undergarments. But the short introduced Goofy's distinct laughter. This laughter was provided by
Pinto Colvig
Vance DeBar Colvig Sr. (September 11, 1892 – October 3, 1967), professionally Pinto Colvig, was an American voice actor, newspaper cartoonist, and circus and vaudeville performer whose schtick was playing the clarinet off-key while mugging. C ...
. A considerably younger Dippy Dawg then appeared in ''
The Whoopee Party
''The Whoopee Party'' is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on September 17, 1932. It was the 46th Mickey Mouse short, and the tenth of that year.
Plot
Mickey Mouse and friends have a party in which Minnie Mouse is playing the p ...
'', first released on September 17, 1932, as a party guest and a friend of Mickey and his gang. Dippy Dawg made a total of four appearances in 1932 and two more in 1933, but most of them were mere
cameos.
In the Silly Symphonies cartoon ''
The Grasshopper and the Ants'', the Grasshopper had an aloof character similar to Goofy and shared the same voice (Pinto Colvig) as the Goofy character.
By his seventh appearance, in ''
Orphan's Benefit
''Orphan's Benefit'' (sic; original title) is an animated short film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Productions in black-and-white. It was first released in 1934 and was later remade in Technicolor in 1941 under the correc ...
'' first released on August 11, 1934, he gained the new name "Goofy" and became a regular member of the gang along with two other new characters:
Donald Duck and
Clara Cluck
The Mickey Mouse universe is a fictional universe, fictional shared universe which is the setting for stories involving The Walt Disney Company, Disney cartoon characters Mickey Mouse, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Pluto (Disney), Pluto, Goofy, and ...
.
Trio years with Mickey and Donald
''
Mickey's Service Station
''Mickey's Service Station'' is a 1935 animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by United Artists. The film, which stars Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy as car mechanics, was also the final black-and-white appe ...
'' directed by
Ben Sharpsteen
Benjamin Sharpsteen (November 4, 1895 – December 20, 1980) was an American film director and producer for Disney. He directed 31 films between 1920 and 1980. Sharpsteen created a museum documenting the history of California's first millio ...
, first released on March 16, 1935, was the first of the classic "Mickey, Donald, and Goofy" comedy shorts. Those films had the trio trying to cooperate in performing a certain assignment given to them. Early on they became separated from each other. Then the short's focus started alternating between each of them facing the problems at hand, each in their own way and distinct style of comedy. The end of the short would reunite the three to share the fruits of their efforts, failure more often than success. ''
Clock Cleaners
''Clock Cleaners'' is a 1937 in film, 1937 American Animated cartoon, animated short film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Pictures, RKO Radio Pictures. The cartoon follows Mickey Mouse, Donal ...
'', first released on October 15, 1937, and ''
Lonesome Ghosts
''Lonesome Ghosts'' is a 1937 Disney animated cartoon, released through RKO Radio Pictures on December 24, 1937, three days after ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' (1937). It was directed by Burt Gillett and animated by Izzy (Isadore) Klein, E ...
'', first released on December 24, 1937, are usually considered the highlights of this series and animated classics.
Progressively during the series, Mickey's part diminished in favor of Donald, Goofy, and
Pluto
Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Sun. It is the largest ...
. The reason for this was simple: Between the easily frustrated Donald and Pluto and the always-living-in-a-world-of-his-own Goofy, Mickey—who became progressively gentler and more laid-back—seemed to act as the
straight man
The straight man is a stock character in a comedy performance, especially a double act, sketch comedy, or farce. When a comedy partner behaves eccentrically, the straight man is expected to maintain composure. The direct contribution to the c ...
of the trio. The studio's artists found that it had become easier coming up with new gags for Goofy or Donald than Mickey, to a point that Mickey's role had become unnecessary. ''
Polar Trappers'', first released on June 17, 1938, was the first film to feature Goofy and Donald as a duo. The short features the duo as partners and owners of "Donald and Goofy Trapping Co." They have settled in the
Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...
for an unspecified period of time, to capture live
walrus
The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the fami ...
es to bring back to civilization. Their food supplies consist of
canned beans. The focus shifts between Goofy trying to set traps for walruses and Donald trying to catch penguins to use as food — both with the same lack of success. Mickey would return in ''
The Whalers
''The Whalers'' is a cartoon produced by Walt Disney Productions, released by RKO Radio Pictures on August 19, 1938, and featuring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy.
The short was directed by David Hand and Dick Huemer. It featured the vo ...
'', first released on August 19, 1938, but this and also ''Tugboat Mickey'', released on April 26, 1940, would be the last two shorts to feature all three characters as a team.
Solo series
Goofy next starred at his first solo cartoon ''
Goofy and Wilbur
''Goofy and Wilbur'' is a 1939 animated cartoon short produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures on March 17, 1939. Although the cartoon is billed as a '' Mickey Mouse'' cartoon (as said on the theatrical poster), it wa ...
'' directed by
Dick Huemer
Richard Huemer (January 2, 1898 – November 30, 1979) was an American animator in the Golden Age of American animation, Golden Age of Animation.
Career
While as an artist-illustrator living in the Bronx, New York City, Huemer first began his ...
, first released on March 17, 1939. The short featured Goofy fishing with the help of Wilbur, his pet
grasshopper.
The ''How to...'' series
Jack Kinney
John Ryan Kinney (March 29, 1909 – February 9, 1992)Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 was an American animator, director and producer of animated shorts. Kinney is the older brother of fellow Disney animator Dick Kinney.
Early life
Jack Kinney was born ...
would take over the Goofy cartoons with the second short ''
Goofy's Glider'' (1940).
[ Kinney's Goofy cartoons would feature zany, fast-paced action and gags similar to those being made at ]Warner Bros
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
and MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
, and possibly influenced by Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. His mo ...
.[ Kinney found Goofy to be "a nice long, lean character that you could move; you could get poses out of him, crazy poses". A sports fan, he would place Goofy in ''How to...'' themed shorts in which Goofy would demonstrate, poorly, how to perform certain sports.]
