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Tag Archives: Goofy

January 2

January 2, 1938 – The First Episode of the Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air Airs

“Who’s afraid of ra-di-o, ra-di-o, ra-di-o?”

On January 2, 1938, the first episode of the radio program Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air aired on NBC. It was a musical-variety series aimed at children, and was sponsored by Pepsodent. The program was created to promote the upcoming full-length feature animation film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and featured Walt Disney as the voice of Mickey Mouse, Clarence Nash as Donald Duck, Thelma Boardman as Minnie Mouse, Stuart Buchanan as Goofy, and Florence Gill as Clarabelle Cow. Each episode featured the characters in a different story, with the first story featuring the tale of Robin Hood. The twentieth, and final, episode aired on May 15th.

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August 10

August 10, 1989 – The Educational Film Trains is Released

“Gawrsh, I was hoping to meet some of the people who work on this here railroad.”

On August 10, 1989, the second of three educational films in the Goofy’s Field Trips series, titled Trains, was released. It features Bill Farmer as the voice of Goofy.

The short begins at the Rio Grande Train Station, where two kids, Cindy and Peter, are bombarding Peter’s father with questions. Peter’s father asks the kids to wait while he buys the tickets, and as they go to sit down, they spy Goofy in the station, singing to himself. He greets them, and the three magically disappear from the station and reappear near an Amtrak train. They are greeted by the engineer, who explains his job and some logistics of the train and tracks. He then has them meet Sherry, the Chief of Onboard Services, who explains her job before she takes them aboard the train. She introduces several types of rooms, including the dining car. As Peter looks through a book, Sherry explains the different types of trains he spies in his book. She takes them to meet the conductor, who quickly explains his role before the train takes off. The kids and Goofy then are whisked away to the freight yard, where they see a variety of freight trains and meet the yard master. He points out the different kinds of freight trains, which carry different kinds of supplies. He also describes the differences of the trains of old, and the new computerized systems of the time. Afterwards, they head to the dispatch center to learn about the process of dispatching the trains, with the computers helping make sure the trains are doing what they want them to do. The kids then reappear in the main terminal, and head out to their train with Peter’s father. As they pull out of the station, they spy Goofy waving goodbye from the platform.

August 7

August 7, 1989 – The Educational Film Ships is Released

“I was hopin’ to see that big ship. I wanna learn all about ships.”

On August 7, 1989, the first of three educational films in the Goofy’s Field Trips series, titled Ships, was released. It featured Bill Farmer as the voice of Goofy.

The short begins at the Starship Atlantic, which has just begun to board. Two kids are asking a lot of questions about the ship, when they spy Goofy. Magically, the trio are whisked away to the dock, where they meet the cruise director. Brought inside, the cruise director explains her job of coordinating activities for the passengers while showing them around the ship. She also explains the names of the front, back, and sides of the ship. She then takes them to the galley to meet the ship’s cook, who explains he has to cook for over 2,000 people. They meet the captain, who shows the group the radar system, and explains how he works with the ship’s engineers. The group also learns about how the lines keep the ship in place, and how the ship will take off from the shore. The cruise director takes the group to the radio room, where the ship keeps in communication with the shore, the Coast Guard, and other important parties. The group gets a message from Mickey Mouse, telling them to check out the rest of the harbor. Magically they are whisked away to the harbor, where they meet the harbor master. The group learns about all the types of ships in the harbor, and meet the berthing officer. The kids then end up back with their family, and board the ship for their cruise. As they sail away, they spy Goofy sitting at the dock, fishing.

April 13

April 13, 1996 – Goofy’s Bounce House Opens in Tokyo Disneyland

On April 13, 1996, the attraction Goofy’s Bounce House opened Tokyo Disneyland’s Toontown area. It was based on the Disneyland attraction of the same name, where kids under a certain height limit were allowed to bounce around Goofy’s house, as the house is made of a balloon-like substance. The Tokyo Disneyland attraction was eventually replaced by Goofy’s Paint ‘n’ Play House, which opened on August 24, 2012.

June 19

June 19, 1992 – The World According to Goofy Parade Kicks Off in Disneyland

“From the pyramids to politics, Goofy brought the hyucks to history.”

On June 19, 1992, the celebration parade The World According to Goofy kicked off in Disneyland. Celebrating the character’s 60th birthday, the parade takes important events in history and gives them a “Goofy” twist, including Cleopatra’s Egypt and the 4th of July. The parade ended its run on November 15, 1992.

May 14

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May 14, 2002 – The English Version of Kingdom Hearts is Announced

Kingdom Hearts is an epic tale of adventure, heroism and, ultimately, the sacrifice of what is held dearest for the greater good.”

