#Jiminy Cricket Recycling Icon

[magicaltrash]

Virtual flowers, trees, and trash cans... oh my! New Orleans Square-style trash and recycling cans don this path through the Disney Dreamlight Valley adventure sim game. // Disney Dreamlight Valley, 2023 [Source: cassandracorvid. Used by Permission.]

[khtrinityftw]

Part 11: It All Ended With a Mouse

While the Kingdom Hearts series was conceived as a crossover between Disney and Square, the addition of Final Fantasy characters was a late one and, while welcome, clearly wasn't the main draw. The main draw was being able to play around in the worlds of Disney movies, see which Disney characters get crossed over with one another, and battle Disney villains alongside Disney heroes.

Key word there: WAS. After the KH Trinity, the prominence of Disney became drastically reduced to a genuinely shocking degree. 

In Days, Roxas barely interacts with the Disney characters inhabiting the worlds he goes to, he never has any Disney hero party members to fight alongside, and the only Disney villain he fights is Pete.

In Coded, all of the Disney stuff are pure regurgitated rehashes that are infected with technobabble data nonsense, and in the last chapter it turns out that none of it mattered anyway and was just there to fill time until the KH-original plot took prominence.

In BBS, the only Disney worlds with even minor importance are the worlds of Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, and that importance only comes between awkward re-enactments of the movies' stories with the KH-original heroes shoehorned in. Disney Town is a minigame filler world, and the worlds based on Hercules, Lilo & Stitch and Peter Pan have new stories but they don't really connect with the main one at all and are just there to give the heroes something to do between the midpoint of the game and the climax. There are also no permanent Disney party members in any of the worlds, only occasional guest allies like Prince Philip, Hercules and Experiment 626.

In 3D, all of the Disney worlds are filler that recycle their movies' plots; the only important things to happen all transpire in KH-original locations.

In UX, it's more of the same, with Disney worlds being backdrops for fights and the movies' stories to play out while the actual important plot only happens in Daybreak Town and is solely driven by KH-original characters.

KH3 is the most complicated case, since due to it being such a big release the Disney characters, worlds and elements are given more prominence than they've had in ages and more interaction with the KH-original stuff, but when looking at the world visits only the initial one to the Hercules world has any purpose to the overall story. The rest, regardless of whether they rehash the movie's plot or have new ones, have no in-story reason for Sora, Donald and Goofy to be visiting them, and the things that the Organization members get out of being there are usually incredibly vague and ultimately don't really matter to the climax of the game.

For comparison's sake, every Disney world in the original KH was important to the overarching plot in some way or other, none of the stories in those worlds were direct rip-offs of the movies' but just shared elements with them, and many Disney characters played prominent roles such as Maleficent's alliance of villains and the Princesses of Heart.  Being important to the main plot admittedly meant that some aspects of these worlds and characters went underdeveloped, but that's the main draw of COM: as with all of the world visits being filler rehashes of the first games' with the ties to the main plot removed actually mean that those aspects that went underdeveloped before get to be more fleshed out.

And while KH2 started unfortunate trends by having a third of the world visits rehashing the movies' plots and half of them not connecting to the overarching plot, there were still some obvious exceptions: major advancements in the story transpire in the worlds based upon Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, Hercules, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Tron, not to mention at Disney Castle / Timeless River. Even the filler visits usually had a thematic purpose for existing, there was a clear reason as to why Sora, Donald and Goofy were visiting those worlds, and not having members of the Organization in every world was a wise decision in retrospect because it allows the Disney villains their chance to shine and 3D and KH3 have proven how utterly tiresome it is to be met with a monologuing asshole in a black coat in every single Disney world you play around in.

But even outside of the Disney worlds, the Disney elements in the KH series gradually suffered. The KH-original concepts, characters, and storylines used to be created with Disney in mind, providing the "Final Fantasy game set in the Disney universe" feel that they were supposed to. Keys and keyholes are a long-standing Disney signature, hence how naturally the Keyblade fits in a Disney game. Gummi Ships call the Gummi Bears to mind. The Heartless often feel like something out of Fantasia, Organization XIII share direct parallels with the cursed pirates from Pirates of the Caribbean, and Nobodies are basically like grim grinnin' ghosts from the Haunted Mansion (and hey, DiZ's Twilight Town headquarters is outright called "a haunted mansion"!) And just when you think Matrix-esque datascapes are too weird for Disney, the game goes and reminds you that they made Tron. 

Now, however? It's just plain JRPG nonsense, none of it feels like it connects with Disney and as such is usually kept as far apart from the Disney elements as possible. This means that the KH universe now longer feels like a single, unified world like it did in the KH Trinity: it feels like the world of Disney and the world of Square existing separately within the same game and only occasionally crossing over with one another...usually through the Square elements and characters interacting with the Disney ones, but not vice-versa.

Then we have the Disney characters who used to be important but no longer are. Donald and Goofy barely did anything of significant value between KH2 and KH3, they were just there out of obligation. And while KH3 brought them back into prominence, the ending doesn't make me hopeful that this will continue in the near future. Jiminy Cricket also receded into the background after Coded and until KH3. And Pluto hasn't really done anything since KH2, even though he made a much better partner to Kairi than her former kidnapper!

But the most egregious example would have to be Maleficent and Pete. Maleficent was one of the original game's biggest villains next to Ansem and Riku, and she was resurrected in KH2 and given an arc that promised great things for her in the future, alongside her minion Pete who was that game's most recurring antagonist. And yet they have accomplished absolutely nothing since then! Their time as the main villains of Coded proved to be filler, their one scene in 3D was bizarre and inconsequential, and they literally spend all of KH3 on the sidelines looking for a mystery box and never claiming it. Two of Disney's greatest, most iconic villains - turned into a bad joke.

The ONLY Disney characters who have remained consistently important past the KH Trinity are Mickey Mouse and Yen Sid, the former being considered one of the core group of Keyblade wielders and the latter being the Big Good who assembles all the other heroes to fight Xehanort...basically the Nick Fury of the series.

But they got screwed up too! Yen Sid was turned into an unlikable idiot in with his insistence on Sora and Riku taking an exam that isn't really an exam at all in order to prove themselves worthy of the Keyblade Master mantle despite them having already done so, then flunking Sora for falling into a trap that he didn't see coming either, and then not allowing him to help Riku and Mickey save Aqua until he'd unlocked the Power of Waking...only for Sora to eventually go and save Aqua without that vaguely-defined power anyway!

And poor Mickey ended up looking like the biggest asshole when 0.2 BBS retconned it so that he met Aqua in the Realm of Darkness during the original game's climax, knew she was trapped down there, and then did absolutely nothing and told absolutely no-one until it was convenient for him. Anti-Aqua even drags him for exactly this in KH3, and many players agreed with her! This seems like the exact kind of thing that made Disney not allow Square to use Mickey in a large capacity in the original KH! 