''How to Ride a Horse'', a segment in the 1941 film '' The Reluctant Dragon'', would establish the tone and style of future shorts like ''The Art of Skiing
''The Art of Skiing'' is a Goofy cartoon made by Walt Disney Productions in 1941. It has historical significance as the first cartoon to use the now-famous Goofy holler, as well as the short that led to the "How to..." series, beginning with '' ...
'' (1941), ''How to Fish
''How to Fish'' is an animated short produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released on December 9, 1942. It stars Goofy and was directed by Jack Kinney
John Ryan Kinney (March 29, 1909 – February 9, 1992)Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 was ...
'' (1942), '' How to Swim'' (1942) and '' How to Play Golf'' (1944). Cartoon shorts like ''How to Play Baseball
''How to Play Baseball'' is a cartoon produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures in September 1942, featuring Goofy. The short was produced at the request of Samuel Goldwyn and first shown to accompany the 1942 featur ...
'' (1942), ''How to Play Football
''How to Play Football'' is an animated comedy short film by Disney starring Goofy, released on September 15, 1944. The short was directed by Jack Kinney. The seven and a half minute film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short ...
'' (1944) and ''Hockey Homicide
''Hockey Homicide'' is a cartoon made by Walt Disney Productions in 1945, featuring Goofy.
Plot
Narrator Doodles Weaver explains the rules of ice hockey in satirical format. The narration's emphasis on good sportsmanship is countered by the v ...
'' (1945) would feature Goofy not as a single character but multiple characters playing the opposing teams. Animation historian Paul Wells considers ''Hockey Homicide'' to be the "peak" of the sports cartoons. Some of the later sports-theme cartoons, like ''Double Dribble
In basketball, an illegal dribble (colloquially called a double dribble or dribbling violation) occurs when a player ends their dribble by catching or causing the ball to come to rest in one or both hands and then dribbles it again with one hand ...
'' (1946) and ''They're Off'' (1948) would be directed by Jack Hannah
John Frederick Hannah (January 5, 1913 – June 11, 1994) was an American animator, writer and director of animated shorts.
Biography
Hannah was born on January 5, 1913, in Nogales, Arizona. He moved to Los Angeles in 1931 to study at the Art ...
.
Pinto Colvig had a falling out with Disney in 1937 and left the studio, leaving Goofy without a voice. Kinney recalls "so we had to use whatever was in the library; you know, his laugh and all those things. But he did have a hell of a library, of different lines of dialogue".[ In addition, the studio had voice artist Danny Webb record new dialog.] Kinney also paired Goofy with a narrator voiced by John McLeish: "He had this deep voice, just a great voice, and he loved to recite Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
. So I suggested, my God, we'll get McLeish for a narrator, and don't tell him that he's not doing it straight. Just let him play it".[ Colvig returned to Disney in 1941 and resumed the voice until 1967.]
The ''Everyman'' years
Disney had started casting Goofy as a suburban everyman
The everyman is a stock character of fiction. An ordinary and humble character, the everyman is generally a protagonist whose benign conduct fosters the audience's identification with them.
Origin
The term ''everyman'' was used as early as ...
in the late 1940s. And with this role came changes in depiction. Goofy's facial stubble and his protruding teeth were removed to give him a more refined look. His clothing changed from a casual style to wearing business suits
A suit, lounge suit, or business suit is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt suit is similar, but with a matching skirt instead of tr ...
. He began to look more human and less dog-like, with his ears hidden in his hat. By 1951, Goofy was portrayed as being married and having a son of his own. Neither the wife nor the son was portrayed as dog-like. The wife's face was never seen, but her form was human. The son lacked Goofy's dog-like ears. One notable short made during this era is ''Motor Mania
''Motor Mania'' is a cartoon released by Walt Disney Productions on June 30, 1950. In this madcap motoring animation, Goofy (during his "Everyman" period) transforms into a Mr. Hyde-type split personality, when he gets behind the wheel and pro ...
'' (1950). Kinney disliked making most of these later shorts, stating "...those pictures were disasters, because I didn't fight it hard enough".[ Goofy would also be given a formal name in these cartoons, George Geef.
Christopher P. Lehman connects this depiction of the character to Disney's use of humor and animal characters to reinforce social conformity. He cites as an example '']Aquamania
''Aquamania'' is a 1961 American animated Goofy cartoon produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution on December 20, 1961.
This cartoon was the last from Disney's "Golden Era" which featured Goofy as a solo star, a ...
'' (1961), where everyman Goofy drives to the lake for a boat ride. During a scene depicting a pile-up accident, every car involved has a boat hitched to its rear bumper. Goofy is portrayed as one of the numerous people who had the same idea about how to spend their day. Every contestant in the boat race also looks like Goofy. Lehman does not think that Disney used these aspects of the film to poke fun at conformity. Instead, the studio apparently accepted conformity as a fundamental aspect of the society of the United States
The society of the United States is based on Western culture, and has been developing since long before the United States became a country with its own unique social and cultural characteristics such as dialect, music, arts, social habits, ...
. ''Aquamania'' was released in the 1960s, but largely maintained and prolonged the status quo of the 1950s. The decade had changed but the Disney studio followed the same story formulas for theatrical animated shorts it had followed in the previous decade. And Lehman points that Disney received social approval
Normative social influence is a type of social influence that leads to conformity. It is defined in social psychology as "...the influence of other people that leads us to conform in order to be liked and accepted by them." The power of normative ...
for it. ''Aquamania'' itself received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film
The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year 1 ...
.
Later appearances
After the 1965 educational film ''Goofy's Freeway Troubles'', Goofy was mostly retired except for cameos because of the cartoons' fading popularity and the death of voice actor Pinto Colvig
Vance DeBar Colvig Sr. (September 11, 1892 – October 3, 1967), professionally Pinto Colvig, was an American voice actor, newspaper cartoonist, and circus and vaudeville performer whose schtick was playing the clarinet off-key while mugging. C ...
. Goofy had an act in the 1969 tour show ''Disney on Parade
Disney on Parade was a daytime parade of the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It was debuted on rehearsal days throughout June 2005, before the grand opening of Hong Kong Disneyland on September 12, 200 ...
