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When it comes to Disney’s animal characters, it’s usually very clear what animal they were meant to be. Goofy seems to be the only one that Disney fans just can’t agree on. Some believe that Goofy is supposed to be a cow. Others say he’s obviously a dog. The internet debates rage fiercely! So, What is Goofy? is it goofy a dog or a cow?
It seems that not many questioned the species of the beloved character for many years.
Although, at this time it has become a prevalent debate.
Goofy is a classic Disney character that has been a part of popular culture for some time.
The question of whether Goofy is a cow or a dog has been a subject of debate among followers.
Some argue that Goofy is a dog based on his appearance and mannerisms. While others believe he may be a cow due to certain characteristics that are more reminiscent of bovine species.
“Is was goofy ever a cow, or is he really a dog?” is a matter of personal interpretation.
Sources have confirmed that Goofy is indeed a dog!
Who is Goofy & what type of animal is goofy?
Goofy is one of the “Fabulous Five” characters – Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald, and Goofy.
There are other supporting animated characters like Daisy or Clarabelle Cow. But, that’s the main 5 characters – Mickey’s best friends.
Goofy has a son named max, and has had a previous love interest with Clarabelle cow in some shows and shorts.
Goofy is a tall, talking humanoid character with long ears and known to wear these clothes: an orange turtle-neck, grey vest, white gloves, blue pants, big brown shoes, and an iconic green hat.
You can get the green hat and long ears at disney parks everywhere today!
His tall hat was originally designed to look like a rumpled fedora.
Goofy is a bit of a half-wit, but an everlasting optimist.
He has a raucous laugh that’s known to induce laughs in the audience – part of the reason he is such a popular character.
Walt Disney Company
Goofy is a Dog vs. Goofy is a Cow
You may be wondering how the species of the Goofy character could be questioned.
Many believe that Goofy is just a dog that has human features, while others believe that the inspiration for this Disney character was a particular breed of Scottish Cow.
Both have convincing arguments to support their theory on what species the Disney animation creatives intended for Goofy to be.
The Argument Supporting Goofy is a Dog
The main argument behind Goofy dog is that he has many features of the canine animal group and is drawn similarly to Pluto.
For example, he has the same ears, nose, and snout as Pluto, meaning Goofy is just an anthropomorphic dog.
An anthropomorphic dog is a dog that has human traits and emotions, which seems to clarify why Goofy isn’t the same as Pluto.
This theory could also explain why he would have those big buck teeth instead of canine teeth.
ALSO READ: DOES DISNEY OWN HARRY POTTER?: WHY DISNEY MISSED THE MAGIC
The Argument Supporting Goofy is a Cow
Is goofy a cow? One common theory that suggests Goofy is actually a cow is that Disney always creates same species couples. Goofy has always been infatuated with Clarabelle Cow.
Since you can easily tell that Clarabelle Cow is a cow.
So, if Goofy and Clarabelle are a couple, it makes Goofy a cow, not a dog.
It’s also commonly pointed out that Goofy’s pet is Pluto, who is unmistakably a dog.
So, if Goofy is a dog, it would be as absurd as a human keeping another human being as a pet. It would be ridiculous for Goofy to have a fellow member of the canine kind as a pet.
Within the mickey and friends cartoon world, all of the main characters in typical mickey cartoon see each other as people, except for pluto, who they see as a dog or pet.
That doesn’t mean that Goofy isn’t also a dog.
It just means that he’s a tall, human-like dog, with facial features like hearts, nose, and mouth that are still dog like.
But he is a speaking, curious, human character – whereas pluto’s position is just the pet dog.
Much like the comparison of Goofy vs. Clarabelle, the physical differences between Pluto and Goofy are also very noticeable.
It’s quite obvious that Pluto is a dog, so if Goofy is a dog, why does he look so much different from Pluto?
Plus, Pluto is clearly a dog, and he can’t talk.
If Goofy is also a dog, then why can he talk?
People then use that idea to claim that Goofy isn’t a dog since he can talk, but Pluto can’t.
Counter-Arguments to Goofy Being a Cow
To the point that Goofy and Clarabelle were a couple, so goofy must be a cow. Not every relationship in Disney is between characters of the same species.
Kermit and Mrs. Piggy in The Muppets, and Jessica Rabbit and her husband in who Framed Roger Rabbit, just as a couple of examples.
Even the original Clarabelle love interest was Horace Horsecollar – a horse, not a cow.
Fact checking site Snopes wrote an article about this too.
The Snopes article goes on to clarify that Goofy, in spite of some claims, was not inspired from a breed of cows from Scotland.
I’ve seen that referenced on a few internet debates, but that is a baseless claim.
Analyzing the Evidence Throughout Goofy’s History
You can also find evidence to support both sides. As you look back over the years as the Goofy character evolves into the Goofy that we know today.
Dippy dawg
When the popular character first entered the scene in 1932, the beginning of his career was slow.
Goofy appeared as a side character known as Dippy Dawg in a short called Mickey’s Revue.
In this cartoon, he was simply depicted as a dog with human features.
While he looked like a dog, he walked upright and had a speaking voice.
This version of Goofy also shows him having a tail.