Back during the KH Trinity, there was a man in the production team named Eri Morimoto, and it was said that he was famous in the company for his love of Disney. He even was able to stand up to Nomura and tell him if he was doing something Disney-related wrong. But he never showed up in the credits of any KH game following KH2 because he left Square shortly afterward, and it was all downhill for how Disney elements were handled from there.

At this point, the Kingdom Hearts series is just another Nomura series that just happens to feature Disney in it, and that's not the series I signed up for.

[petsupplyandmore]

Basic Cartoon Debate: Is Goofy a Canine?

Since his creation in 1932, the Disney character Goofy has turn out to be part of our shared cultural heritage. Like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, Goofy has lengthy since transcended his appearances in any particular cartoon, collection or animated movie to turn out to be a world icon. By quite a few minor tweaks and changes over the a long time — variations in costume, voice, character and even household — Goofy’s laughter and important attraction endures after 85 years. One query about him, although, has lasted simply as lengthy: Is Goofy a canine?

Is Goofy a Canine? First, the Fundamentals.

The query of Goofy’s species has bothered people for many years. Images by way of Pixabay.

Is Goofy a canine? The query acquired caught in my thoughts once I noticed it took second place amongst Google’s 12 months in Search as one of many high dog-related queries of 2016. It looks like a wierd query, perhaps even counterintuitive. Within the overwhelming majority of his movie appearances, Goofy’s acquired lengthy, floppy ears and a recognizably canine craniofacial construction.

Even whether it is clearly exaggerated for the needs of comedic anthropomorphism, Goofy is clearly a canine, proper? Maintain on, for those who type of squint your eye, he could possibly be a cow … or a wolf, perhaps! The longer I thought of it, the much less sure I used to be. Is Goofy a canine … actually? Let’s examine his historical past and these perennial factors of competition surrounding the query, “Is Goofy a canine?”

The Goofy household and his relationship life What sort of canine is Goofy?  The Goofy and Pluto quandary

Goofy’s life and occasions

As we begin to reply the query, “Is Goofy a canine?” let’s look at his backstory. The brainchild of Walt Disney home animators Artwork Babbitt and Frank Webb, Goofy’s historical past started a few minute into 1932’s animated quick, Mickey’s Revue. Initially named Dippy Dawg, the character started as an older, bearded bumpkin, whose lack of theatrical etiquette is a supply of humor. Inside two years of his debut, Goofy developed shortly, shedding first the beard, then his unique identify. From 1935 to 1940, Goofy started a run of basic cartoons with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck that might cement his standing.

Within the 1940s, Goofy skilled one other pair of changes. Pinto Colvig, the unique voice actor, deserted the function for a number of years, throughout which period, Goofy went principally silent. He starred in a collection of “Easy methods to” cartoons that includes an omniscient narrator or recycled dialogue. These movies had been meant to have a broad, tutorial enchantment, and his identify modified once more, to “George Geef,” a sort of “John Smith” amongst cartoon animals.

The Goofy and Pluto downside complicates issues. Images by Loren Javier on Flickr.Some modifications might have been made to suit the specs of this web site. Used with Inventive Commons License.

By the 1990s, his identify had settled in as “Goofy G. Goof,” which is not any assist in any respect in figuring out what kind of creature he’s. In hindsight, if the artistic crew at Disney had stored a species designation as a part of his moniker, we would not nonetheless be questioning whether or not he’s a canine in any respect!

Goofy household values

One main supply of discord in terms of the query, “Is Goofy a canine?” — and to defining Goofy’s species — is his inconsistent relationship habits. If you begin giving humorous animals human traits, together with private and romantic lives, this type of confusion is sure to comply with. Within the 1940s movies, for example, he had a spouse and son, who made issues extra complicated by trying nearly totally human themselves.

The 1990s iteration, featured within the “Goof Troop” cartoon and “Goofy Film” collection, had a son, Max Goof, who at the least bore a household resemblance. Throughout a run of comedian books primarily based on standard Disney figures, issues fell into additional confusion for the fan neighborhood when Goofy started relationship a cow. Clarabelle Cow, who predated Goofy in animated movies relationship again to the late 1920s, was a love curiosity for Goofy.

Goofy’s inconsistent romantic life raises additional questions. Images by Jennie Park on Flickr. Some modifications might have been made to suit the specs of this web site. Used with Inventive Commons License.

She would return as a possible romantic associate in Disney cartoons that aired between 1999 to 2003.  For many of her historical past, Clarabelle was linked to Horace Horsecollar. Nonetheless, her on-again, off-again dalliances with Goofy by the years have led many fan conspiracists to take a position whether or not Goofy’s personal heritage may be bovine as properly.

What sort of canine is Goofy?

In pondering, “Is Goofy a canine?” the subsequent query is, “If Goofy is a canine, what sort of canine is Goofy?” Many of the iconic Disney animated characters keep away from this species confusion, both by naming or very distinct bodily options. Flip your thoughts to Mickey Mouse, Scrooge McDuck, or Jiminy Cricket; if the creature that offered the template for every of those wasn’t fully apparent, Disney’s naming practices actually ram it dwelling. The official Disney web site is not any assist, referring to Goofy solely as “he.”

Based on the fan-curated Disney wiki web page, Goofy is a “tall, anthropomorphic canine,” so fandom, at the least, is settled on its canonical interpretation. Past these official and semi-official references, the remaining is left to our hypothesis and theorization. Bodily, the size of Goofy’s ears and muzzle would recommend, alongside together with his physique dimension, the mannequin to be a medium- to large-breed of canine. From a character standpoint, his curiosity and willingness to attempt new issues, alongside together with his clumsiness, level towards a canine within the hound household.

The Goofy and Pluto quandary

One other query that pops up when pondering, “Is Goofy a canine?” … If Goofy is a canine, what about Pluto? If there’s one factor that sticks within the craw of Goofy conspiracy theorists, it’s the confusion that arises at what we would name the Goofy/Pluto nexus. Most websites that dwell on the paradox of Goofy’s breed or species spend quite a lot of time on this. On the crux of the problem, folks level out inconsistencies within the ways in which Goofy and Pluto are handled as characters.

For his personal half, Pluto has no opinion. Images by Ashley on Flickr. Some modifications might have been made to suit the specs of this web site. Used with Inventive Commons License.

If Goofy and Pluto are each speculated to be canine, then why is one an English-speaking biped whereas the opposite barks and walks on all fours? Walt Disney himself offered all of the readability we may ask for in terms of Pluto, having referred explicitly to Pluto as a “bloodhound.” As you would possibly anticipate from any long-running character, this particular breed designation was later retconned as a “mutt” by Mickey Mouse himself in 1941’s Canine Caddy.

Goofy is a speaking animal! Does it matter what form?

One one degree, anthropomorphized cartoon animals are pure want success. If a magic fairy appeared earlier than you, say, Merryweather from Disney’s Sleeping Magnificence (1959), among the many first stuff you’d ask for is that it grant your canine the flexibility to speak. Add in a down-home character and a splash of regional dialect to your canine’s speech patterns, and also you’d immediately be the hit of the neighborhood listserv, if not a viral sensation and talk-show staple. Lengthy-lasting cartoon characters turn out to be life-long pals; sources of enjoyment that you simply expertise by the years and move on to your individual youngsters.