'' with costar Herbie the Love Bug. His profile began to rise again after his appearance in ''Mickey's Christmas Carol
''Mickey's Christmas Carol'' is a 1983 American animated family comedy-drama featurette directed and produced by Burny Mattinson. The cartoon is an adaptation of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'', and stars Scrooge McDuck as ...
'' as the ghost of Jacob Marley. After that, he appeared in ''Sport Goofy in Soccermania
''Sport Goofy in Soccermania'' is an animated television special produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation for The Walt Disney Company. It originally aired May 27, 1987, on NBC. During its television debut it was preceded by a mockumentary showin ...
'', a 1987 television special. He made a brief appearance in Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
/Amblin
Amblin Entertainment, Inc., formerly named Amblin Productions and Steven Spielberg Productions, is an American film production company founded by director and producer Steven Spielberg, and film producers Kathleen Kennedy (producer), Kathlee ...
's Academy Award-winning film ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit
''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American live-action/animated comedy mystery film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Frank Marshall and Robert Watts, and loosely adapted by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman from Gary K. Wolf's 19 ...
'', in which the titular character, Roger Rabbit
Roger Rabbit is an animated anthropomorphic rabbit. The character first appeared in author Gary K. Wolf's 1981 novel, ''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' In the book, Roger is second banana in a popular comic strip, "Baby Herman". Roger hires private ...
, says of Goofy: "Nobody takes a wallop like Goofy! What timing! What finesse! What a genius!". He later appears at the end of the film with the other characters.
In the 1990s, Goofy got his own TV series called ''Goof Troop
''Goof Troop'' is an American animated sitcom television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series focuses on the relationship between single father Goofy and his son, Max, as well as their neighbors Pete and his family. ...
''. In the show, Goofy lives with his son Max and his cat Waffles, and they live next door to Pete
Pete or Petes or ''variation'', may refer to:
People
* Pete (given name)
* Pete (nickname)
* Pete (surname)
Fictional characters
* Pete (Disney), a cartoon character in the ''Mickey Mouse'' universe
* Pete the Pup (a.k.a. 'Petey'), a character ...
and his family. ''Goof Troop'' eventually led to Goofy and Max starring in their own movies: ''A Goofy Movie
''A Goofy Movie'' is a 1995 American animated musical comedy-adventure film produced by Disney MovieToons and Walt Disney Television Animation. Directed by Kevin Lima, the film is based on The Disney Afternoon television series '' Goof Tro ...
'' (in 1995) and ''An Extremely Goofy Movie
''An Extremely Goofy Movie'' is a 2000 animated comedy film distributed by Walt Disney Home Video, produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, and directed by Douglas McCarthy. It is a standalone sequel to the 1995 film ''A Goofy Movie'' and the ...
'' (in 2000); as well as starring in their own segments of ''Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas
''Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas'' is a 1999 American Traditional animation, animated Christmas film, Christmas anthology comedy fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation.
The film includes three features: ''Donald Duck: Stuck on ...
'' (in 1999) and '' Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas'' (in 2004). While Goofy is clearly depicted as a single custodial parent in all of these appearances, by the end of ''An Extremely Goofy Movie'' he begins a romance with the character Sylvia Marpole, Max being grown and in college by this point.
In one episode of '' Bonkers'', Goofy has an off-screen cameo whose distinctive laugh is "stolen" by a disgruntled toon. In another episode, both he and Pete cameo as actors who film cartoons at Wackytoon Studios. And in a third episode, Goofy cameos as part of a group of civilians held hostage in a bank robbery.
Goofy returned to his traditional personality in ''Mickey Mouse Works
''Mickey Mouse Works'' (also known as ''Disney's Mickey Mouse Works'' or simply ''Mouse Works'') is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation featuring Mickey Mouse and his friends in a series of animate ...
'' and appeared as a head waiter in ''House of Mouse
''Disney's House of Mouse'' (or simply ''House of Mouse'') is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation that originally aired for three seasons on ABC and Toon Disney from January 13, 2001, to its final ...
'' (2001 to 2004). Goofy's son Max also appeared in ''House of Mouse'' as the nightclub's valet, so that Goofy juggled not only his conventional antics but also the father-role displayed in ''Goof Troop'' and its aforementioned related media. In both ''Mickey Mouse Works'' and ''House of Mouse'', Goofy also seemed to have a crush on Clarabelle Cow, as he asks her on a date in the ''House of Mouse'' episode "Super Goof" and is stalked by the bovine in the Mickey Mouse Works
''Mickey Mouse Works'' (also known as ''Disney's Mickey Mouse Works'' or simply ''Mouse Works'') is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation featuring Mickey Mouse and his friends in a series of animate ...
cartoon "How To Be a Spy". Though Clarabelle was noted as Horace Horsecollar
Horace Horsecollar is a cartoon character created in 1928 at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Horace is a tall anthropomorphic black horse and is one of Mickey Mouse's best friends. Characterized as a boastful show-off, Horace served as Mickey’s s ...
's fiancé in early decades, comics from the 1960s and 1970s and in later cartoons like the aforementioned ''House of Mouse'' and ''Mickey Mouse Works'', as well as '' Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers'', imply some mutual affections between Goofy and Clarabelle; perhaps as an attempt for Disney to give Goofy a more mainstream girlfriend to match his two male co-stars.
On Disney's Toontown Online, an interactive website for kids, Goofy previously ran his own neighborhood called Goofy Speedway until the close of Toontown. Goofy Speedway was a place where players could race cars and enter the Grand Prix. Tickets were exclusively spent on everything there, instead of the usual jellybean currency. The Grand Prix only came on "Grand Prix Monday" and "Silly Saturday". Goofy's Gag Shop was also found in almost every part of Toontown' except Cog HQs, Goofy Speedway, or Chip & Dale's Acorn Acres. At Goofy's Gag Shop, Toons could buy gags.
Goofy also appears in the children's television series
Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television show, television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during ...
, ''Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
''Mickey Mouse Clubhouse'' is an American interactive computer-animated children's television series which aired from May 5, 2006, to November 6, 2016 on the Disney Channel. Produced by Disney Television Animation, it is the first computer-a ...
