Walt Disney and Goofy

[Big Disney Fan]

How do you think Walt liked Goofy?

According to Neal Gabler in his book, "Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Dream", he claims that "Walt absolutely hated the Goofy cartoons, threatening constantly to terminate them before relenting largely to provide work for his animators."

[Disney's Divinity]

Glad I wasn't the only one.

I remember when the Disney channel would used to play the shorts between programs, and I would always be let down when the Goofy face would come up. I don't dislike Goofy as a character, but I never cared for the shorts they had for him. Chip & Dale and Donald were the ones I looked forward to.

[Big Disney Fan]

Yet in a review of the book by Michael Barrier, he claims that Gabler does not cite any sources for such a claim.

[Escapay]

Glad I wasn't the only one.

Ditto.

I was never a big fan of Walt-Era Goofy. He comes across as too stupid and clumsy to function. His Treasures set is actually second-to-last on my list of the seven Treasures sets I still need to get (the only one lower is "Annette"). I grew up with "Goof Troop" Goofy, and so I guess I expect Goofy to be more capable than he appears in his shorts.

I'm still entertained by his shorts, but I prefer plenty of others before his.

albert

[carolinakid]

Goofy's my least favorite of the Fab 5.....

[singerguy04]

I do have to say that his earliest version is not my favorite, but he did get a lot better with time. Goofy in Goof Troop and a Goody Movie is especially lovable. He's one of my personal favorite Disney characters.

[Big Disney Fan]

I don't know, I kinda like Goofy myself.

[Heil Donald Duck]

Yet in a review of the book by Michael Barrier, he claims that Gabler does not cite any sources for such a claim.

Keep in mind Barrier hates Gabler. But I personally find Barrier rather dry man my self.

[Elladorine]

I recall in one of my old Disney books that it was said Walt affectionately referred to Mickey as Mickey, but dismissed Donald and Goofy as "the duck" and "the goof."

[akhenaten]

i prefer the more anthopomorphic goofy of the 50s and goofy movie's goofy. but i dislike the other goofy look alike creatures.

[Big Disney Fan]

I recall in one of my old Disney books that it was said Walt affectionately referred to Mickey as Mickey, but dismissed Donald and Goofy as "the duck" and "the goof."

Really? I thought it was just the staff who called Donald and Goofy by those nicknames and that Walt really did call them by their real names. At least he did in his anthology series.

[ajmrowland]

Glad I wasn't the only one.

Ditto.

I was never a big fan of Walt-Era Goofy. He comes across as too stupid and clumsy to function. His Treasures set is actually second-to-last on my list of the seven Treasures sets I still need to get (the only one lower is "Annette"). I grew up with "Goof Troop" Goofy, and so I guess I expect Goofy to be more capable than he appears in his shorts.

I'm still entertained by his shorts, but I prefer plenty of others before his.

albert

this, but I dont dislike the Walt'era Goofy.

[MouseHouse55]

In "Walt Disney and Assorted Other Characters", Jack Kinney (author) says that Walt not only liked Goofy, whom they both called "the goof", but he really loved the "How To..." series. And the first "How to..." was Horseback riding due to Walt's love of the sport polo. Jack's a guy with some serious firsthand experience, so I'm gonna have to take his word.

[pap64]

Wow, I am surprised to hear dislike towards Goofy. I personally love the character in ALL of his incarnations. In fact, out of all the characters in the fab five, Goofy is the one that experienced the most changes (I may be wrong in this, but hear me out).

He went from a, well, goofy face in the crowd, then became his own character, then as a parody of the average man. And all of them are great in terms of comedy. They are also quite different as well. I mean, the earlier Goofy shorts were about pure physical, slapstick comedy with some hints of innocence and doofiness. The 50s Goofy were jabs at contemporary life and added a great comedic twist to common occurrences like the cold, smoking (yes you heard me right), gambling (ditto) and even losing weight.

Then we have the Goof Troop Goofy, which adds A LOT to the character than we realize. This Goofy is a mix of the silly Goofy from the earlier shorts and the suburban Goofy but with a lot more character and story added to him (like a son and his thoughts towards him). A Goofy Movie is pretty much the pinnacle of his character, using all of his character traits to the fullest.

Then again, I actually grew up with classic Goofy so maybe I appreciate him better overall.

[Goliath]

In "Walt Disney and Assorted Other Characters", Jack Kinney (author) says that Walt not only liked Goofy, whom they both called "the goof", but he really loved the "How To..." series. And the first "How to..." was Horseback riding due to Walt's love of the sport polo. Jack's a guy with some serious firsthand experience, so I'm gonna have to take his word.

On the other hand, it's not always good to trust sources who were really close to the person you're researching. Even if Walt Disney hated Goofy, it's highly unlikely a close collaborator like Kinney would have admitted that. Remember there's a lot of myths surrounding Disney; and that most of what we think we know about him is pure marketing from the side of Disney. I'm still amazed at how many people swallow the 'official' story without any spur of doubt.

[Big Disney Fan]

I thought Walt called Goofy "Goofy", not "the goof". He certainly did on the anthology series. On one episode of his show, called "How To Relax", Walt opens the show by saying, "Here at the studio, we have one of the most relaxed characters you ever met: Goofy."

[Tristy]

I think Goofy's kinda fun.

But my favorite Goofy is the one in Kingdom Hearts. He's still pretty slow-minded but he's very observant of the situation and even offers some pretty useful advice. The character has really come a long way.

[sunhuntin]

I thought Walt called Goofy "Goofy", not "the goof". He certainly did on the anthology series. On one episode of his show, called "How To Relax", Walt opens the show by saying, "Here at the studio, we have one of the most relaxed characters you ever met: Goofy."

playing to the camera? like, he possibly called him "the goof" behind the scenes, but used his proper name when in the public eye.

[Big Disney Fan]

This is a bit off-topic, but in "The Reluctant Dragon", too, Ward Kimball called "the goof" Goofy, too, when he was showing "How To Ride a Horse" to Robert Benchley. Benchley asks what the point of this is, and Kimball says, "Oh, we thought we'd give you a preview of Goofy's latest horse opera."

[maryaGrasya]

Goofy's my least favorite of the Fab 5.....

same with me...

but then i enjoy watching him..

just don't know why..