However, 4 rating and 5 years of individuals attempting to pin down Goofy’s species is a bit troubling. You’d suppose a definitive assertion would’ve been issued by this level, or that there’d be a world consensus amongst his adoring followers that might’ve brought on the query to have lengthy pale into obscurity. Why is the enjoyment of getting Goofy, in all of his incarnations and iterations, not sufficient? Why is it so necessary to pin him to a selected binominal nomenclature?

To be trustworthy, I spend lots of time fascinated about cartoons. Images by JD Hancock on Flickr. Some modifications might have been made to suit the specs of this web site. Used with Inventive Commons License.

In spite of everything, cartoons supply us worlds of limitless risk. In animation, animals put on garments, have nuanced relationships, drive vehicles and hatch all method of hare-brained schemes. After they’re very fortunate, additionally they get theme songs that stick in our minds ceaselessly. Within the try and be a latter-day Linnaeus, the drive to categorise and delineate a personality like Goofy can also be an effort to limit and compartmentalize him. So, is Goofy a canine? Who is aware of! Possibly. Let Goofy be Goofy!

Thumbnail: Images by JD Hancock on Flickr. Some modifications might have been made to suit the specs of this web site. Used with Inventive Commons License.

This piece was initially revealed in 2017.

Learn extra canine information on petsupplyandmore.com:

from Pet Supply and More http://petsupplyandmore.com/index.php/2019/02/04/basic-cartoon-debate-is-goofy-a-canine/

[stiles-wtf]

Classic Cartoon Debate: Is Goofy a Dog?

The post Classic Cartoon Debate: Is Goofy a Dog? by Melvin Peña appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Since his creation in 1932, the Disney character Goofy has become a part of our shared cultural heritage. Like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, Goofy has long since transcended his appearances in any specific cartoon, series or animated film to become a global icon. Through numerous minor tweaks and adjustments over the decades — variations in costume, voice, personality and even family — Goofy’s laughter and essential charm endures after 85 years. One question about him, though, has lasted just as long: Is Goofy a dog?

Is Goofy a Dog? First, the Basics.

The question of Goofy’s species has bothered folks for decades. Photography via Pixabay.

Is Goofy a dog? The question got stuck in my mind when I saw it took second place among Google’s Year in Search as one of the top dog-related queries of 2016. It seems like a strange question, maybe even counterintuitive. In the vast majority of his film appearances, Goofy’s got long, floppy ears and a recognizably canine craniofacial structure.

Even if it is clearly exaggerated for the purposes of comedic anthropomorphism, Goofy is clearly a dog, right? Hold on, if you sort of squint your eye, he could be a cow … or a wolf, maybe! The longer I thought about it, the less certain I was. Is Goofy a dog … really? Let’s investigate his history and these perennial points of contention surrounding the question, “Is Goofy a dog?”

The Goofy family and his dating life

What kind of dog is Goofy? 

The Goofy and Pluto quandary

Goofy’s life and times

As we start to answer the question, “Is Goofy a dog?” let’s examine his backstory. The brainchild of Walt Disney house animators Art Babbitt and Frank Webb, Goofy’s history began about a minute into 1932’s animated short, Mickey’s Revue. Originally named Dippy Dawg, the character began as an older, bearded bumpkin, whose lack of theatrical etiquette is a source of humor. Within two years of his debut, Goofy developed quickly, shedding first the beard, then his original name. From 1935 to 1940, Goofy began a run of classic cartoons with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck that would cement his status.

In the 1940s, Goofy experienced another pair of adjustments. Pinto Colvig, the original voice actor, abandoned the role for several years, during which time, Goofy went mostly silent. He starred in a series of “How to” cartoons featuring an omniscient narrator or recycled dialogue. These films were meant to have a broad, instructional appeal, and his name changed again, to “George Geef,” a kind of “John Smith” among cartoon animals.

The Goofy and Pluto problem complicates matters. Photography by Loren Javier on Flickr.Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

By the 1990s, his name had settled in as “Goofy G. Goof,” which is no help at all in determining what sort of creature he is. In hindsight, if the creative team at Disney had kept a species designation as part of his moniker, we might not still be wondering whether he is a dog at all!

Goofy family values

One major source of discord when it comes to the question, “Is Goofy a dog?” — and to defining Goofy’s species — is his inconsistent relationship habits. When you start giving funny animals human characteristics, including personal and romantic lives, this kind of confusion is bound to follow. In the 1940s films, for instance, he had a wife and son, who made things more complex by looking almost entirely human themselves.

The 1990s iteration, featured in the “Goof Troop” cartoon and “Goofy Movie” series, had a son, Max Goof, who at least bore a family resemblance. During a run of comic books based on popular Disney figures, things fell into further confusion for the fan community when Goofy began dating a cow. Clarabelle Cow, who predated Goofy in animated films dating back to the late 1920s, was a love interest for Goofy.

Goofy’s inconsistent romantic life raises further questions. Photography by Jennie Park on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

She would return as a potential romantic partner in Disney cartoons that aired between 1999 to 2003.  For most of her history, Clarabelle was linked to Horace Horsecollar. However, her on-again, off-again dalliances with Goofy through the years have led many fan conspiracists to speculate whether Goofy’s own heritage might be bovine as well.

What kind of dog is Goofy?

In thinking, “Is Goofy a dog?” the next question is, “If Goofy is a dog, what kind of dog is Goofy?” Most of the iconic Disney animated characters avoid this species confusion, either through naming or very distinct physical features. Turn your mind to Mickey Mouse, Scrooge McDuck, or Jiminy Cricket; if the creature that provided the template for each of these wasn’t completely obvious, Disney’s naming practices really ram it home. The official Disney site is no help, referring to Goofy only as “he.”

According to the fan-curated Disney wiki page, Goofy is a “tall, anthropomorphic dog,” so fandom, at least, is settled on its canonical interpretation. Beyond these official and semi-official references, the rest is left to our speculation and theorization. Physically, the length of Goofy’s ears and muzzle would suggest, along with his body size, the model to be a medium- to large-breed of dog. From a personality standpoint, his curiosity and willingness to try new things, along with his clumsiness, point toward a dog in the hound family.

The Goofy and Pluto quandary

Another question that pops up when thinking, “Is Goofy a dog?” … If Goofy is a dog, what about Pluto? If there’s one thing that sticks in the craw of Goofy conspiracy theorists, it’s the confusion that arises at what we might call the Goofy/Pluto nexus. Most sites that dwell on the ambiguity of Goofy’s breed or species spend a great deal of time on this. At the crux of the issue, people point out inconsistencies in the ways that Goofy and Pluto are treated as characters.