'', with his trademark attire and personality. Goofy appeared in ''The Lion King 1½
''The Lion King 1½'' (also known as ''The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata'', or ''The Lion King III: Hakuna Matata'') is a 2004 American animated direct-to-video musical comedy film produced by the Australian branch of Disneytoon Studios and release ...
''. Goofy starred in a new theatrical cartoon short called ''How to Hook Up Your Home Theater
''How to Hook Up Your Home Theater'' is a 2007 American animation, animated comedy film, comedy short film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, directed by Kevin Deters, and co-directed by Stevie Wermers-Skelton. It was the first theatrica ...
'', that premiered at the Ottawa International Animation Festival
The Ottawa International Animation Festival is an annual animated film and media festival that takes place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The OIAF was founded in 1975, with the first festival held from August 10 to 15 in 1976. Initially organized by ...
. The short received a positive review from animation historian Jerry Beck
Jerry Beck (born February 9, 1955, in New York City) is an American animation historian, author, blogger, and video producer.
Beck wrote or edited several books on classic American animation and classic characters, including '' The 50 Greates ...
and then had a wide release on December 21, 2007, in front of '' National Treasure: Book of Secrets'' and has aired on several occasions on the Disney Channel.
In 2011, Goofy appeared in a promotional webtoon advertising Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line is a cruise line operation that is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The company was incorporated in 1996 as Magical Cruise Company Limited, through the first vessel, ''Disney Magic'' and is domiciled in London, Englan ...
. He is also a main character on ''Mickey and the Roadster Racers
''Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures'' is an American CGI-animated preschool television series that was broadcast on Disney Junior. Produced by Disney Television Animation, the series is the successor to ''Mickey Mouse Clubhouse''. Originally ...
''. He has also appeared in the third season of the 2017 ''DuckTales
''DuckTales'' is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation. The original cartoon series premiered on syndication and on Disney Channel on September 18, 1987 and ran for a total of 100 episodes over four sea ...
'' TV series; based on his ''Goof Troop'' incarnation. Guest starring in the episode, "Quack Pack", Goofy appears as the Duck family's wacky neighbor after Donald accidentally wished them into a '90s sitcom. Donald hires him to be the photographer for a family photo, but after the Ducks realize what Donald did, Goofy helps him understand that "normal" does not necessarily mean the same thing between families; using the relationship he has with his son Max as an example.
In 2021, it was announced that Goofy would star in a new series of "How to..." shorts entitled '' How to Stay at Home'' in a reflection of the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. Animator Eric Goldberg (the Genie from '' Aladdin'') will serve as director of the shorts as well as supervising animator on one of them, while Mark Henn
Mark Alan Henn (born April 6, 1958) is an American animator and film director. His contributions to animation have included several Walt Disney Animation Studios leading or title characters, most notably heroines. His work includes Ariel in '' T ...
( Belle and Princess Jasmine
Princess Jasmine is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' 31st animated feature film ''Aladdin'' (1992). Voiced by American actress Linda Larkin with a singing voice provided by Filipina singer Lea Salonga Jasmine is the s ...
) and Randy Haycock (Naveen in ''The Princess and the Frog
''The Princess and the Frog'' is a 2009 American animated musical fantasy romantic comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 49th Disney animated feature film, it is loosely based on the ...
'') will serve as supervising animators for other shorts. Once again, Farmer will voice the Goof with Corey Burton narrating. Among the announced shorts include "How to Wear a Mask", "Learning to Cook", and "Binge Watching". The shorts were released on Disney+
Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...
on August 11, 2021.
Filmography
Solo short films
# ''Goofy and Wilbur
''Goofy and Wilbur'' is a 1939 animated cartoon short produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures on March 17, 1939. Although the cartoon is billed as a '' Mickey Mouse'' cartoon (as said on the theatrical poster), it wa ...
'' (1939)
# '' Goofy's Glider'' (1940)
# ''Baggage Buster'' (1941)
# ''The Art of Skiing
''The Art of Skiing'' is a Goofy cartoon made by Walt Disney Productions in 1941. It has historical significance as the first cartoon to use the now-famous Goofy holler, as well as the short that led to the "How to..." series, beginning with '' ...
'' (1941)
# '' The Art of Self Defense'' (1941)
# ''How to Play Baseball
''How to Play Baseball'' is a cartoon produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures in September 1942, featuring Goofy. The short was produced at the request of Samuel Goldwyn and first shown to accompany the 1942 featur ...
'' (1942)
# '' The Olympic Champ'' (1942)
# '' How to Swim'' (1942)
# ''How to Fish
''How to Fish'' is an animated short produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released on December 9, 1942. It stars Goofy and was directed by Jack Kinney
John Ryan Kinney (March 29, 1909 – February 9, 1992)Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 was ...
'' (1942)
# ''El Gaucho Goofy'' (1943, originally part of '' Saludos Amigos'', 1942)
# ''Victory Vehicles'' (1943)
# ''How to Be a Sailor'' (1944)
# '' How to Play Golf'' (1944)
# ''How to Play Football
''How to Play Football'' is an animated comedy short film by Disney starring Goofy, released on September 15, 1944. The short was directed by Jack Kinney. The seven and a half minute film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short ...
'' (1944)
# ''Tiger Trouble'' (1945)
# ''African Diary'' (1945)
# ''Californy er Bust'' (1945)
# ''Hockey Homicide
''Hockey Homicide'' is a cartoon made by Walt Disney Productions in 1945, featuring Goofy.
Plot
Narrator Doodles Weaver explains the rules of ice hockey in satirical format. The narration's emphasis on good sportsmanship is countered by the v ...
'' (1945)
# ''A Knight for a Day
''A Knight for a Day'' is a 1946 Disney short film starring Goofy, which is loosely based on the novel ''A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court''. Directed by Jack Hannah, this 7-minute animated comedy short was scripted by Bill Peet. While ...
'' (1946)
# ''Double Dribble
In basketball, an illegal dribble (colloquially called a double dribble or dribbling violation) occurs when a player ends their dribble by catching or causing the ball to come to rest in one or both hands and then dribbles it again with one hand ...
