Is Goofy A Dog?

Is Goofy a Dog? The beloved clumsy character was born in 1932. His orignal name was Dippy Dawg and in 1938 appeared in a book titled "The Story of Dippy The Goof". In 1939 he officially changed his name to Goofy after starring in the animated film Goofy and Wilbur. The name change was a genius marketing move for Goofy as he has become one of the most beloved Disney characters of all time and a member of Mickey's inner circle. Goofy has always been thought of as a "dog with human features" according to Disney's Mouselinks. However what the Mickey spin machine isn't telling you is the goofy is really an Aberdeen-Angus Cattle. A fact that Disney would love to cover -up based on the Goofy's national origin actually being anything but American. The fact is not controversial now, but in 1939 it would have been with American nationalism at a historic high. If Goofy's true heritage was exposed at that time, his career would be finished.

Goofy's full name is Dipalwa Dawala. Born in Scotland, Dipalwa is the son of Egyptian immigrants and comes from a long line of hornless cattle called Aberdeen-Angus cattle. Dipalwa came from a meager up bringing and was discovered by Disney talent scouts during a livestock sale in Scotland. The talent scouts noticed his raucous laugh and clumsy charm and convinced him to travel with them to America to be a part of a comedy team headed up by Mickey.

Once back at Disney headquarters, Dipalwa underwent extensive training. The Disney team worked with goofy on english but could not entirely eliminate his accent. To cover this up they trained him to adopt his trademark voice to cover up the hints of his Mideastern heritage. The marketing team saw the American public found dogs to be lovable and viewed cows as food. Because he was hornless, the Disney team decided they would market him as a dog and shorten his name to Dippy Dawg.

Although Dippy gained some fans with his debut book "The Story of Dippy the Goof", the response was underwhelming and left the Disney team split on his future. They tried again by changing his name to Goofy and gave him a starring role in the 1939 with the film "Goofy and Wilbur". Goofy was a hit. After starring in his own series of "How to" films such as "How to be a rock star" and "The Art of Skiing", his star seemed to be on the rise.

Goofy's career hung in the balance in the 1950's with the birth of his son Max. Goofy was being marketed as a dog one day during filming he met his true love Clarabelle the cow. Clarabelle was an up and coming actor at Disney and saw Goofy for what he was, a handsome Angus bull stud. Goofy was enamored with his new girlfriend and at the height of their romance, their son Max was born.

The Disney team was outraged. As The Walt Disney company was producing hit movies and planning to open a theme park in the 60's. They could ill afford to have a scandal that not only revealed that Goofy had a calf out of wedlock but that he was a cow. If this was exposed the public trust would be violated and the lines to by tickets to the disney blockbusters would diwindle. Goofy was quickly cast with his son with a dog wife in the short series Mr. Geef. After the failure of Mr. Geef, Goofy acted in small pieces and although his merchandise sales remained strong, took more of a production role with the Disney team to spend time with his young family.

In the 1990's goofy was back on the small screen with the introduction of "The Goof Troop" series. Goofy was delighted. He was able to spend time with his son and co-star Max and did not have to hide. Goofy, Max and Clarabelle were allowed to be together on set and things seemed to be getting easier of the Angus cow family. There was even talk of giving Clarabelle the role of Goofy's dog wife, Cuddles. The entire family was going to be on screen again until Clarabelle was suddnely stricken with Mad Cow disease.

Clarabelles illness forced the cancellation of "Goof Troop" so that Goofy could spend time with his ailing companion. Despite great risk to his own health, Goofy spent day and night with his love Clarabelle. It was said that Goofy was often up at all hours of the night chewing cud and waiting for Clara's fever to break. Miraculously, Clarabelle recovered but not before there son Max was stricken with the terrible disease. In 2000, Max lost his battle with Mad cow disease on a farm back in Northern Scotland. Goofy was devastated and most feared he would never return to acting again.

In 2006, Goofy and Clarabelle were offered roles on the new series Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Clarabelle was cast as a cow but Goofy was still playing the half dog, half human character he made famous over 70 years. Goofy and Clarabelle live happily in the Florida pan handle during shooting but return home to Scotland in the off-season. You can see Goofy and Clarabelle in the mornings on Disney Junior. The Disney chanel also re-runs his classic "How to.." shorts between episodes of the Disney Junior programs.

The Physical Evidence

The physical evidence of Goofy's bovine heritage is obvious. His buck teeth are rounded and flat. Both characteristics of a herbivore. His cow nose is larger than that of a dog with flaring nostrils like that of a cow. Remember he comes from a hornless breed of cattle so it would not be unusual for him not to have horns.

The Other Evidence

Goofy's love interest in the Mickey Mouse clubhouse is Clarabelle the Cow. The on-screen chemistry is obvious. Disney often couples characters with the opposite sex of the same species. Mickey and Mini, Donald and Daisey both follow this pattern. So why would the writers at Disney have Goofy and Clarabelle coupled up? Could it be an attempt to reward the cattle couple for their years of loyalty to the Disney brand?

Is this just a conspiracy theory or an extensive cover-up in the Disney corporation reaching all the way to the top? Has the lovable mouse been the mastermind behind the cattle controversy? You be the judge?