Goofy

Goofy is a fictional character from the Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse universe. He is an anthropomorphic dingo and is one of Mickey Mouse's best friends. Sources including the Goof Troop television show reveal the character's full name to be Goofy Goof, but in A Goofy Movie, it's said to be Goofy Goofey.

A career in animation

Goofy first appeared in Mickey's Revue, first released on May 25, 1932. Directed by Wilfred Jackson this short features Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Horace Horsecollar 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. What would make this short notable was the appearance of a new character, whose behavior served as a running gag. Dippy Dawg, as he was named by Disney artists, was a member of the audience. He constantly irritated his fellow spectators by noisily crunching peanuts and laughing loudly, till two of those fellow spectators knocked him out with their mallets. This early version of Goofy had other differences with the later and more developed one 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. He would serve as Goofy's voice actor until 1965. He was then replaced by (in order) George Johnson, Bob Jackman, Hal Smith, Tony Pope, Will Ryan, and currently, Bill Farmer.

Related Topics:
Mickey's Revue - May 25 - 1932 - Wilfred Jackson - Minnie Mouse - Horace Horsecollar - Clarabelle Cow - Disney - Trousers - Shorts - Undergarment - Pinto Colvig - 1965 - George Johnson - Bob Jackman - Hal Smith - Tony Pope - Will Ryan - Bill Farmer

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A considerably younger Dippy Dawg then appeared in The Whoopee Party, 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. But by his seventh appearance, in The Orphan's Benefit first released on August 11, 1934, he gained the new name "Goofy" and became a regular member of the gang along with new additions Donald Duck and Clara Cluck.

Related Topics:
The Whoopee Party - September 17 - 1932 - 1933 - Cameo - The Orphan's Benefit - August 11 - 1934 - Donald Duck - Clara Cluck

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Mickey's Service Station directed by Ben Sharpsteen, 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, first released on October 15, 1937, and Lonesome Ghosts, first released on December 24, 1937, are usually considered the highlights of this series and animated classics. The later short has the trio as members of the agency "Ajax Ghost Exterminators" or as, often described later, precursors of the Ghostbusters. They are hired by phone to evict a number of ghosts from a haunted house. Unknown to them they were hired by the ghosts themselves, four lonesome ghosts who are bored because nobody has visited the house they are haunting for a long time. They wish to play tricks on the mortals. And they do through a series of inventive gags, but by the end the trio has managed to scare the ghosts out of the house. As Donald observes "You're a fine target, ya big sissies!". But Goofy offers what is considered the short's most memorable quote while warily looking around him: "I'm brave but I'm careful”."

Related Topics:
Mickey's Service Station - Ben Sharpsteen - March 16 - 1935 - Clock Cleaners - October 15 - 1937 - Lonesome Ghosts - December 24 - Ghostbusters - Ghost

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Progressively during the series Mickey's part diminished in favor of Donald and Goofy. The reason for this was simple. Between the easily frustrated Donald 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 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 for an unspecified period of time, to capture live walruses 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, first released in August 19, 1938, but this would be the last short of the 1930s to feature all three characters.

Related Topics:
Polar Trappers - June 17 - 1938 - Arctic - Walrus - Canned - Bean - Penguin - The Whalers - August 19

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Goofy next starred at his first solo cartoon Goofy and Wilbur directed by Dick Huemer, first released in March 17, 1939. The short featured Goofy fishing with the help of Wilbur, his pet grasshopper.

Related Topics:
Goofy and Wilbur - Dick Huemer - March 17 - 1939 - Grasshopper

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In the 1940s Goofy did a series of solo How to... cartoons in which he would demonstrate, clumsily but always determined and never frustrated, how to do everything from snow ski to play football. Goofy had little dialogue in these cartoons, and a narator was used. The Goofy How to... cartoons worked so well they that they became a staple format, and are still used in current Goofy shorts.

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Later, starting with Hockey Homicide (1945), Goofy starred in a series of cartoons where every character in the cartoon was a different version of Goofy. This took Goofy out of the role of just being a clumsy cartoon dog, and into a more complex role of symbolizing the struggles of the common man. The epitome of this staid everyman role for Goofy was in the cartoon No Smoking (1951) where Goofy, in a world of Goofyies, struggles desperately with nicotine addiction. The cartoon, a divergence into an edgier subject (something Disney has always tried to avoid), is now rarely if ever seen due to popular culutres aversion to cigerettes.

Related Topics:
1945 - 1951 - Nicotine

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After the 1961 short Aquamania, Goofy was all but retired except from cameos and a brief appearance in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. In the 1990s Goofy got his own TV series called Goof Troop. In the show Goofy lives with his son Max and his cat Waffles, and they live next door to Pete and his family. Goof Troop eventually led to Goofy starring in his own movies: A Goofy Movie in (1995) and An Extremely Goofy Movie in (2000).

Related Topics:
Aquamania - Who Framed Roger Rabbit - Goof Troop - Max - Pete - A Goofy Movie - 1995 - An Extremely Goofy Movie - 2000

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Goofy reverted back to his traditional personality on Mickey Mouse Works and appeared as head waiter on House of Mouse.

Related Topics:
Mickey Mouse Works - House of Mouse

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Goofy will co-star in the children's television series Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Related Topics:
Children's television series - Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

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