'' (1946)
# ''Foul Hunting'' (1947)
# ''They're Off'' (1948)
# ''The Big Wash'' (1948)
# ''Goofy Gymnastics
''Goofy Gymnastics'' is a Goofy cartoon produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures on September 23, 1949.
Plot
Goofy enters home tired after a hard day at work. Exhausted, he suddenly notices an exercise advertisemen ...
'' (1949)
# ''Tennis Racquet'' (1949)
# ''How to Ride a Horse'' (1950, originally part of '' The Reluctant Dragon'', 1941)
# ''Home Made Home'' (1950)
# ''Tomorrow We Diet!'' (1950)
# ''Motor Mania
''Motor Mania'' is a cartoon released by Walt Disney Productions on June 30, 1950. In this madcap motoring animation, Goofy (during his "Everyman" period) transforms into a Mr. Hyde-type split personality, when he gets behind the wheel and pro ...
'' (1950)
# '' Hold That Pose'' (1950)
# '' Lion Down'' (1951)
# ''Cold War'' (1951)
# ''Get Rich Quick'' (1951)
# ''Fathers Are People'' (1951)
# ''Teachers Are People'' (1951)
# '' No Smoking'' (1951)
# ''Father's Lion
''Father's Lion'' is an animated short film in the ''Goofy'' series, produced in Technicolor by Walt Disney Productions and released to theaters on January 4, 1952 by RKO Radio Pictures. The film tells the story of Goofy taking his son camping and ...
'' (1952)
# ''Hello, Aloha'' (1952)
# ''Man's Best Friend'' (1952)
# ''Two Gun Goofy'' (1952)
# '' Two Weeks Vacation'' (1952)
# ''How to Be a Detective'' (1952)
# ''Father's Day Off'' (1953)
# ''For Whom the Bulls Toil''
# ''Father's Week-End'' (1953)
# ''How to Dance'' (1953)
# ''How to Sleep'' (1953)
# ''Aquamania
''Aquamania'' is a 1961 American animated Goofy cartoon produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution on December 20, 1961.
This cartoon was the last from Disney's "Golden Era" which featured Goofy as a solo star, a ...
'' (1961)
# ''Freewayphobia'' (1965)
# ''Goofy's Freeway Troubles'' (1965)
# ''How to Hook Up Your Home Theater
''How to Hook Up Your Home Theater'' is a 2007 American animation, animated comedy film, comedy short film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, directed by Kevin Deters, and co-directed by Stevie Wermers-Skelton. It was the first theatrica ...
'' (2007)
# '' How to Stay at Home'' (2021)
Theatrical Donald and Goofy cartoons
Besides his own solo cartoons and supporting character in Mickey shorts, there were also made some theatrical shorts presented as Donald and Goofy cartoons (even though these cartoons are officially Donald shorts):
# '' Polar Trappers'' (1938)
# '' The Fox Hunt'' (1938)
# ''Billposters'' (1940)
# '' No Sail'' (1945)
# '' Frank Duck Brings 'em Back Alive'' (1946)
# ''Crazy with the Heat
Crazy with the Heat is a 1947 Walt Disney Animation Studios cartoon featuring Donald Duck and Goofy. This was the last Donald & Goofy short film produced.
Plot
The cartoon begins on a hot desert road, and Donald and Goofy's car breaks down and ...
'' (1947)
Feature films
# '' A Goofy Movie
''A Goofy Movie'' is a 1995 American animated musical comedy-adventure film produced by Disney MovieToons and Walt Disney Television Animation. Directed by Kevin Lima, the film is based on The Disney Afternoon television series '' Goof Tro ...
'' (1995)
# '' An Extremely Goofy Movie
''An Extremely Goofy Movie'' is a 2000 animated comedy film distributed by Walt Disney Home Video, produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, and directed by Douglas McCarthy. It is a standalone sequel to the 1995 film ''A Goofy Movie'' and the ...
'' (2000)
Movie cameos
# '' The Falcon Strikes Back'' (1943) (as a puppet)
# ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit
''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American live-action/animated comedy mystery film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Frank Marshall and Robert Watts, and loosely adapted by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman from Gary K. Wolf's 19 ...
'' (1988) – Oscar winner
# ''The Little Mermaid
"The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a ...
'' (1989) – Oscar winner
# '' Aladdin'' (1992) – Oscar winner
# '' Flubber'' (1997)
# ''The Lion King 1½
''The Lion King 1½'' (also known as ''The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata'', or ''The Lion King III: Hakuna Matata'') is a 2004 American animated direct-to-video musical comedy film produced by the Australian branch of Disneytoon Studios and release ...
'' (2004)
# ''Saving Mr. Banks
''Saving Mr. Banks'' is a 2013 biographical drama film directed by John Lee Hancock from a screenplay written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith. Centered on the development of the 1964 film ''Mary Poppins'', the film stars Emma Thompson as author ...
'' (2013)
TV specials
* ''Goofy's Success Story'' (1955)
* ''Goofy's Sports Story'' (1957)
* ''A Disney Halloween'' (1983)
* ''Disneyland 30th Anniversary TV Special'' (1985)
* ''A Very Merry Christmas Parade'' (1989)
* ''Disney's Celebrate The Spirit'' (1992)
* ''The Wonderful World Of Disney: 40 Years Of Magic'' (1994)
* ''Disneyland 40th Anniversary TV Special'' (1995)
* ''Disneyland 50th Anniversary TV Special'' (2005)
* ''Disneyland 60th Anniversary TV Special'' (2015)
* '' Mickey's Tale of Two Witches'' (2021)
* ''Mickey and Minnie Wish Upon a Christmas
''Mickey and Minnie Wish Upon a Christmas'' is a musical Christmas television special that premiered on December 2, 2021 on Disney Junior at 7:00 pm.
It is the second spinoff special of '' Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures'', though it isn't offi ...
'' (2021)
Comics
Comic strips first called the character Dippy Dawg, but his name changed to Goofy by 1936. In the early years, the other members of Mickey Mouse's gang considered him a meddler and a pest but eventually warmed up to him.
