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Goofy
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Goofy is an animated cartoon character from the Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse universe. He is an anthropomorphic dog and is one of Mickey Mouse's best friends. His original concept name was "Dippy Dawg" in cartoon shorts created during the 1930s; then his name was given as "George Geef" or "G.G. Geef" in cartoon shorts during the 1950s, implying that "Goofy" was a nickname. Contemporary sources, including the Goof Troop television show and A Goofy Movie, now give the character's full name to be Goofy Goof.
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Encyclopedia
Goofy is an animated cartoon character from the Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse universe. He is an anthropomorphic dog and is one of Mickey Mouse's best friends. His original concept name was "Dippy Dawg" in cartoon shorts created during the 1930s; then his name was given as "George Geef" or "G.G. Geef" in cartoon shorts during the 1950s, implying that "Goofy" was a nickname. Contemporary sources, including the Goof Troop television show and A Goofy Movie, now give the character's full name to be Goofy Goof. The Goof Troop pilot also refers to 'G. G. Goof' on a diploma, likely a reference to the 1950s name. On the other hand, the comics sometimes refer to him as Goofus D. Dawg. Along with being not extremely intelligent, Goofy's main flaw is, predictably, clumsiness. His birthday is May 25, 1932. Goofy is a V.I.P. member of the Mickey Mouse Club.
Background
In the film A Goofy Movie, a map belonging to "Benjamin Goof" depicts a trip that Goofy took with his father, implying Benjamin as the name of Goofy's paternal parent. In the television series Goof Troop, Goofy claims he was born in California as the first-born Goof in America.
Goofy's wife has appeared - but always with her face unseen - in some earlier short cartoons depicting the character as a "family man", but his modern appearances portray Goofy as a widower. As a single father raising his son, Max Goof, Goofy's family life contrasts with other major Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, who are always shown only as uncles rather than parental figures. (In comic books, Goofy was regularly featured as having a nephew, Gilbert, but that character has only existed in comics, with no cartoon appearances.) In the European comic books, Goofy has an adventurer cousin called Arizona Goof (original Italian name: Indiana Pipps), who is a spoof of the fictional archaeologist Indiana Jones.
Goofy's catch phrases are "gawrsh!" (which is his usual exclamation of surprise), along with "ah-hyuck!" (a distinctive chuckle), and especially the Goofy holler (see below).
In his 1930s cartoon appearances, Goofy commonly wore a black vest, blue pants, a turtleneck shirt (colored either red or orange), white gloves, extra-long brown shoes, and a very distinctive hat (either blue or green). That has been the character's iconic look ever since, even though it was seldom featured in cartoons after the 1930s.
Concept and creation
During the mid to late 1930s, classes were held at the Disney studios for aspiring animators. Led by more experienced artists, these classes taught the methods, techniques and lowdowns of each character and how they should be approached once and for all. Although many of such lectures were dry and technical, the lecture on the analysis of Goofy as taught by Art Babbitt, who is most regarded at the studio for the creation of the character, (while original concept drawings were by Frank Webb).
was so fairly remarkable that it deserves to be reprinted here in this article in its entirety. Here is exactly what Babbitt said in his own words:
- It is difficult to classify the characteristics of the Goof into columns of the physical and mental because they interweave, reflect and enhance one another. Therefore, it will probably be best to mention everything all at once. Think of the Goof as a composite of an everlasting optimist, a gullible Good Samaritan, a halfwit and a shiftless, good-natured hick. He is loose-jointed and gangly, but not rubbery.
- He can move fast if he has to, but would rather avoid any overexertion, so he takes what seems to be the easiest way. He is a philosopher of the barber shop variety. No matter what happens, he accepts it finally as being for the best or at least amusing. He is willing to help anyone and offers his assistance even when it is not needed and just creates confusion. He very seldom, if ever, reaches an objective or completes what he has started. His brain being rather vapory, it is difficult for him to concentrate on any one subject. Any little distraction can throw him off his train of thought and it is extremely difficult for the Goof to keep to his purpose. Yet the Goof is not the type of halfwit that is to be pitied. He doesn't dribble, drool or shriek.
