Goofy: A Standup Cartoon Character

By Leslie Brown

An anthropomorphic dog, Goofy is probably best known as a Walt Disney cartoon character for his adventures with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Clarabelle Cow, and Horace Horsecollar. Goofy has a raucous laugh that distinguished him from other characters around him. He has always been a good-natured dog, but he is not that bright of a fellow.

In his cartoons, Goofy would demonstrate a clumsy but always determined character that was never frustrated and could do everything from snow skiing, to playing football, to riding a horse.

In newspaper comic strips, Goofy's character was first given the name "Dippy Dawg." Making his first appearance in 1932, the character laughed his way into a 1939 cartoon called "Goofy and Wilbur," where he became the Goofy character we know now.

Created as a human character, as opposed to Pluto, who was a pet, he walked upright and had a speaking voice. His laugh made such an impression on Walt Disney and his staff that the character soon began to be featured in other Disney cartoons.

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).

Starting in 1942, Goofy starred in a series of cartoons where every character in the cartoon was a different version of Goofy. This took Goofy out of the role of just being a clumsy cartoon dog.

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. Goofy got a makeover at this time. 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 the white gloves at times.

In the 1940s and 1950s, there were 48 cartoons of Goofy as a main character, but he also appeared in many cartoons with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.

Goofy constantly irritated his fellow spectators by noisily crunching peanuts and laughing loudly, until two of those fellow spectators knocked him out with their mallets (and then did the same exact laugh as he did). When stories featured Goofy as multiple characters, he had numerous other names.

Goofy was best known for his series of "How to" cartoons, where he bumbled through explanations of things. Favorite sayings of Goofy are "gawrsh!" (which is his usual exclamation of surprise), "Well, whaddya know…"; "A hyuck!" (a distinctive chuckle); and "Huh?"

Goofy appeared in the children's television series Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, with his trademark attire and personality.

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