The ''Mickey Mouse'' comic strip drawn by Floyd Gottfredson
Arthur Floyd Gottfredson (May 5, 1905July 22, 1986) was an American cartoonist best known for his defining work on the ''Mickey Mouse'' comic strip, which he worked on from 1930 until his retirement in 1975. His contribution to Mickey Mouse comi ...
was generally based on what was going on in the Mickey Mouse shorts at the time, but when Donald Duck's popularity led to Donald Duck gaining Donald Duck (comic strip), his own newspaper strip, Disney decided that he was no longer allowed to appear in Gottfredson's strips. Accordingly, Goofy remained alone as Mickey's sidekick, replacing Horace Horsecollar
Horace Horsecollar is a cartoon character created in 1928 at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Horace is a tall anthropomorphic black horse and is one of Mickey Mouse's best friends. Characterized as a boastful show-off, Horace served as Mickey’s s ...
as Mickey's fellow adventurer and companion. Similarly in comics, the Mickey Mouse world with Goofy as Mickey's sidekick was usually very separate from the Donald Duck world and crossovers were rare.
Goofy also has a characteristic habit of holding his hand in front of his mouth, a trademark that was introduced by Paul Murry.
A character called "Glory-Bee" was Goofy's girlfriend for some years.
In 1990, when Disney was publishing Disney Comics (publishing), their own comics, Goofy starred in ''Goofy Adventures'', that featured him starring in various parodies. Unfortunately, perhaps because of poor sales, ''Goofy Adventures'' was the first of the company's titles to be canceled by the Disney Comics Implosion, ending at its 17th issue.
Super Goof
Super Goof is Goofy's superhero alter ego who gets his powers by eating super goobers (peanuts). Goofy became the first Disney character to also be a superhero, but several would follow, including Donald Duck as Paperinik.
The initial concept was developed by Disney Publications Dept. head George Sherman (comics), George Sherman and Disney United Kingdom merchandising representative Peter Woods. It was passed on to Western Publishing scripter Del Connell who refined it, including the eventual device of peanuts providing superpowers.
The initial version of Super Goof appeared in "The Phantom Blot meets Super Goof", in ''Walt Disney's The Phantom Blot'' No. 2 (Feb. 1965) by Connell (story) and Paul Murry (art). There Goofy mistakenly believes he has developed superpowers.[ A second version appeared as an actual superhero in the four-page story "All's Well That Ends Awful" in ''Donald Duck (American comic book), Donald Duck'' No. 102 (July 1965), also by Connell and Murry.][Super Goof]
at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Archived
from the original on January 1, 2018.
The third and definitive version debuted in "The Thief of Zanzipar" in ''Walt Disney Super Goof'' No. 1 (Oct. 1965), written by Bob Ogle and drawn by Murry, in which the origin of his powers are special peanuts Goofy finds in his backyard. In this story, Super Goof battles the Super Thief, a scientific genius who shrinks world landmarks, and holds them for ransom.
The effect of Super Goof's special peanuts is temporary, so the superpowers wear off after a couple of hours. Many stories use this as a comical effect with the powers wearing off at the most inappropriate time. The peanuts give similar superpowers to whoever eats them, not just Goofy. In some stories, random criminals who have accidentally eaten the peanuts have temporarily become supervillains.
In a Fictional crossover, crossover story, Huey, Dewey and Louie found a super goober plant sprouted by a dropped goober, and "borrowed" Super Goof's powers; after doing a round of super deeds, the ducks' powers faded, and they had to be rescued by the Junior Woodchucks. On occasion, Gilbert uses the super goobers to become a superhero under the name Super Gilbert, beginning with the story "The Twister Resisters" in ''Walt Disney Super Goof'' No. 5.
Gold Key Comics subsequently published the comic-book series ''Walt Disney Super Goof'' for 74 issues through 1984. A handful of stories were scripted by Mark Evanier. Additional Super Goof stories (both original and reprints) appeared in ''Walt Disney Comics Digest''. The Dynabrite comics imprint issued by Western in the late 1970s and ''Disney Comic Album'' No. 8 (1990) from Disney Comics (publishing), Disney Comics contained reprints. Gemstone reprinted a Disney comics#Disney Studio Program, Disney Studio Program story written by Evanier and drawn by Jack Bradbury as a backup in its 2006 release ''Return of the Blotman''.
On Disney's Toontown Online during the Halloween season, Goofy is Super Goof for the occasion. He also appeared in one episode of ''Disney's House of Mouse'' and in two episodes of ''Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
''Mickey Mouse Clubhouse'' is an American interactive computer-animated children's television series which aired from May 5, 2006, to November 6, 2016 on the Disney Channel. Produced by Disney Television Animation, it is the first computer-a ...
''. In the Disney Channel ''Mickey Mouse (2013 TV series), Mickey Mouse'' TV series, Goofy dresses as Super Goof for the half-hour Halloween special.
In video games
''Kingdom Hearts'' series
Goofy is the captain of the royal guard at Disney Castle in the Kingdom Hearts, ''Kingdom Hearts'' video game series. Averse to using actual weapons, Goofy fights with a shield. Following a letter left by the missing king Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Donald, the court magician, meet Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Sora and embark on a quest with him to find the King and Sora's missing friends. In the game series, Goofy still suffers from being the butt of comic relief, but also is the constant voice of optimism and, surprisingly, selectively perceptive, often noticing things others miss and keeping his cool when Sora and Donald lose it. Goofy's loyalty was also tested when Riku wielded the Keyblade thus, following the king's orders, he followed Riku instead. As Riku was about to attack Sora, Goofy used his shield to protect Sora; thus disobeying the king. When Sora, Donald, and Goofy enter the realm known as Timeless River, Goofy states that the world looks familiar; a reference to his cartoons done in the early to mid-1930s. At many times in the'' Kingdom Hearts'' series, Goofy is shown to still be his clumsy self, however, in ''Kingdom Hearts II'', he is very keen to details and has very accurate assumptions of certain things. For example, he was the first to figure out why Organization XIII was after the Beast (Disney character), Beast, and he was the first to see through Mulan (Disney character), Fa Mulan's disguise and discovery that Mulan was actually a woman dressed as a male soldier. There were even several instances where Goofy seemed to have more common sense than Sora and Donald, even saying they should "look before we leap" when Sora and Donald saw Mushu's shadow resembling a dragon, that Sora had mistaken for a Heartless.