(I never noticed that he didn’t have a tail until I researched this article!)
The name Dippy Dawg on its own seems to imply that Goofy is a dog.
Aside from that, his features look much more like that of a canine animal than modern Goofy.
Dippy was originally supposed to be a one time character, but he proved super successful with audiences!
The animation company welcomed the feedback and thought that they should add a bit more Dippy into their films and shorts.
The Stuffed Toy
After Dippy’s first appearance in 1932, a bit of time passed by.
Then Jane Withers, a child star of the 1930s, was hanging out with Mr. Disney himself on a picnic.
He told Jane about a little amusement park he was planning on building, and at the end of the picnic he gave her a stuffed goofy doll.
It was the very first model of a line of comic characters that Walt had designed.
That character was based on Dippy from Mickey’s revue, but Jane distinctly remembers Mr. Disney telling her that it was a “Goofy” toy.
George E. Geef
In the ’50s, when goofy was portrayed in cortoons, he was portrayed as a human character named George E. Geef, who was your average husband and father.
This instance also gives him an official name and suggests that Goofy is only his nickname.
This cartoon was also a significant milestone for Goofy, making him the first Disney animated character to have a child.
This version of Goofy clarifies that he is an anthropomorphic dog.
What is Goofy’s full Name?
Goofy is referred to as “Goofus D. Dawg” or “George G. Geef. But Goofy is mostly known simply as “Goofy.”
Dog or Cow?
Goofy’s Awkward Years
After starting as Mr. Geef, Goofy’s career in feature films seemed to go downhill.
He was no longer starring in big pictures and mostly appeared in short Goofy cartoons—the most popular being his how-to films.
However, Disney fanatics kept him close to their hearts and continued buying his merchandise.
This could be what convinced the Disney Establishment to give him another shot, which wasn’t a mistake.
This iconic Disney show also stars Goofy’s love interest, Clarabelle Cow.
The relationship between Goofy and Clarabelle is where many really started to suggest that Goofy could be a cow.
That being said, if not a cow, you’d think it would be safe to assume Goofy is, in fact, a dog.
Surprisingly, that isn’t exactly the case, either.
If not a dog or a cow, then what is Goofy?
He quickly regained his popularity and went on to star in many other of Disney films, including “Goof Troop,” “A Goofy Movie,” and “An Extremely Goofy Movie.”
In these films, it still seems clear that he belongs to the canine animal kind and is not a cow.
All of the other characters he hangs around with are dogs, not cows.
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
All of the changes to the original Goofy from Dippy Dawg brought us the Goofy currently on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with his friends Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Donald Duck.
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse also stars Goofy’s love interest, Clarabelle Cow.
The relationship between Goofy and Clarabelle is where many really started to suggest that Goofy could be a cow.
However, the argument that Disney characters don’t have love interests outside of their species isn’t always valid.
In “Who Framed Roger Rabbit, we see a cartoon human (Jessica Rabbit) have a rabbit husband. We’ve also witnessed the complicated relationship between Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog in the Muppet cartoon.
So, if other Disney characters have on-screen chemistry with a character that wasn’t their species, Goofy and Clarabelle doesn’t really indicate that Goofy is not a dog. It more so brings us to the conclusion that Goofy is not a cow.
If not a cow, you’d think it would be safe to assume Goofy is a dog. Surprisingly, that isn’t exactly the case, either. If not a dog or a cow, then what is Goofy?
Goofy’s Species Confirmed (By an Official Source)
Goofy is a fictional character and a popular Disney cartoon character.
He is portrayed as a dog and is often seen as a close friend of Mickey Mouse. Goofy’s real name is actually Goofus D. Dawg.
He is not a cow, but is sometimes depicted as one in his early cartoons. There is also a cow character named Goody in the Disney universe, but she is not related to Goofy.
Pluto is also a popular fabulous 5 member and is portrayed as Mickey Mouse’s dog.
In conclusion, Goofy is definitely a dog, not a cow, and Goody is a cow, not a dog.
Since the debate had gone on for so long without an official answer, Yahoo Entertainment interviewed the voice actor that’s voiced Goofy since 1987.
The truth they discovered in this interview with Bill Farmer was a shock to those on both sides of the argument.
He clears the air by voiding the assumption that Goofy is quite definitely a dog and elaborates by stating, “Pluto is a dog, but Goofy seems to be in the canine family in the same way that a wolf is not a dog, but they also are in the canine family.
I think Canis Goofus is the technical Latin term for what Goofy is. He’s just Goofy.” – Bill Farmer
Conclusion to Goofy’s national origin
To sum up, even though there are people that might say this or that about Goofy being inspired by cows or acting like a cow vs. Pluto acting like a dog, there really isn’t any strong evidence for Goofy being a cow or based on cows from scotland.
He’s a jovial, fun-loving, shiftless canine with a funny laugh and not too many brain cells.
Maybe he’s not a traditional “dog,” like how a wolf isn’t exactly a pet, but he’s still close enough to a dog that that’s a better label for him than cow.
Next time someone comes up to you and tries to tell you that Goofy is a cow, not a dog, you’ll be prepared and ready to fight what they’re saying!