For his own part, Pluto has no opinion. Photography by Ashley on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

If Goofy and Pluto are both supposed to be dogs, then why is one an English-speaking biped while the other barks and walks on all fours? Walt Disney himself provided all the clarity we could ask for when it comes to Pluto, having referred explicitly to Pluto as a “bloodhound.” As you might expect from any long-running character, this specific breed designation was later retconned as a “mutt” by Mickey Mouse himself in 1941’s Canine Caddy.

Goofy is a talking animal! Does it matter what kind?

One one level, anthropomorphized cartoon animals are pure wish fulfillment. If a magic fairy appeared before you, say, Merryweather from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty (1959), among the first things you’d ask for is that it grant your dog the ability to talk. Add in a down-home personality and a dash of regional dialect to your dog’s speech patterns, and you’d instantly be the hit of the neighborhood listserv, if not a viral sensation and talk-show staple. Long-lasting cartoon characters become life-long friends; sources of delight that you experience through the years and pass on to your own children.

On the other hand, four score and five years of people trying to pin down Goofy’s species is a little troubling. You’d think a definitive statement would’ve been issued by this point, or that there’d be a global consensus among his adoring fans that would’ve caused the question to have long faded into obscurity. Why is the joy of having Goofy, in all of his incarnations and iterations, not enough? Why is it so important to pin him to a specific binominal nomenclature?

To be honest, I spend a lot of time thinking about cartoons. Photography by JD Hancock on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

After all, cartoons offer us worlds of limitless possibility. In animation, animals wear clothes, have nuanced relationships, drive automobiles and hatch all manner of hare-brained schemes. When they’re very lucky, they also get theme songs that stick in our minds forever. In the attempt to be a latter-day Linnaeus, the drive to classify and delineate a character like Goofy is also an effort to restrict and compartmentalize him. So, is Goofy a dog? Who knows! Maybe. Let Goofy be Goofy!

Thumbnail: Photography by JD Hancock on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

This piece was originally published in 2017.

Read more dog news on Dogster.com:

Dug Up at Dogster: February 2019 Dog Events

Separation Anxiety Study Shows Petting is Beneficial

Reese’s Law Enacted in Florida

The post Classic Cartoon Debate: Is Goofy a Dog? by Melvin Peña appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

[daddyslittlejuliet]

Classic Cartoon Debate: Is Goofy a Dog?

The post Classic Cartoon Debate: Is Goofy a Dog? by Melvin Peña appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Since his creation in 1932, the Disney character Goofy has become a part of our shared cultural heritage. Like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, Goofy has long since transcended his appearances in any specific cartoon, series or animated film to become a global icon. Through numerous minor tweaks and adjustments over the decades — variations in costume, voice, personality and even family — Goofy’s laughter and essential charm endures after 85 years. One question about him, though, has lasted just as long: Is Goofy a dog?

Is Goofy a Dog? First, the Basics.

The question of Goofy’s species has bothered folks for decades. Photography via Pixabay.

Is Goofy a dog? The question got stuck in my mind when I saw it took second place among Google’s Year in Search as one of the top dog-related queries of 2016. It seems like a strange question, maybe even counterintuitive. In the vast majority of his film appearances, Goofy’s got long, floppy ears and a recognizably canine craniofacial structure.

Even if it is clearly exaggerated for the purposes of comedic anthropomorphism, Goofy is clearly a dog, right? Hold on, if you sort of squint your eye, he could be a cow … or a wolf, maybe! The longer I thought about it, the less certain I was. Is Goofy a dog … really? Let’s investigate his history and these perennial points of contention surrounding the question, “Is Goofy a dog?”

The Goofy family and his dating life

What kind of dog is Goofy? 

The Goofy and Pluto quandary

Goofy’s life and times

As we start to answer the question, “Is Goofy a dog?” let’s examine his backstory. The brainchild of Walt Disney house animators Art Babbitt and Frank Webb, Goofy’s history began about a minute into 1932’s animated short, Mickey’s Revue. Originally named Dippy Dawg, the character began as an older, bearded bumpkin, whose lack of theatrical etiquette is a source of humor. Within two years of his debut, Goofy developed quickly, shedding first the beard, then his original name. From 1935 to 1940, Goofy began a run of classic cartoons with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck that would cement his status.

In the 1940s, Goofy experienced another pair of adjustments. Pinto Colvig, the original voice actor, abandoned the role for several years, during which time, Goofy went mostly silent. He starred in a series of “How to” cartoons featuring an omniscient narrator or recycled dialogue. These films were meant to have a broad, instructional appeal, and his name changed again, to “George Geef,” a kind of “John Smith” among cartoon animals.

The Goofy and Pluto problem complicates matters. Photography by Loren Javier on Flickr.Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

By the 1990s, his name had settled in as “Goofy G. Goof,” which is no help at all in determining what sort of creature he is. In hindsight, if the creative team at Disney had kept a species designation as part of his moniker, we might not still be wondering whether he is a dog at all!

Goofy family values

One major source of discord when it comes to the question, “Is Goofy a dog?” — and to defining Goofy’s species — is his inconsistent relationship habits. When you start giving funny animals human characteristics, including personal and romantic lives, this kind of confusion is bound to follow. In the 1940s films, for instance, he had a wife and son, who made things more complex by looking almost entirely human themselves.

The 1990s iteration, featured in the “Goof Troop” cartoon and “Goofy Movie” series, had a son, Max Goof, who at least bore a family resemblance. During a run of comic books based on popular Disney figures, things fell into further confusion for the fan community when Goofy began dating a cow. Clarabelle Cow, who predated Goofy in animated films dating back to the late 1920s, was a love interest for Goofy.

Goofy’s inconsistent romantic life raises further questions. Photography by Jennie Park on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

She would return as a potential romantic partner in Disney cartoons that aired between 1999 to 2003.  For most of her history, Clarabelle was linked to Horace Horsecollar. However, her on-again, off-again dalliances with Goofy through the years have led many fan conspiracists to speculate whether Goofy’s own heritage might be bovine as well.

What kind of dog is Goofy?

In thinking, “Is Goofy a dog?” the next question is, “If Goofy is a dog, what kind of dog is Goofy?” Most of the iconic Disney animated characters avoid this species confusion, either through naming or very distinct physical features. Turn your mind to Mickey Mouse, Scrooge McDuck, or Jiminy Cricket; if the creature that provided the template for each of these wasn’t completely obvious, Disney’s naming practices really ram it home. The official Disney site is no help, referring to Goofy only as “he.”

According to the fan-curated Disney wiki page, Goofy is a “tall, anthropomorphic dog,” so fandom, at least, is settled on its canonical interpretation. Beyond these official and semi-official references, the rest is left to our speculation and theorization. Physically, the length of Goofy’s ears and muzzle would suggest, along with his body size, the model to be a medium- to large-breed of dog. From a personality standpoint, his curiosity and willingness to try new things, along with his clumsiness, point toward a dog in the hound family.

