ok Mickey’s a mouse, Donald’s a duck, Pluto’s a dog, what the heck is Goofy?
originally from an old movie, but recently brought up in my office…Any suggestions
He’s a dog that can walk on two legs and talk, which distinguishes him from Pluto.
Also a dog. Cecil’s column on this can be found here.
Goofy is a much more evolved dog.
So will all Disney dogs eventually evolve into Goofys?
They would if the Disney Universe hadn’t stopped expanding about 50 Earth years ago.
In ancient times, it was thought that by looking at Pluto, other dogs could see how their ancestors must have looked; how they ate, how they walked on all fours, and so on. “And if we look forward,” said the Disney dogs, “at Goofy over there (“Hyuck! Gawrsh!”), we’ll see how we’ll look in the FUTURE!”
But alas, it wasn’t to be. Shortly after making this pontification, those Disney dogs (all very astute scientists, mind you) all died in a freak accident involving Dumbo and a truckload of kamikazes. And after those scientists ceased to be, the Disney Universe suddenly hiccuped, paused, looked around furtively, and stopped expanding. “What’s the use,” it said with a whimper. “I might as well contract now.”
And so it did.
The only thing that remains of the works of those wonderful scientists is Goofy himself, the alleged epitome of canine evolution. He is a mutant, an unexpected freak, an accidental glimpse into a future that might have been but never was or will be.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one:
Mickey appears in Family Court.
Judge: "Now, Mickey, why do you think your wife, Minnie, is crazy?
Mickey: “I didn’t say she was crazy. I said she was f*ing Goofy!”
Here’s a hint: Walt Disney’s original name for Goofy was “Dippy Dawg.”
OK, now that that’s settled, what sort of creature is Grover from Sesame Street???
That’s easy. He’s a monster.
I thought Grover was a muppet?
Well sure. He’s a muppet that’s a monster. Just like Harry Monster is, or even Elmo.
So, what’s Gonzo?
Gonzo was some kind of bird wasn’t he? I have no idea why I think this, but I remember hearing somewhere that he was a… vulture?
As revealed in the latest Muppet Movie (Muppets from Space), Gonzo is, in fact, a space alien. Before that, Gonzo was always described as a “whatever”.
Oversimpified answer:
Pluto is a “dawg”. Goofy is an anthropomorphic character (caraciture?) loosely based on a dog.
I saw one of those t-shirts in Disneyworld once (official, licenced, endorsed product in the middle of the place), the kind whera character is drawn by the character from an earlier era. This Goofy t-shirt was of a modern Goofy successively drawn by earlier Goofy’s, until the original character was a 1920’s era b&w cartoon with a tail and a YOKE.
Goofy is a HORSE.
Or possibly a mule.
That’s too easy. An alien vulture… That I could buy…
Methinks you’re hallucinating. Goofy never wore a yoke in any early film. The character you’re probably thinking of is Horace Horsecollar, a character that appeared initially as a regular horse and was eventually anthropomorphized into Mickey’s friend. The character never caught on, though, and was eventually phased out.
It’s Goofy’s kind of animal, sir!
[sub]Ok, so it’s a bit of a stretch. Can anyone actually tell where it’s from so I don’t look bad?[/sub]