- He has music in his heart, even though it is the same tune forever and I see him humming to himself while working or thinking. He talks to himself because it is easier for him to know what he is thinking if he hears it first.
- His posture is nil. His back arches the wrong way and his little stomach protrudes. His head, stomach and knees lead his body. His neck is quite long and scrawny. His knees sag and his feet are large and flat. He walks on his heels and his toes turn up. His shoulders are narrow and slope rapidly, giving the upper part of his body a thinness and making his arms seem long and heavy, though actually not drawn that way. His hands are very sensitive and expressive and though his gestures are broad, they should reflect the gentleman.
- Never think of the Goof as a sausage with rubber hose attachments. Though he is very flexible and floppy, his body still has a solidity and weight. The looseness of his arms and legs should be achieved through a succession of breaks in the joints rather than what seems like the waving of so much rope. He is not muscular, yet has the strength and stamina of a very wiry person.
- His clothes are misfits: his trousers are baggy at the knees and the pants legs strive vainly to touch his shoe tops but never do. His pants droop at the seat and stretch tightly across some distance below the crotch. His sweater fits him snugly except for the neck and his vest is much too small. His hat is of a soft material and animates a little bit.
- The Goof's head can be thought of in terms of a caricature of a person with a pointed dome; large, dreamy eyes, buck teeth and a weak chin, a large mouth, a thick lower lip, a fat tongue and a bulbous nose that grows larger on its way out and turns up. His eyes should remain partly closed to help give him a stupid sleepy appearance, as though he were constantly straining to remain awake. But, of course, they can open wide for expressions or accents. He blinks quite a bit.
- He is very bashful. Yet when something stupid has befallen him, he mugs the camera like an amateur actor with relatives in the audience, trying to cover up his embarrassment by making faces and signaling to them. He is in close contact with sprites, goblins, fairies and other such fantasia. Each object or piece of mechanism, which to us is lifeless, has a soul and personality in the mind of the Goof.
- The improbable becomes real where the Goof is concerned. He has marvelous muscular control of his fanny. He can do numerous little flourishes with it and his fanny should be used whenever there is an opportunity to emphasize a funny position.
- Well, this little analysis has covered the Goof from top to toes, and having come to his end, I end.
He is funny to all children and is still alive in our hearts.
Appearances
Early years
Goofy first appeared in Mickey's Revue, first released on May 25, 1932. Directed by Wilfred Jackson this short movie 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. 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 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 (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. 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 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.
Trio years with Mickey and Donald
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.
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.
Breakoff into solo series
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.
In 1939, Colvig had a fallout with Disney and left the studio, leaving Goofy without a voice. According to Leonard Maltin this is what caused the How to... cartoons of the 1940s in which Goofy had little dialogue, and a narrator (often John McLeish) was used (they would also reuse Colvig's voice in recording or hire a voice actor to imitate it). In the cartoons Goofy would demonstrate, clumsily but always determined and never frustrated, how to do everything from snow ski, to sleeping, to football, to riding a horse. The Goofy How to... cartoons worked so well they that they became a staple format, and are still used in current Goofy shorts.
Later, starting with How to Play Baseball (1942), Goofy starred in a series of cartoons where every single 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 an Everyman figure. Colvig returned to Disney in 1944 and resumed the voice of Goofy. Much of the Goofy cartoons were directed by Jack Kinney.
The Everyman years
The 1950s saw Goofy transformed into a family man going through the trials of everyday life, such as dieting, giving up smoking, and the problems of raising children. Walt Disney himself came up with this idea, hoping it would put personality back into the character which he felt was lost when Goofy was merely a crowd of extras. Interestingly, Goofy is never referred to as "Goofy" during this period. While every cartoon continued with the opening, "Walt Disney presents Goofy", before each cartoon's title, he was usually called "George Geef" in the cartoons' dialogue. When the stories featured Goofy as multiple characters, then he had numerous other names as well. In addition, the 50's Goofy shorts gave Goofy a makeover. He was more intelligent, had smaller eyes with eyebrows, had flesh-colored skin instead of white, and sometimes had a normal voice. He even lacked his droopy ears, the external pair of teeth and white gloves in some shorts.
Later appearances
After the 1965 educational film Goofy's Freeway Troubles, Goofy was all but retired except for cameos, and a brief appearance in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, as well as in Sport Goofy in Soccermania which was originally intended to be released theatrically in 1984, but was aired as a 1987 TV special instead. With Colvig dead, Goofy was then voiced with different voice actors until Bill Farmer became the official voice. 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).
Goofy reverted back to his traditional personality on Mickey Mouse Works and appeared as head waiter on House of Mouse (2001 to 2004). Goofy's son Max Goof 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 A Goofy Movie. 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 being stalked by the bovine in the Mickey Mouse Works cartoon "How To Be a Spy." Clarabelle has been noted as Horace Horsecollar's fiance in early decades, but according to comics from the 1960s and 1970's and more recent cartoons like "House of Mouse," "Mouseworks," and Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers, Goofy and Clarabelle seem to have affections for one another; perhaps as an attempt for Disney to give Goofy a girlfriend to match his two male co-stars.
Goofy also appears in the children's television series Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with his trademark attire and personality.
Goofy appeared in The Lion King 1―.
Recently, Goofy starred in a new theatrical cartoon short called How to Hook Up Your Home Theater, which premiered at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. The short received a positive review from animation historian Jerry Beck and then had wide release on December 21, 2007 in front of National Treasure: Book of Secrets.
List of Goofy theatrical short films
1930s
1940s
1950s
- 26. How to Ride A Horse (1950) (originally edited to The Reluctant Dragon (1941))
- 27. Motor Mania (1950)
- 28. Hold That Pose (1950)
- 29. Lion Down (1951)
- 30. Home Made Home (1951)
- 31. Cold War (1951)
- 32. Tomorrow We Diet! (1951)
- 33. Get Rich Quick (1951)
- 34. Fathers Are People (1951)
- 35. No Smoking (1951)
- 36. Fatherīs Lion (1951)
- 37. Hello Aloha (1951)
- 38. Manīs Best Friend (1951)
- 39. Two Gun Goofy (1952)
- 40. Teachers Are People (1952)
- 41. Two Weeks Vacation (1952)
- 42. How To Be A Detective (1953)
- 43. Father's Day Off (1953)
- 44. For Whom The Bullīs Toil (1953)
- 45. Fatherīs Week End (1953)
- 46. How To Dance (1953)
- 47. How To Sleep (1953)
1960s
- 48. Aquamania (1961)
- 49. Freewayphobia #1 (1965)
- 50. Goofy's Freeway Troubles (1965)
2000s
List of theatrical Donald & 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 (1947)
In comics
Comic strips first called the character Dippy Dawg but eventually 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 comic strips drawn by Floyd Gottfredson for Disney were 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 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 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.
In the comics Goofy also had a secret identity known as Super Goof, who appeared again later in one episode of Disney's House of Mouse, when a space ray reaches his peanuts, giving him super-powers.
A character called was Goofy's girlfriend for some years.
In 1990, when Disney was publishing their own comics, Goofy starred in Goofy Adventures, which featured him starring in various parodies. Unfortunately, perhaps because of poor sales, Goofy Adventures was the first of the company's titles to be cancelled by the Disney Comics Implosion, ending at its 17th issue. Oddly enough, Goofy Adventures was the only one of the cancelled titles to declare its cancellation right there; the other unfortunate titles ended abruptly with no immediate announcement of their cancellation.
In video games
In the Kingdom Hearts series
Goofy is captain of the royal guard at Disney Castle in the Kingdom Hearts video game series. Averse to using actual weapons, Goofy fights with a shield. This job doesn't involve much, since the castle is usually a peaceful place, until King Mickey Mouse, husband of Queen Minnie Mouse, disappears. Following a letter the King left, he and Donald (the court magician) meet 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. When Sora, Donald, and Goofy enter the realm known as Timeless River, Goofy states that the world is kinda familiar; a reference to his cartoons done in the early to mid 1930s.
Around the middle of Kingdom Hearts II, Goofy pushes King Mickey out of the way of an oncoming boulder and is hit directly on the head instead, at which point he falls to the ground and lands against a wall, supposedly dead. However, Goofy later catches up to the heroes completely unscathed, and explains that he gets "bonked" on the head all the time, perhaps a reference to many of his cartoons.