The Goofy and Pluto quandary

Another question that pops up when thinking, “Is Goofy a dog?” … If Goofy is a dog, what about Pluto? If there’s one thing that sticks in the craw of Goofy conspiracy theorists, it’s the confusion that arises at what we might call the Goofy/Pluto nexus. Most sites that dwell on the ambiguity of Goofy’s breed or species spend a great deal of time on this. At the crux of the issue, people point out inconsistencies in the ways that Goofy and Pluto are treated as characters.

For his own part, Pluto has no opinion. Photography by Ashley on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

If Goofy and Pluto are both supposed to be dogs, then why is one an English-speaking biped while the other barks and walks on all fours? Walt Disney himself provided all the clarity we could ask for when it comes to Pluto, having referred explicitly to Pluto as a “bloodhound.” As you might expect from any long-running character, this specific breed designation was later retconned as a “mutt” by Mickey Mouse himself in 1941’s Canine Caddy.

Goofy is a talking animal! Does it matter what kind?

One one level, anthropomorphized cartoon animals are pure wish fulfillment. If a magic fairy appeared before you, say, Merryweather from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty (1959), among the first things you’d ask for is that it grant your dog the ability to talk. Add in a down-home personality and a dash of regional dialect to your dog’s speech patterns, and you’d instantly be the hit of the neighborhood listserv, if not a viral sensation and talk-show staple. Long-lasting cartoon characters become life-long friends; sources of delight that you experience through the years and pass on to your own children.

On the other hand, four score and five years of people trying to pin down Goofy’s species is a little troubling. You’d think a definitive statement would’ve been issued by this point, or that there’d be a global consensus among his adoring fans that would’ve caused the question to have long faded into obscurity. Why is the joy of having Goofy, in all of his incarnations and iterations, not enough? Why is it so important to pin him to a specific binominal nomenclature?

To be honest, I spend a lot of time thinking about cartoons. Photography by JD Hancock on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

After all, cartoons offer us worlds of limitless possibility. In animation, animals wear clothes, have nuanced relationships, drive automobiles and hatch all manner of hare-brained schemes. When they’re very lucky, they also get theme songs that stick in our minds forever. In the attempt to be a latter-day Linnaeus, the drive to classify and delineate a character like Goofy is also an effort to restrict and compartmentalize him. So, is Goofy a dog? Who knows! Maybe. Let Goofy be Goofy!

Thumbnail: Photography by JD Hancock on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

This piece was originally published in 2017.

Read more dog news on Dogster.com:

Dug Up at Dogster: February 2019 Dog Events

Separation Anxiety Study Shows Petting is Beneficial

Reese’s Law Enacted in Florida

The post Classic Cartoon Debate: Is Goofy a Dog? by Melvin Peña appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

[buynewsoul]

Classic Cartoon Debate: Is Goofy a Dog?

The post Classic Cartoon Debate: Is Goofy a Dog? by Melvin Peña appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Since his creation in 1932, the Disney character Goofy has become a part of our shared cultural heritage. Like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, Goofy has long since transcended his appearances in any specific cartoon, series or animated film to become a global icon. Through numerous minor tweaks and adjustments over the decades — variations in costume, voice, personality and even family — Goofy’s laughter and essential charm endures after 85 years. One question about him, though, has lasted just as long: Is Goofy a dog?

Is Goofy a Dog? First, the Basics.

The question of Goofy’s species has bothered folks for decades. Photography via Pixabay.

Is Goofy a dog? The question got stuck in my mind when I saw it took second place among Google’s Year in Search as one of the top dog-related queries of 2016. It seems like a strange question, maybe even counterintuitive. In the vast majority of his film appearances, Goofy’s got long, floppy ears and a recognizably canine craniofacial structure.

Even if it is clearly exaggerated for the purposes of comedic anthropomorphism, Goofy is clearly a dog, right? Hold on, if you sort of squint your eye, he could be a cow … or a wolf, maybe! The longer I thought about it, the less certain I was. Is Goofy a dog … really? Let’s investigate his history and these perennial points of contention surrounding the question, “Is Goofy a dog?”

The Goofy family and his dating life

What kind of dog is Goofy? 

The Goofy and Pluto quandary

Goofy’s life and times

As we start to answer the question, “Is Goofy a dog?” let’s examine his backstory. The brainchild of Walt Disney house animators Art Babbitt and Frank Webb, Goofy’s history began about a minute into 1932’s animated short, Mickey’s Revue. Originally named Dippy Dawg, the character began as an older, bearded bumpkin, whose lack of theatrical etiquette is a source of humor. Within two years of his debut, Goofy developed quickly, shedding first the beard, then his original name. From 1935 to 1940, Goofy began a run of classic cartoons with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck that would cement his status.

In the 1940s, Goofy experienced another pair of adjustments. Pinto Colvig, the original voice actor, abandoned the role for several years, during which time, Goofy went mostly silent. He starred in a series of “How to” cartoons featuring an omniscient narrator or recycled dialogue. These films were meant to have a broad, instructional appeal, and his name changed again, to “George Geef,” a kind of “John Smith” among cartoon animals.

The Goofy and Pluto problem complicates matters. Photography by Loren Javier on Flickr.Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

By the 1990s, his name had settled in as “Goofy G. Goof,” which is no help at all in determining what sort of creature he is. In hindsight, if the creative team at Disney had kept a species designation as part of his moniker, we might not still be wondering whether he is a dog at all!

Goofy family values

One major source of discord when it comes to the question, “Is Goofy a dog?” — and to defining Goofy’s species — is his inconsistent relationship habits. When you start giving funny animals human characteristics, including personal and romantic lives, this kind of confusion is bound to follow. In the 1940s films, for instance, he had a wife and son, who made things more complex by looking almost entirely human themselves.

The 1990s iteration, featured in the “Goof Troop” cartoon and “Goofy Movie” series, had a son, Max Goof, who at least bore a family resemblance. During a run of comic books based on popular Disney figures, things fell into further confusion for the fan community when Goofy began dating a cow. Clarabelle Cow, who predated Goofy in animated films dating back to the late 1920s, was a love interest for Goofy.

Goofy’s inconsistent romantic life raises further questions. Photography by Jennie Park on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

She would return as a potential romantic partner in Disney cartoons that aired between 1999 to 2003.  For most of her history, Clarabelle was linked to Horace Horsecollar. However, her on-again, off-again dalliances with Goofy through the years have led many fan conspiracists to speculate whether Goofy’s own heritage might be bovine as well.

What kind of dog is Goofy?

In thinking, “Is Goofy a dog?” the next question is, “If Goofy is a dog, what kind of dog is Goofy?” Most of the iconic Disney animated characters avoid this species confusion, either through naming or very distinct physical features. Turn your mind to Mickey Mouse, Scrooge McDuck, or Jiminy Cricket; if the creature that provided the template for each of these wasn’t completely obvious, Disney’s naming practices really ram it home. The official Disney site is no help, referring to Goofy only as “he.”

