10 Things You May Not Know About Goofy

1. Okay, once and for all, Goofy is most definitely a dog. How do we know? Because his original name was Dippy Dawg, of course! But why does Goofy talk while Pluto does not? Because Pluto is Mickey’s pet, and as everyone knows, pets don’t talk. (Well, Pluto did say “kiss me” once, but that’s a subject for another Top 10!)

2. Goofy’s birthday is May 25, 1932. That’s when he first appeared (as Dippy Dawg) in the cartoon short Mickey’s Revue. His first appearance as Goofy was two years later in Orphan’s Benefit, which also saw the debut of Donald Duck.

3. So is Goofy his first name or his last name? It’s hard to say. His full name has variously been given as George Geef, Goofus D. Dawg, and G.G. Goof. His son’s name is Max Goof, and his father’s is Benjamin Goof, leading one to believe that Goofy is simply a nickname. But in recent years, his proper name has evolved to Goofy Goof, so first name it is!

4. Goofy’s distinctive “hee-yuk” was originally voiced by Pinto Colvig, who was also the voice of both Sleepy and Grumpy in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, as well as the pig who built the house of bricks in the classic Disney short Three Little Pigs.

5. Goofy is a member of the “Fab Five” (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto), but even though he was the last to come on the scene, he was the first to star in his own television series, Goof Troop, which debuted in September 1992.

6. For a time in the 1950s, Goofy was known as Mr. George Geef, a common man contending with the perils of modern living. Gone were his big teeth and floppy ears, and even his voice was changed to a more normal tone.

7. Goofy took in interest in personal fitness in the 1980s, taking on the persona of Sport Goof. How did he do? He must have fared pretty well because he was eventually named the official mascot of the French Olympic team!

8. Goofy also has a secret identity, Super Goof, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, most of the time anyway. Often he would lose his powers at the last minute, leading to hilarious results. And how did he get his super powers? Super goobers, of course! (Those are peanuts to you and me.)

9. Goofy has a film-making connection with his smaller canine cousins, the puppies in One Hundred and One Dalmatians. The 1961 film was the first to use the xerography technique, which replaced the painstaking process of hand-inking each animation cel. (It sure beat having to draw all those spots by hand!) Coincidentally, Goofy’s last “classic” solo animated short, Aquamania, was made the same year, and it was the only time a solo Goofy cartoon used xerography in its production.

10. You might spot Guests wearing familiar floppy-eared Goofy hats around the Magic Kingdom, but one of Goofy’s first merchandising appearances was in a deck of playing cards. Which card? The Joker, of course!