Disney Fans Up in Arms As It’s Revealed Goofy Isn’t a Dog or Cow

It's a question that's plagued Disney fans for decades: What is Goofy, anyway? Many have assumed the beloved character is a dog—but if that's the case, why is he so different from Mickey Mouse's pup Pluto? Others have concluded that Goofy must be a cow, like his girlfriend, Clarabelle...but Goofy is missing Clarabelle's distinctive cow-like nose.

Now, actor Bill Farmer , who's been Goofy's voice since 1987, is opening up about what kind of animal Goofy really is—and people are having a hard time processing the information.

"He's not a dog," Farmer said on a recent episode of Australian hosts Leigh Livingstone and Tim Iffland 's Popcorn Podcast With Leigh and Tim . "But he's a canine. So it's kind of like a wolf is not a dog but it's a canine. Same thing. 'Goofus Canis,' that's what he is."

Fans couldn't get over the somewhat confusing revelation on Instagram, where E! News shared a post linking to an article about Farmer's remarks.

"Listen, imma need Disney to stop making stuff up we all have enough trauma in our lives," wrote one commenter.

"First Hello Kitty isn’t a cat… Now Goofy isn’t a dog…next Nemo won’t be a fish…" lamented a second Instagram user.

"Nope you ain’t ruining my childhood again with this nonsense Goofy a dog, hello kitty a kitty and that’s it can’t make me change my mind 🙄," declared a third person.

Related: Hello Kitty Turns 45! Here's Why the World's Most Famous Cat Means So Much to Me

This isn't the first time Farmer has offered the same basic explanation. In 2021, he tweeted , "Goofy is certainly not a cow! Neither is he a dog!"

According to the official Disney Parks blog , while an early version of the canine creature appeared in newspaper comic strips as Dippy Dawg, the character officially became "Goofy" in 1939 when the film Goofy & Wilbur was released.

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