The Goofy cartoon dog is a Walt Disney creation. He is an “oafish”1 character AKA “The Goof”. He walked on two legs, human style. He was a black dog and he had droopy ears and buck teeth. At an early stage in his career but not at the beginning it was decided that he should be drawn as a “little awkward and screwy”1.
The name, Goofy, came about because Walt Disney described the predicaments that his cartoon character go into as goofy.
Goofy had a distinctive voice which was provided by Pinto Colvig initially and then:
- Stuart Buchanan
- Bob Jackman and
- Hal Smith.
Goofy Cartoons
He appeared in 84 cartoons. He also featured in the feature length omnibus films:
- The Reluctant Dragon 1941 in the part called How to Ride a Horse.
- Saludos Amigos 1943 in the segment titled, El Gaucho Goofy.
- Fun and Fancy Free 1947 in the segment titled, Mickey and the Beanstalk.
He starred in the 1942 animated sports short, How to Play Baseball.
However, Goofy cartoon dog was around before that. His first appearance was in Mickey’s Revue, 1932. In this cartoon he played a laughing member of the audience. He was known at the time as Dippy Dawg. He was a bit of a mess – more messy that he was eventually to become. He ate peanuts and had a beard.
Goofy cartoon dog has an uninterrupted ancestry as follows:
| Date | Character | Comment |
| Caveman Goofy | ||
| 508 B.C. | Horatio Goofy “ | noblest Goofy…” |
| Demosthenes Goofy | Olympic torch bearer who screwed up. | |
| 636 A.D. | Nero Goofy | Commander in Chief of the Royal Barge of Egypt. |
| 1142 | Sir Cedric Goofy | A squire. |
| Erik the Viking | An arctic explorer. | |
| 1491 | Leonardo da Goofy | Knew world was square. |
| 1551 | Leonardo Goofy | An inventor. |
| Cortez Goofy | ||
| 1642 | Pilgrim Goofy | |
| Percival Goofy | Grandson of Pilgrim Goofy – went west as a scout. | |
| John Paul Goofy | Naval hero. | |
| Old Black Goofy | Pirate. | |
| 1807 | Lewis Goofy | Explorer. |
| Captain Ebenezer Goofy | Captain of whaling ship. | |
| 1880 | Wayne Goofy | Lawman. |
| Livingston “Wrong Way” Goofy | Discovered South Pole. | |
| 1869 | Amos Goofy | Railroad worker and Goofy’s grandfather. |
| 1901 | Wilbur Goofy | Aviation Pioneer. |
| 1940s | Edsel Goofy | Inventor of vehicles. |
| Joe Goofy | World traveler and Goofy’s uncle. Aunt Matilda was also featured. |
He was married and he had a son, Goofy Jr. Both his wife and son appeared in Fathers are People – 1951.
Goofy cartoon dog had a pet grasshopper called Wilbur who featured in Goofy and Wilbur – 1939. This was Goofy’s first solo cartoon.
Here he is in How to Play Football – 1944.
Goofy had developed into the lovable half-wit by 1935 in Mickey’s Service Station. In this cartoon he helps to destroy a car and almost himself. He accidentally whacks his hand.
Other cartoons featuring the Goofy cartoon dog are:
- Mickey’s Fire Brigade 1935 – playing a firefighter.
- Moving Day 1936 – an iceman helping an evicted Mickey.
- Clock Cleaners 1937 – clock cleaner.
- Boat Builders 1938 – boat builder.
The two videos on this page are part of Goofy’s instructional films. Others in the series include:
- The Art of Skiing 1941
- The Art of Self-Defense 1941
- How to Swim 1942
- How to Play Golf 1944
- Tennis Racquet 1949
- Goofy Gymnastics 1949
- How to be a Detective 1953
- How to Dance 1953
- How to Ride a Horse
Goofy cartoon dog’s most famous series was how not to drive:
- Motor Mania 1950
- Freewayphobia No.1 1965
- Goofy’s Freeway Trouble 1965
In 1983 Goofy played a ghost in Mickey’s Christmas.
Goofy did not do so well in print (comic books). He starred in Super Goofy and co-starred in a mix of Disney comic books; appearing in 13 editions of Dell’s 4-Color comic books (1953-1962).
Goofy Cartoon – Sources:
