The Goof Troop Always Sticks Together

The animated Disney TV series "Goof Troop" previewed on The Disney Channel in Spring of 1992 before heading to The Disney Afternoon in syndication and Saturday mornings on ABC later in the Fall.  The show starred Goofy (Bill Farmer) as the father of a wild son named Max (the late Dana Hill, who played Audrey in "National Lampoon's European Vacation").  Goofy, Max, and their cat, Waffles (Frank Welker, meowing) lived in a town called Spoonerville.  Goofy's next door neighbor was longtime Disney villain Pete (Jim Cummings) here cast as a used car salesman.  Pete has had lots of different names over the years, like Peg Leg Pete and Pistol Pete.  Walt Disney TV Animation had some fun with that, and named Pete's wife Peg (April Winchell, famous for voicing Baby Herman and Mrs. Herman in the Roger Rabbit films), and his daughter Pistol (Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson).  Pete's pudgy son, PJ (Rob Paulsen, "Mr. Opportunity" on the Honda commercials), also happened to be Max's best friend.  The Pete family also had a dog named Chainsaw (Frank Welker, barking).

As Disney Animation fans know, the idea of Goofy with a son was not new.  Goofy had a red-headed son named Junior in quite a few cartoons in the 1950s, like the 1951 short, "Fathers Are People."  Pete had a son in the 1942 Donald Duck cartoon, "Bellboy Donald."  The kids in those shorts were brats, so luckily they were revamped for "Goof Troop."

Goofy and some of the "Goof Troop" cast later starred in  "A Goofy Movie" and other projects.

Merchandise for "Goof Troop" was kind of rare.  These Gibson Greetings stickers are from 1992, but I think I got them in 1994.  I like the character designs used here, which are a little different from the TV show.

These days, you can find CGI versions of Goofy and Pete (now called Pete the Cat) on the Disney Channel's "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse."  Bill Farmer is still the voice of Goofy and Jim Cummings is still the voice of Pete.  On this series, vintage Disney character Clarabelle Cow is voiced by April Winchell.