On May 14, 2002, the English version of the popular Japanese game Kingdom Hearts was announced through public release. Created through a partnership with Square Co., Ltd., and Disney Interactive, the 3D role playing game introduces players to the character Sora who, alongside Donald and Goody, set off on a mission to find their friends and protect the Disney Castle; this was also the first game where multiple Disney characters and their worlds co-existed in one platform. The English cast of the game included Haley Joel Osment as Sora, David Gallagher as Riku, and Hayden Panettiere as Kairi.

January 5

January 5, 1951 – The Goofy Short Film Lion Down is Released to Theaters

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“Oh, the world owes me a living.”

On January 5, 1951, the Goofy short film Lion Down premiered in theaters. It was directed by Jack Kinney, with story by Milt Schaffer and Dick Kinney.

It’s a beautiful day, and Goofy is attempting to put his hammock, when he realizes he doesn’t have another tree with which to hook it up. As he lives on the roof of a tall apartment building, he sets out in his car to the nearby woods, where he decides to uproot a tree and take it home. He is unaware that there was a mountain lion asleep in that tree, and the mountain lion is given a rude awakening before he decides to follow Goofy home. Goofy quickly plants the tree and sets up his hammock, eager to take a nap. The doorbell rings, and as Goofy goes to answer the door, the mountain lion sneaks in and settles back into his tree. When the mountain lion spies the hammock, however, he decides he would rather sleep there, and decides to throw Goofy off the roof to claim the hammock. Goofy, however, quickly returns, pulling the same trick with the doorbell that the mountain lion played on him. The war between the two of them for the hammock quickly escalates, though at one point the mountain lion almost sabotages himself as the pair hang from one of the hammock ropes. The rope lets loose and the pair plummet to the ground, with the hammock acting as a parachute. The pair continue to fight in midair, until the doorbell rings, and Goofy heads up the fire escape to answer. The mountain lion hands Goofy back the hammock, but takes back his tree, leaving behind an acorn, which Goofy plants in anticipation of another tree with which to finally hang his hammock.

November 6

November 6, 1937 – Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy Appear in Collier’s Magazine

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“Why Your Car is Safe”

On November 6, 1937, the three Disney characters Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy appeared on the front cover of Collier’s Magazine. Collier’s was known as a magazine for social reform, and the article featuring the Disney characters was no different; Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were the illustration for the article “Why Your Car is Safe” by Captain Eddie V. Rickenbacker. The characters were used for all sorts of articles and advertisements around the 1930s, when they were in the height of their popularity.

October 31

October 31, 1952 – The Goofy Short Film Two Weeks Vacation is Released to Theaters

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“So long, slaves!”

On October 31, 1952, the Goofy short film Two Weeks Vacation premiered in theaters. It was directed by Jack Kinney, with story by Al Bertino.

The short begins with Goofy at work, looking at a map in preparation for his two weeks paid vacation. The moment he can get out of the office, he rushes at top speed, bidding farewell to his chained-to-the-desk coworkers. As he drives, he nearly crashes into a trailer, but manages to brake in time – only to have his tire burst. Goofy pulls into a nearby garage, though the mechanic “fixes” everything but the tire; when Goofy tries to get the tire fixed, the mechanic goes on vacation for two weeks. Goofy manages to fix the tire himself, and stops to pick up a local hitchhiker, who skips Goofy’s offer when he sees the state of the car. Goofy runs into more problems, as he is continually passed by the trailer he nearly crashed into earlier. Later that evening, as he searches for a motel, he finds himself out of gas and ends up chasing his car down a hill, but manages to find a place to stay for the night. However, his place is right next to a railroad track, and he decides to leave, driving late at night and nearly falling asleep at the wheel – and running into the trailer again. When he finds no one is actually driving the car pulling the trailer, he is shocked and is sent flying into the car when he tries to avoid it. He is then pulled over by a police officer, but finds relief for the night when he ends up sleeping in a jail cell.

September 23

September 23, 1949 – The Goofy Short Film Goofy Gymnastics is Released to Theaters

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“Don’t be a spineless weak-kneed no good nincompoop!”

On September 23, 1949, the Goofy short film Goofy Gymnastics premiered in theaters. A segment of this short was featured in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It was directed by Jack Kinney, with story by Dick Kinney.

The short begins with Goofy home from a day of work, exhausted. As he leafs through a magazine, he finds an advertisement for a workout program that promises fame, money, and fortune. He sends away for a home gym kit, and he quickly sets it up when it arrives. He starts with the barbell exercises first, but is unable to lift the weight and ends up hurting himself. When he finally is able to lift the barbell, a fly lands on him and sends him crashing through the floors of his building. He sets out to start the second exercise: chin-ups. He is able to do them, until it is revealed that he is moving the bar to meet his chin rather than the other way around. Goofy then moves on to the cable expanders, while ominous music plays in the background. He gets caught in the cables, which sends him flying around the room and destroying the equipment in the process. In the end, Goofy is tired to the point where he just falls asleep.