According to the fan-curated Disney wiki page, Goofy is a “tall, anthropomorphic dog,” so fandom, at least, is settled on its canonical interpretation. Beyond these official and semi-official references, the rest is left to our speculation and theorization. Physically, the length of Goofy’s ears and muzzle would suggest, along with his body size, the model to be a medium- to large-breed of dog. From a personality standpoint, his curiosity and willingness to try new things, along with his clumsiness, point toward a dog in the hound family.

The Goofy and Pluto quandary

Another question that pops up when thinking, “Is Goofy a dog?” … If Goofy is a dog, what about Pluto? If there’s one thing that sticks in the craw of Goofy conspiracy theorists, it’s the confusion that arises at what we might call the Goofy/Pluto nexus. Most sites that dwell on the ambiguity of Goofy’s breed or species spend a great deal of time on this. At the crux of the issue, people point out inconsistencies in the ways that Goofy and Pluto are treated as characters.

For his own part, Pluto has no opinion. Photography by Ashley on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

If Goofy and Pluto are both supposed to be dogs, then why is one an English-speaking biped while the other barks and walks on all fours? Walt Disney himself provided all the clarity we could ask for when it comes to Pluto, having referred explicitly to Pluto as a “bloodhound.” As you might expect from any long-running character, this specific breed designation was later retconned as a “mutt” by Mickey Mouse himself in 1941’s Canine Caddy.

Goofy is a talking animal! Does it matter what kind?

One one level, anthropomorphized cartoon animals are pure wish fulfillment. If a magic fairy appeared before you, say, Merryweather from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty (1959), among the first things you’d ask for is that it grant your dog the ability to talk. Add in a down-home personality and a dash of regional dialect to your dog’s speech patterns, and you’d instantly be the hit of the neighborhood listserv, if not a viral sensation and talk-show staple. Long-lasting cartoon characters become life-long friends; sources of delight that you experience through the years and pass on to your own children.

On the other hand, four score and five years of people trying to pin down Goofy’s species is a little troubling. You’d think a definitive statement would’ve been issued by this point, or that there’d be a global consensus among his adoring fans that would’ve caused the question to have long faded into obscurity. Why is the joy of having Goofy, in all of his incarnations and iterations, not enough? Why is it so important to pin him to a specific binominal nomenclature?

To be honest, I spend a lot of time thinking about cartoons. Photography by JD Hancock on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

After all, cartoons offer us worlds of limitless possibility. In animation, animals wear clothes, have nuanced relationships, drive automobiles and hatch all manner of hare-brained schemes. When they’re very lucky, they also get theme songs that stick in our minds forever. In the attempt to be a latter-day Linnaeus, the drive to classify and delineate a character like Goofy is also an effort to restrict and compartmentalize him. So, is Goofy a dog? Who knows! Maybe. Let Goofy be Goofy!

Thumbnail: Photography by JD Hancock on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

This piece was originally published in 2017.

Read more dog news on Dogster.com:

Dug Up at Dogster: February 2019 Dog Events

Separation Anxiety Study Shows Petting is Beneficial

Reese’s Law Enacted in Florida

The post Classic Cartoon Debate: Is Goofy a Dog? by Melvin Peña appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

[jeffreyrwelch]

Classic Cartoon Debate: Is Goofy a Dog?

The post Classic Cartoon Debate: Is Goofy a Dog? by Melvin Peña appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Since his creation in 1932, the Disney character Goofy has become a part of our shared cultural heritage. Like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, Goofy has long since transcended his appearances in any specific cartoon, series or animated film to become a global icon. Through numerous minor tweaks and adjustments over the decades — variations in costume, voice, personality and even family — Goofy’s laughter and essential charm endures after 85 years. One question about him, though, has lasted just as long: Is Goofy a dog?

Is Goofy a Dog? First, the Basics.

The question of Goofy’s species has bothered folks for decades. Photography via Pixabay.

Is Goofy a dog? The question got stuck in my mind when I saw it took second place among Google’s Year in Search as one of the top dog-related queries of 2016. It seems like a strange question, maybe even counterintuitive. In the vast majority of his film appearances, Goofy’s got long, floppy ears and a recognizably canine craniofacial structure.

Even if it is clearly exaggerated for the purposes of comedic anthropomorphism, Goofy is clearly a dog, right? Hold on, if you sort of squint your eye, he could be a cow … or a wolf, maybe! The longer I thought about it, the less certain I was. Is Goofy a dog … really? Let’s investigate his history and these perennial points of contention surrounding the question, “Is Goofy a dog?”

The Goofy family and his dating life

What kind of dog is Goofy? 

The Goofy and Pluto quandary

Goofy’s life and times

As we start to answer the question, “Is Goofy a dog?” let’s examine his backstory. The brainchild of Walt Disney house animators Art Babbitt and Frank Webb, Goofy’s history began about a minute into 1932’s animated short, Mickey’s Revue. Originally named Dippy Dawg, the character began as an older, bearded bumpkin, whose lack of theatrical etiquette is a source of humor. Within two years of his debut, Goofy developed quickly, shedding first the beard, then his original name. From 1935 to 1940, Goofy began a run of classic cartoons with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck that would cement his status.

In the 1940s, Goofy experienced another pair of adjustments. Pinto Colvig, the original voice actor, abandoned the role for several years, during which time, Goofy went mostly silent. He starred in a series of “How to” cartoons featuring an omniscient narrator or recycled dialogue. These films were meant to have a broad, instructional appeal, and his name changed again, to “George Geef,” a kind of “John Smith” among cartoon animals.

The Goofy and Pluto problem complicates matters. Photography by Loren Javier on Flickr.Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

By the 1990s, his name had settled in as “Goofy G. Goof,” which is no help at all in determining what sort of creature he is. In hindsight, if the creative team at Disney had kept a species designation as part of his moniker, we might not still be wondering whether he is a dog at all!

Goofy family values

One major source of discord when it comes to the question, “Is Goofy a dog?” — and to defining Goofy’s species — is his inconsistent relationship habits. When you start giving funny animals human characteristics, including personal and romantic lives, this kind of confusion is bound to follow. In the 1940s films, for instance, he had a wife and son, who made things more complex by looking almost entirely human themselves.

The 1990s iteration, featured in the “Goof Troop” cartoon and “Goofy Movie” series, had a son, Max Goof, who at least bore a family resemblance. During a run of comic books based on popular Disney figures, things fell into further confusion for the fan community when Goofy began dating a cow. Clarabelle Cow, who predated Goofy in animated films dating back to the late 1920s, was a love interest for Goofy.

Goofy’s inconsistent romantic life raises further questions. Photography by Jennie Park on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

She would return as a potential romantic partner in Disney cartoons that aired between 1999 to 2003.  For most of her history, Clarabelle was linked to Horace Horsecollar. However, her on-again, off-again dalliances with Goofy through the years have led many fan conspiracists to speculate whether Goofy’s own heritage might be bovine as well.

What kind of dog is Goofy?