Goofy reappears in the prequel, ''Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep'', in a relatively minor role, having accompanied Mickey (along with Donald) to Yen Sid's tower to watch Mickey's Mark of Mastery Exam. Upon realizing that Mickey has been abducted and taken to the Keyblade Graveyard by Master Xehanort in an attempt to lure Ventus out, Goofy and Donald prepare to venture out to rescue Mickey, but as they will obviously be no match for Master Xehanort, Ventus goes alone. Donald and Goofy later care for their King as he recuperates from his injuries.
In other video games
*Goofy was the star of an early platformer, ''Matterhorn Screamer,'' for the Apple II and Commodore 64.
* Goofy appears as the owner (or perhaps simply the cashier) of the "Junk" store in ''Donald Duck's Playground'', developed and published in the 1980s by Sierra On-Line for the Commodore 64, IBM PC, Apple II, Amiga, and Atari ST.
* Goofy also starred in Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Super NES action game ''Goof Troop (video game), Goof Troop'' alongside his son Max and in ''Goofy's Hysterical History Tour'' for the Sega Genesis where he is the head janitor and he must recover the missing pieces of some museum exhibits.
* Goofy appears briefly in ''Quackshot'', a Genesis game that starred Donald Duck. Goofy is located within the ancient ruins in Mexico and gives Donald the red plunger (an upgrade to Donald's plunger gun allows the climbing of walls) and a strange note that solves a puzzle in Egypt later in the game.
* He also was in the Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance game ''Disney's Party'' as one of the playable characters.
* Two games for kids were released: ''Goofy's Fun House'' for the PlayStation and ''Goofy's Railway Express'' for the Commodore 64.
* He also appears 2001 in ''Disney's Extremely Goofy Skateboarding'' for Personal computer, PC.
* Goofy is a playable character in ''Disney TH!NK Fast''.
* Concept art for Goofy was made for his appearance in the 2009 & 2010 Wii game, ''Epic Mickey''. He appears as one of the "buddies" that the Mad Doctor creates for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to replicate the facade of Mickey Mouse's success. A variation of him seems to appear as a minor shopkeeper named Tiki Sam.
* Goofy briefly appears in ''Disney's Magical Quest'' for Super NES, released in 1992.
* As noted above, Goofy appears in Disney's online game ''Toontown Online''.
* Goofy was also a playable character in ''Disney Golf'' for the PS2.
* Goofy is one of the eight playable racers in the GBA game ''Disney Kart: Circuit Tour''.
* Goofy will appear as a playable character in ''Disney Illusion Island''.
Voice actors
Pinto Colvig
Vance DeBar Colvig Sr. (September 11, 1892 – October 3, 1967), professionally Pinto Colvig, was an American voice actor, newspaper cartoonist, and circus and vaudeville performer whose schtick was playing the clarinet off-key while mugging. C ...
voiced Goofy for most of his classic appearances from 1932 (''Mickey's Revue
''Mickey's Revue'' is a 1932 Walt Disney cartoon, directed by Wilfred Jackson, which features Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow performing a song and dance show. The film was delivered to Columbia Pictures on M ...
'') to 1938 (''The Whalers
''The Whalers'' is a cartoon produced by Walt Disney Productions, released by RKO Radio Pictures on August 19, 1938, and featuring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy.
The short was directed by David Hand and Dick Huemer. It featured the vo ...
'') when he had a fallout with Disney and left the company to work on other projects. He was later replaced by Danny Webb from 1939 to 1941.[ However, Colvig returned to Disney and resumed the role in 1944 (''How to Be a Sailor'') until shortly before his death in 1967. One of his last known performances as the character was for the Telephone Pavilion (Expo 67), Telephone Pavilion at Expo 67. Many cartoons featured Goofy silent, recycled dialogue from earlier shorts, or had various different-sounding Goofys instead of the original. Colvig also gave Goofy a normal voice for four George Geef shorts.
Stuart Buchanan voiced Goofy in ''The Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air''. Bob Jackman took Colvig's place when he left the Disney Studios for unknown reasons and voiced Goofy in 1951 for a brief time. Gilbert Mack voiced Goofy in the 1955 Golden Records record, ''Goofy the Toreador''.] Jimmy MacDonald (sound effects artist), Jimmy MacDonald, the voice of Mickey Mouse, voiced Goofy in the 1960s Disney album, ''Donald Duck and his Friends''. Jack Bailey (actor), Jack Bailey also voiced Goofy in several Donald Duck cartoons. Bill Lee (singer), Bill Lee provided the singing voice for Goofy on the 1964 record, ''Children's Riddles and Game Songs.'' Hal Smith (actor), Hal Smith began voicing Goofy in 1967 after Pinto Colvig's death and voiced him until ''Mickey's Christmas Carol
''Mickey's Christmas Carol'' is a 1983 American animated family comedy-drama featurette directed and produced by Burny Mattinson. The cartoon is an adaptation of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'', and stars Scrooge McDuck as ...
'' in 1983. Walker Edmiston voiced Goofy in the Disneyland record album ''An Adaptation of Dickens' Christmas Carol, Performed by The Walt Disney Players'' in 1974. Will Ryan did the voice for ''D-TV, DTV Valentine'' in 1986 and ''Down and Out with Donald Duck'' in 1987. Tony Pope voiced Goofy in the 1979 Disney album, ''Mickey Mouse Disco'' for the song, "Watch out for Goofy". He then voiced him in ''Sport Goofy in Soccermania
''Sport Goofy in Soccermania'' is an animated television special produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation for The Walt Disney Company. It originally aired May 27, 1987, on NBC. During its television debut it was preceded by a mockumentary showin ...
'' in 1987 and ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit
''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American live-action/animated comedy mystery film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Frank Marshall and Robert Watts, and loosely adapted by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman from Gary K. Wolf's 19 ...
'' in 1988.
