Goofy is one of the most identifiable Disney characters - but one viral conspiracy theory suggests we may have been totally wrong about what species he's actually meant to be.
Having watched Goofy and his friends Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Pluto for so many years, we thought we knew them all quite well.
However, an old Disney conspiracy theory about Goofy resurfaced thanks to a TikTok video by Myrna Nuarhpa, who claims claims Goofy is a cow, not a dog. Myrna reacts to a meme claiming that Goofy is a cow and just like many of us, she's totally shocked.
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One quick Google search will lead to dozens of theories, tweets and posts about Goofy. Judging by the comments responding to Myrna's TikTok, lots of people refused to believe that Goofy is a cow.
"Nope. I refuse to accept this. Goofy is a DOG", one person wrote.
A second commenter said: "Um cows don't look like that."
While a third said: "He is definitely a dog."
"Goofy is an anthropomorphic dog... whatever the hell that means," quipped another TikTok user.
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The theory, however, can be quickly disproved because Goofy was originally introduced in 1932 as 'Dippy Dawg' and the character was originally a much older dog. He was eventually re-imaged into the Goofy we all know and love today, and his full name is sometimes given as Goofus D. Dawg in reference to his former name.
Tyla spoke with Tom Sito, a former Walt Disney animator, animation historian and professor at the University of Southern California about Goofy's origins.
Tom animated Goofy in 1990'sThe Prince and the Pauper and he worked worked with Art Babbit, the Disney animator who "most defined the design and character of Goofy in the 1930s."
"In my opinion, the idea that Goofy was originally a cow is ridiculous," Tom said. "Goofy was originally a minor character named Dippy Dog in 1932, that Art Babbit, and later Jack Kinney and Woolie Reitherman took time to develop into a major star to equally Mickey and Donald.
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"There were second tier characters Clarabell Cow and Horace Horsecollar who were also in the shorts.
"I have never heard this cow theory until the other day. The idea that Goofy and Pluto can exist in the same world is no more unusual than when Donald served Thanksgiving turkey to his nephews."
And just in case you weren't fully convinced that Goofy is in fact a pooch, Bill Farmer, the man who has voiced the legendary character since 1987, spoke to Yahoo about Goofy and confirmed he is a type of canine.
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"He is not a dog. 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," he said, referencing Goofy's anthropomorphic qualities.
"I think Canis Goofus is the technical Latin term for what Goofy is. He's just Goofy."
Tyla has contacted Disney to find out more about Goofy's species.
Featured Image Credit: DisneyTopics: Disney, Really?, TikTok