In thinking, “Is Goofy a dog?” the next question is, “If Goofy is a dog, what kind of dog is Goofy?” Most of the iconic Disney animated characters avoid this species confusion, either through naming or very distinct physical features. Turn your mind to Mickey Mouse, Scrooge McDuck, or Jiminy Cricket; if the creature that provided the template for each of these wasn’t completely obvious, Disney’s naming practices really ram it home. The official Disney site is no help, referring to Goofy only as “he.”

According to the fan-curated Disney wiki page, Goofy is a “tall, anthropomorphic dog,” so fandom, at least, is settled on its canonical interpretation. Beyond these official and semi-official references, the rest is left to our speculation and theorization. Physically, the length of Goofy’s ears and muzzle would suggest, along with his body size, the model to be a medium- to large-breed of dog. From a personality standpoint, his curiosity and willingness to try new things, along with his clumsiness, point toward a dog in the hound family.

The Goofy and Pluto quandary

Another question that pops up when thinking, “Is Goofy a dog?” … If Goofy is a dog, what about Pluto? If there’s one thing that sticks in the craw of Goofy conspiracy theorists, it’s the confusion that arises at what we might call the Goofy/Pluto nexus. Most sites that dwell on the ambiguity of Goofy’s breed or species spend a great deal of time on this. At the crux of the issue, people point out inconsistencies in the ways that Goofy and Pluto are treated as characters.

For his own part, Pluto has no opinion. Photography by Ashley on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

If Goofy and Pluto are both supposed to be dogs, then why is one an English-speaking biped while the other barks and walks on all fours? Walt Disney himself provided all the clarity we could ask for when it comes to Pluto, having referred explicitly to Pluto as a “bloodhound.” As you might expect from any long-running character, this specific breed designation was later retconned as a “mutt” by Mickey Mouse himself in 1941’s Canine Caddy.

Goofy is a talking animal! Does it matter what kind?

One one level, anthropomorphized cartoon animals are pure wish fulfillment. If a magic fairy appeared before you, say, Merryweather from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty (1959), among the first things you’d ask for is that it grant your dog the ability to talk. Add in a down-home personality and a dash of regional dialect to your dog’s speech patterns, and you’d instantly be the hit of the neighborhood listserv, if not a viral sensation and talk-show staple. Long-lasting cartoon characters become life-long friends; sources of delight that you experience through the years and pass on to your own children.

On the other hand, four score and five years of people trying to pin down Goofy’s species is a little troubling. You’d think a definitive statement would’ve been issued by this point, or that there’d be a global consensus among his adoring fans that would’ve caused the question to have long faded into obscurity. Why is the joy of having Goofy, in all of his incarnations and iterations, not enough? Why is it so important to pin him to a specific binominal nomenclature?

To be honest, I spend a lot of time thinking about cartoons. Photography by JD Hancock on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

After all, cartoons offer us worlds of limitless possibility. In animation, animals wear clothes, have nuanced relationships, drive automobiles and hatch all manner of hare-brained schemes. When they’re very lucky, they also get theme songs that stick in our minds forever. In the attempt to be a latter-day Linnaeus, the drive to classify and delineate a character like Goofy is also an effort to restrict and compartmentalize him. So, is Goofy a dog? Who knows! Maybe. Let Goofy be Goofy!

Thumbnail: Photography by JD Hancock on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

This piece was originally published in 2017.

Read more dog news on Dogster.com:

Dug Up at Dogster: February 2019 Dog Events

Separation Anxiety Study Shows Petting is Beneficial

Reese’s Law Enacted in Florida

The post Classic Cartoon Debate: Is Goofy a Dog? by Melvin Peña appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

[grublypetcare]

Classic Cartoon Debate: Is Goofy a Dog?

The post Classic Cartoon Debate: Is Goofy a Dog? by Melvin Peña appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Since his creation in 1932, the Disney character Goofy has become a part of our shared cultural heritage. Like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, Goofy has long since transcended his appearances in any specific cartoon, series or animated film to become a global icon. Through numerous minor tweaks and adjustments over the decades — variations in costume, voice, personality and even family — Goofy’s laughter and essential charm endures after 85 years. One question about him, though, has lasted just as long: Is Goofy a dog?

Is Goofy a Dog? First, the Basics.

The question of Goofy’s species has bothered folks for decades. Photography via Pixabay.

Is Goofy a dog? The question got stuck in my mind when I saw it took second place among Google’s Year in Search as one of the top dog-related queries of 2016. It seems like a strange question, maybe even counterintuitive. In the vast majority of his film appearances, Goofy’s got long, floppy ears and a recognizably canine craniofacial structure.

Even if it is clearly exaggerated for the purposes of comedic anthropomorphism, Goofy is clearly a dog, right? Hold on, if you sort of squint your eye, he could be a cow … or a wolf, maybe! The longer I thought about it, the less certain I was. Is Goofy a dog … really? Let’s investigate his history and these perennial points of contention surrounding the question, “Is Goofy a dog?”

The Goofy family and his dating life

What kind of dog is Goofy? 

The Goofy and Pluto quandary

Goofy’s life and times

As we start to answer the question, “Is Goofy a dog?” let’s examine his backstory. The brainchild of Walt Disney house animators Art Babbitt and Frank Webb, Goofy’s history began about a minute into 1932’s animated short, Mickey’s Revue. Originally named Dippy Dawg, the character began as an older, bearded bumpkin, whose lack of theatrical etiquette is a source of humor. Within two years of his debut, Goofy developed quickly, shedding first the beard, then his original name. From 1935 to 1940, Goofy began a run of classic cartoons with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck that would cement his status.

In the 1940s, Goofy experienced another pair of adjustments. Pinto Colvig, the original voice actor, abandoned the role for several years, during which time, Goofy went mostly silent. He starred in a series of “How to” cartoons featuring an omniscient narrator or recycled dialogue. These films were meant to have a broad, instructional appeal, and his name changed again, to “George Geef,” a kind of “John Smith” among cartoon animals.

The Goofy and Pluto problem complicates matters. Photography by Loren Javier on Flickr.Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

By the 1990s, his name had settled in as “Goofy G. Goof,” which is no help at all in determining what sort of creature he is. In hindsight, if the creative team at Disney had kept a species designation as part of his moniker, we might not still be wondering whether he is a dog at all!

Goofy family values

One major source of discord when it comes to the question, “Is Goofy a dog?” — and to defining Goofy’s species — is his inconsistent relationship habits. When you start giving funny animals human characteristics, including personal and romantic lives, this kind of confusion is bound to follow. In the 1940s films, for instance, he had a wife and son, who made things more complex by looking almost entirely human themselves.

The 1990s iteration, featured in the “Goof Troop” cartoon and “Goofy Movie” series, had a son, Max Goof, who at least bore a family resemblance. During a run of comic books based on popular Disney figures, things fell into further confusion for the fan community when Goofy began dating a cow. Clarabelle Cow, who predated Goofy in animated films dating back to the late 1920s, was a love interest for Goofy.

