Goofy: This Disney character was once the mascot of the French Olympics team
What comes to your mind when you hear about Disney characters? Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and all those classic princesses like Rapunzel and Belle. Okay, what about the close friend of Mickey and Donald Duck who is tall and typically dons a chrome-coloured turtle neck and black vest with blue pants? He also wears brown boots of size 18.5 inches (that’s humongous!), white gloves and a tall and green rumpled fedora hat. Yes, we are indeed talking about Goofy, the humanised dog (probably some kind of a hound mix as presumed from his floppy ears and big round nose) of the Disney world. He is often characterised as clumsy and dim-witted, but still has those rare intuitive and clever moments. Most importantly, he is well loved by generations of cartoon lovers. Here are some fun and interesting facts that we dug out for you.
Originally called Dippy Dawg
Not many know, but Walt Disney introduced Goofy for the first time in May 1932 in a short cartoon called Mickey’s Revue as one of Mickey’s friends. It was a 7-minute-long black and white feature. Here, Goofy’s appearance didn’t catch any attention but his famous “hee-yuk” laugh did. However, what’s most interesting is that back then he wasn’t known by the name Goofy. Instead, he was called Dippy Dawg and was supposed to be a one-time character, not a recurring one. But the audience loved his guest appearance so much that Dippy Dawg stayed back but his persona was adjusted. He started to look like a regular man, and earned the name of George G. Geef. But this didn’t last long either. Finally, during his seventh appearance in a mini cartoon called Orphan’s Benefit in 1934, he got the name Goofy, which has stuck around till date along with his iconic look. Wondering why the name Goofy? Because Walt Disney’s idea of this anthropomorphic dog was exactly “goofy” (yes, like the adjective) in nature. According to Goof Troop, a cartoon TV series, the character’s full name is G.G. (George Geef) “Goofy” Goof. Well, an even cooler name does exist: Well, fans would disagree as some of them came up with Goofus D. Dawg in the 2000. It was a tribute to both his original and real names.
The accidental origin of the iconic Goofy holler
Like every Disney character, Goofy too has some iconic catchphrases. For instance, he uses “gawrsh!” as his usual exclamation of surprise and his distinctive chuckle sounds like a “hee-yuk!” But nothing is more memorable that the famous Goofy holler “Yaaaaaa-hoo-hoo-hoo-hooey!” which is used whenever he is falling in the air (which happens every now and then!). Turns out, this iconic sound effect was accidentally created when Disney yodeller Hannes Schroll made it in the recording room after he came to know that that he won’t get paid for his work. Funny, isn’t it? Little did Walt Disney or Schroll know that this would last forever.
Goofy the mascot
If you have watched Goofy closely, you would know that he is a fellow of many talents. He practised theatre and earned the persona of Superstar Goofy in 1972. Prior to that, in the 1950s, he was also a sports and fitness mascot and featured in the volume The Goofy Sports Story where he was shown participating in several sports like gymnastics, skiing, baseball and football, including the Olympics, no less! His sports persona became so popular that in 1980, he became the official mascot of the French Olympics team. Later, Goofy also became the mascot for the first Walt Disney waterpark called River County in California.
Interestingly, Goofy has also been a mascot for two of US Armed services, the 602nd Bombardment Squadron and the 756th Bombardment Squadron during the Second World War. Both belonged to the US Air Corps during the Second World War.