Aside from those occasions, Bill Farmer has been voicing Goofy since 1987. While Pope was the sole voice credit for Goofy in ''Roger Rabbit'', Farmer actually provided some of Goofy's lines in the movie as well. Farmer closely imitated Colvig for projects like ''The Prince and the Pauper (1990 film), The Prince and the Pauper'' but began putting his own spin on the character in 1992's ''Goof Troop
''Goof Troop'' is an American animated sitcom television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series focuses on the relationship between single father Goofy and his son, Max, as well as their neighbors Pete and his family. ...
''. Farmer also inherited Colvig's other characters, like Pluto (Disney character), Pluto, Sleepy (character), Sleepy, and Practical Pig. Although, in 2001, Jason Marsden (voice actor of Goofy's son Max) provided the voice of Goofy in the DVD storybook adaptation of the 1994 children's storybook ''Me and My Dad'', included as a bonus feature on the DVD release of ''An Extremely Goofy Movie
''An Extremely Goofy Movie'' is a 2000 animated comedy film distributed by Walt Disney Home Video, produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, and directed by Douglas McCarthy. It is a standalone sequel to the 1995 film ''A Goofy Movie'' and the ...
''.
Relatives
Max Goof
Max Goof is Goofy's teenage son. He first appeared in the 1992 television series ''Goof Troop
''Goof Troop'' is an American animated sitcom television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series focuses on the relationship between single father Goofy and his son, Max, as well as their neighbors Pete and his family. ...
'' and stars in both the spin-off film ''A Goofy Movie
''A Goofy Movie'' is a 1995 American animated musical comedy-adventure film produced by Disney MovieToons and Walt Disney Television Animation. Directed by Kevin Lima, the film is based on The Disney Afternoon television series '' Goof Tro ...
'' (1995) and its direct-to-video sequel ''An Extremely Goofy Movie
''An Extremely Goofy Movie'' is a 2000 animated comedy film distributed by Walt Disney Home Video, produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, and directed by Douglas McCarthy. It is a standalone sequel to the 1995 film ''A Goofy Movie'' and the ...
'' (2000). He also features in the direct-to-video ''Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas
''Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas'' is a 1999 American Traditional animation, animated Christmas film, Christmas anthology comedy fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation.
The film includes three features: ''Donald Duck: Stuck on ...
'' (1999), its sequel '' Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas'' (2004), and the 2001 TV series ''House of Mouse
''Disney's House of Mouse'' (or simply ''House of Mouse'') is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation that originally aired for three seasons on ABC and Toon Disney from January 13, 2001, to its final ...
''. Max is a playable character on the Super NES video game ''Goof Troop (video game), Goof Troop'' (1993), the PlayStation 2 video game ''Disney Golf'' (2002), and the Personal computer, PC video game ''Disney's Extremely Goofy Skateboarding'' (2001).
Max is one of the few Disney characters aside from his best friend Pete Junior, P.J. and Huey, Dewey, and Louie, child or otherwise, who has actually aged in subsequent appearances. He was depicted as an eleven-year-old middle school student in ''Goof Troop
''Goof Troop'' is an American animated sitcom television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series focuses on the relationship between single father Goofy and his son, Max, as well as their neighbors Pete and his family. ...
'', then a high school student in ''A Goofy Movie
''A Goofy Movie'' is a 1995 American animated musical comedy-adventure film produced by Disney MovieToons and Walt Disney Television Animation. Directed by Kevin Lima, the film is based on The Disney Afternoon television series '' Goof Tro ...
'', and then a high school graduate teenager starting college in ''An Extremely Goofy Movie
''An Extremely Goofy Movie'' is a 2000 animated comedy film distributed by Walt Disney Home Video, produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, and directed by Douglas McCarthy. It is a standalone sequel to the 1995 film ''A Goofy Movie'' and the ...
''. In ''Disney's House of Mouse'', he is still a teenager but old enough to be employed as a valet parking, parking valet.
Goofy holler
The Goofy holler is a stock sound effect that is used frequently in Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
cartoons and films. It is the cry Goofy makes when falling or being launched into the air, that can be transcribed as "Yaaaaaaa-hoo-hoo-hoo-hooey!" The holler was originally recorded by yodeling, yodeller Hannes Schroll, Hannès Schroll for the 1941 short ''The Art of Skiing
''The Art of Skiing'' is a Goofy cartoon made by Walt Disney Productions in 1941. It has historical significance as the first cartoon to use the now-famous Goofy holler, as well as the short that led to the "How to..." series, beginning with '' ...
''. Some sources claim that Schroll was not paid for the recording. Bill Farmer, the current voice of Goofy, demonstrated the "Goofy Holler" in the Disney Treasures DVD ''The Complete Goofy''. He also does this in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' games.
The holler is also used in films and cartoons in which Goofy does not appear, generally in situations that are particularly "goofy" (examples include ''Cinderella (1950 film), Cinderella'', ''Bedknobs and Broomsticks'', ''Pete's Dragon (1977 film), Pete's Dragon'', ''The Rescuers'', ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film), The Hunchback of Notre Dame'', ''Home on the Range (2004 film), Home on the Range'', ''Enchanted (2007 film), Enchanted'', and ''Moana (2016 film), Moana'').
In a ''Batman: The Animated Series'' episode titled "The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne", the Joker performs the holler when the plane crashes toward a canyon.
The Goofy holler unusually appeared in the Street Fighter (1994 film), Street Fighter movie, where one of M. Bison's troopers performed the holler after he was sent back from an explosion.
In the "Wacky Delly" episode of ''Rocko's Modern Life'', the holler is heard at the end of the haphazardly made cartoon created by Rocko, Heffer Wolfe, and Filburt for Ralph Bighead.
An imitation of the holler is used in a cut-away in the "Dial Meg for Murder" episode of ''Family Guy'' when Goofy is cast into Hell for causing September 11 attacks, 9/11.
In ''Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two'', the cry is referred to as the "Goofy Yell".
See also
* Dogfaces (comics)
References
External links
*
Disney's bio of Goofy
Goofy
on IMDb
Goofy
at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Archived
from the original on August 28, 2016.
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Disney animated characters
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