Goofy’s inconsistent romantic life raises further questions. Photography by Jennie Park on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

She would return as a potential romantic partner in Disney cartoons that aired between 1999 to 2003.  For most of her history, Clarabelle was linked to Horace Horsecollar. However, her on-again, off-again dalliances with Goofy through the years have led many fan conspiracists to speculate whether Goofy’s own heritage might be bovine as well.

What kind of dog is Goofy?

In thinking, “Is Goofy a dog?” the next question is, “If Goofy is a dog, what kind of dog is Goofy?” Most of the iconic Disney animated characters avoid this species confusion, either through naming or very distinct physical features. Turn your mind to Mickey Mouse, Scrooge McDuck, or Jiminy Cricket; if the creature that provided the template for each of these wasn’t completely obvious, Disney’s naming practices really ram it home. The official Disney site is no help, referring to Goofy only as “he.”

According to the fan-curated Disney wiki page, Goofy is a “tall, anthropomorphic dog,” so fandom, at least, is settled on its canonical interpretation. Beyond these official and semi-official references, the rest is left to our speculation and theorization. Physically, the length of Goofy’s ears and muzzle would suggest, along with his body size, the model to be a medium- to large-breed of dog. From a personality standpoint, his curiosity and willingness to try new things, along with his clumsiness, point toward a dog in the hound family.

The Goofy and Pluto quandary

Another question that pops up when thinking, “Is Goofy a dog?” … If Goofy is a dog, what about Pluto? If there’s one thing that sticks in the craw of Goofy conspiracy theorists, it’s the confusion that arises at what we might call the Goofy/Pluto nexus. Most sites that dwell on the ambiguity of Goofy’s breed or species spend a great deal of time on this. At the crux of the issue, people point out inconsistencies in the ways that Goofy and Pluto are treated as characters.

For his own part, Pluto has no opinion. Photography by Ashley on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

If Goofy and Pluto are both supposed to be dogs, then why is one an English-speaking biped while the other barks and walks on all fours? Walt Disney himself provided all the clarity we could ask for when it comes to Pluto, having referred explicitly to Pluto as a “bloodhound.” As you might expect from any long-running character, this specific breed designation was later retconned as a “mutt” by Mickey Mouse himself in 1941’s Canine Caddy.

Goofy is a talking animal! Does it matter what kind?

One one level, anthropomorphized cartoon animals are pure wish fulfillment. If a magic fairy appeared before you, say, Merryweather from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty (1959), among the first things you’d ask for is that it grant your dog the ability to talk. Add in a down-home personality and a dash of regional dialect to your dog’s speech patterns, and you’d instantly be the hit of the neighborhood listserv, if not a viral sensation and talk-show staple. Long-lasting cartoon characters become life-long friends; sources of delight that you experience through the years and pass on to your own children.

On the other hand, four score and five years of people trying to pin down Goofy’s species is a little troubling. You’d think a definitive statement would’ve been issued by this point, or that there’d be a global consensus among his adoring fans that would’ve caused the question to have long faded into obscurity. Why is the joy of having Goofy, in all of his incarnations and iterations, not enough? Why is it so important to pin him to a specific binominal nomenclature?

To be honest, I spend a lot of time thinking about cartoons. Photography by JD Hancock on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

After all, cartoons offer us worlds of limitless possibility. In animation, animals wear clothes, have nuanced relationships, drive automobiles and hatch all manner of hare-brained schemes. When they’re very lucky, they also get theme songs that stick in our minds forever. In the attempt to be a latter-day Linnaeus, the drive to classify and delineate a character like Goofy is also an effort to restrict and compartmentalize him. So, is Goofy a dog? Who knows! Maybe. Let Goofy be Goofy!

Thumbnail: Photography by JD Hancock on Flickr. Some modifications may have been made to fit the specifications of this site. Used with Creative Commons License.

This piece was originally published in 2017.

Read more dog news on Dogster.com:

Dug Up at Dogster: February 2019 Dog Events

Separation Anxiety Study Shows Petting is Beneficial

Reese’s Law Enacted in Florida

The post Classic Cartoon Debate: Is Goofy a Dog? by Melvin Peña appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

[magicaltrash]

Per the official website, "Disney Dreamlight Valley is a hybrid between a life-sim and an adventure game rich with quests, exploration, and engaging activities featuring Disney and Pixar friends, both old and new. Once an idyllic land, Dreamlight Valley was a place where Disney and Pixar characters lived in harmony -- until the Forgetting. Night Thorns grew across the land and severed the wonderful memories tied to this magical place. With nowhere else to go, the hopeless inhabitants of Dreamlight Valley retreated behind locked doors in the Dream Castle." Oh, and did I mention that this virtual kingdom has trash cans? Released earlier this year, these New Orleans Square-style cans as part of their Pride of the Valley content update with a function to create your own theme park. // Disney Dreamlight Valley, 2023 [Source: Twenty Something in Orlando. Used by Permission.]

[magicaltrash]

Unique can shape spotted at Vero Beach!

Full-sized recycling can with dual circle inlets, however upon closer inspection you note that it's actually half of a trash/recycling combo, with one side flat to be flush-located with another can.

Light blue can denoted with DVC branding and a Jiminy Cricket Recycling Icon. // Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, 2010 [Source: Jessica (figmentfan84). Used by Permission.]

[magicaltrash]

Trash cans symbolize the mismatched theme of Disney('s) California Adventure. // Disneyland Resort, Disney California Adventure, A Bug's Land, 2011 [Source: Jason Schultz. Used by Permission.]

[magicaltrash]

Strong retro-1980s vibe on the designs for the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure at the Disneyland Resort. Bonus points for the use of the Jiminy Cricket Recycling Icon. // Disneyland Resort, Mickey & Friends Parking Structure, 2021 [Source: Mike Vega via Disneyland on Film. Used by permission.]

[magicaltrash]

Light green hues welcome you to the Entrance Plaza of Hong Kong Disneyland. Don't make Jiminy Cricket sad - make sure you recycle! // Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland, Entrance Plaza, 2014 [Source: "Garbage Cans, Hong Kong Disneyland" by milst1 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0]

[magicaltrash]

"Whale" you are waiting to enter Hong Kong Disneyland, this pair of entrance plaza cans keeps the area clean. // Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland, Entrance Plaza, 2014 [Source: Daniel Wanderman. Used by permission.]

[magicaltrash]

For Earth Day 2013, Hong Kong Disneyland shared these "Please Recycle" stickers featuring Jiminy Cricket, who is often used by Disney theme parks as an icon for environmental responsibility. The can design depicted on the sticker reflects the diamond pattern seen in Hong Kong's Fantasyland. // Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Earth Day Recycling Sticker, 2013 [Source: hkdlfan. Used by permission.]

[magicaltrash]

Shout out to The Incredible Hulk installment in the Pixar filmography, A Bug's Life. Both are green. Both are overshadowed by the film that came before it. Both don't currently have trash cans in Disney theme parks, as A Bug's Land was closed in 2018. // Disneyland Resort, Disney California Adventure, A Bug's Land, Flik's Fun Fair, 2016 [Source: SonderQuest. Used by permission.]