In other video games
Goofy was the star of an early platformer, Matterhorn Screamer for the Apple II and Commodore 64.
Goofy also starred in Super Nintendo adventure game Goof Troop alongside his son Max and in Goofy's Hysterical History Tour for the Sega Genesis where he's a head janitor and he must recover the missing pieces of some museum exhibits.
He also was in the Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance game Disney 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 PC.
Goofy is a playable character in Disney TH!NK Fast.
Actor portrayal
Disney has gone through seven voices for Goofy, compared to three for Mickey and only two for Donald.
Confusion concerning Goofy and Pluto
Disney has needed to deal with a certain amount of confusion concerning the fact that the anthropomorphic Goofy, and dog-like Pluto often appear on screen together, yet are the same species. On it's stated that "Goofy was originally created as Dippy Dawg" and "was created as a human character, as opposed to Pluto, who was a pet, so [Goofy] walked upright and had a speaking voice". This problem was humorously illustrated in the movie "Stand By Me" in which one of the boys ponders, "Mickey's a mouse, Donald's a duck, and Pluto's a dog. What's Goofy?"
Goofy holler
The Goofy holler is a stock sound effect that is used frequently in Disney cartoons and films. It is the cry Goofy makes when falling or being launched into the air, which could be transcribed as "yaaaaaaa-hoo-hoo-hoo-hooey!!" The holler was originally recorded by yodeller Hannčs Schrolle for the 1941 short The Art of Skiing. Some sources claim that Schrolle 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 has a saying that has also stuck with the crowd, "Gawrsh".
Applications
The sound effect often occurs when Goofy experiences an injury, for example, as in the scene when Goofy's car explodes in A Goofy Movie, or when he faces danger, as in the scene in Frank Duck Brings 'em Back Alive when a lion catches Donald Duck and Goofy. The most recent usage of the sound effect is in the 2007 short How To Hook Up Your Home Theater heard as Goofy triggers his universal remote.
The sound effect is also used in films that do not contain the Goofy character, such as in the film Cinderella, when both the King and the Grand Duke fall from a chandelier. In some films, creatures other than Goofy make the sound, as in the film Cold Turkey, in which a chipmunk makes the holler, or Hooked Bear, in which Humphrey the Bear makes the sound as he falls from a helicopter. Other examples of the holler used by non-Goofy characters include the scene in The Rescuers when Orville is run over by a swamp-mobile, in Pete's Dragon when Doc Terminus inadvertently launches himself into the air via a harpoon gun, and a gurgling version of it when Smee accidentally hit Hook on the head with his rowboat oar in Peter Pan.
Donald Duck also gets his turn in the 1948 short subject Three for Breakfast, when he gets pulled over the side of his roof.
The Goofy holler also appears near the end of the 1952 Disney short Lambert the Sheepish Lion when Lambert head-butts the wolf over the ledge. A rendition of the effect is also heard in two Disneyland attractions. The first is on the Alice in Wonderland attraction in Fantasyland as the ride vehicle exits the "Queen of Hearts" scene on its descent back to ground level. The other is on the Tomorrowland attraction, Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters when one of the robots is shot by the rider's laser pistol. A version is also heard in the 2007 film Enchanted when a troll is hit with a tree. It was also used in Disney animated series such as The Emperor's New School where in one episode a foreign exchange student named Ramon gets hit by a wild animal. Tale Spin also used the holler in an episode (The Road to Macadamia) to accompany the screams of Baloo and Louie each time they were forcibly ejected from the castle.
Sometimes the effect would be sped up or slowed down depending on what character it was being applied to. In the 1950 Pluto cartoon Food for Feudin', chipmunk Dale (of Chip 'n Dale) lets out with a sped-up version of the holler when he falls down the inside of a hollow tree trunk.. It has also appeared in at least one film from Disney subsidiary Touchstone (Ernest Goes to Camp).
Rare occurrences when the sound effect is in something non-Disney include the Soviet cartoon Fantadroms, three episodes of Rocko's Modern Life ("Wacky Delly", "Heff in a Handbasket", and "S.W.A.K."), and the only non-animated and non-Disney film to include the sound effect, Street Fighter.
See also
External links
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