Bonjour! Are you ready for an Escargot McMuffin and a Wine McFlurry? Great, because it's time to visit Disneyland Paris at McDonald's!
Disneyland Paris opened in April of 1992, and back then it was known as Euro Disneyland. I've never been there, but I remember watching the Grand Opening on TV, hosted by Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith. This special mentioned some Coming Attractions, including a Little Mermaid ride and a Beauty and the Beast show (neither of which was built), Discovery Mountain (the French version of Space Mountain, which did open in 1995), and the Disney MGM Studios Europe (which transformed into the Walt Disney Studios Park that opened in 2002).
Euro Disneyland had a bumpy start, which led to the new name of Disneyland Paris and a change in plans. The park has been promoted at McDonald's locations in Europe a number of times over the years, and this 1997 3D Relief Map/Puzzle Disneyland Paris Happy Meal illustrates some of the early additions and French Twists.
The Disneyland Hotel is located right at the front entrance to the Disneyland Paris theme park. The Disneyland Paris resort also has other hotels on property, including Disney's Hotel New York, Disney's Newport Bay Club, Disney's Sequoia Lodge, Disney's Hotel Cheyenne, Disney's Hotel Santa Fe, and Disney's Davy Crockett Ranch.
The Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland Paris features the Liberty Arcade and the Discovery Arcade, covered walkways to protect visitors from rain and snow.
In France, Frontierland and Adventureland switched places. Big Thunder Mountain is located on an island, and the roller coaster trains run through a tunnel under the water to get to the Mountain.
Phantom Manor is a Western version of the Haunted Mansion, with a whole new story set in Frontierland's town of Thunder Mesa. This continues a tradition of having the Haunted Mansion in a different land in each park. At Disneyland in California, the Haunted Mansion is in New Orleans Square. At Walt Disney World, it is in Liberty Square. The version in Tokyo Disneyland is in Fantasyland. The upcoming Mystic Manor in Hong Kong Disneyland will be in a new area called Mystic Point.
There is no Splash Mountain at Disneyland Paris. There have been rumors for years about a completely different theme for a version of the attraction in France. Due to the cold winter months, perhaps it is not a priority. If it ever gets built, my guess is that it would have a Woody's Round-Up theme, and feature Jessie, Bullseye and Stinky Pete.
Exclusive to Adventureland at Disneyland Paris is Indiana Jones et le Temple du Peril (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril), which is the first looping roller coaster at a Disney park (check out the loop on the attraction in this park map piece). This mine cart ride opened in 1993 as part of an accelerated expansion plan to increase park capacity.
Adventureland is also home to Pirates of the Caribbean, La Cabane des Robinson (Swiss Family Treehouse), Adventure Isle (this park's answer to Tom Sawyer Island) and another 1993 addition, Le Passage Enchante d'Aladdin (Aladdin's Enchanted Passage Walkthrough). There's no Jungle Cruise here.
Adventureland has also been a rumored location for a version of Splash Mountain over the years. This may be a totally baseless rumor. At any rate, I'd love to see a Splash Mountain with characters and settings from The Jungle Book (I know Baloo and King Louie and their movie have been very popular in Europe).
The European Fairytale characters have "come home" to Fantasyland at Disneyland Paris. Here you'll find Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty Castle). Exclusive to Disneyland Paris is La Taniere du Dragon (The Dragon's Lair) and an elaborate hedge maze called Alice's Curious Labyrinth. Classic attractions include Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), Les Voyages de Pinocchio, Le Carrousel de Lancelot, It's a Small World, Peter Pan's Flight, the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups, and Dumbo The Flying Elephant (note that the Dumbo vehicles on this map are wearing goggles---the artist took some artistic license here).
In 1993, Fantasyland expanded with Les Pirouettes du Vieux Moulin, a ferris wheel based on the 1937 Disney short, "The Old Mill" (you can see it on this map). In 1994, Fantasyland added Le Pays de Contes de Fees (Storybook Land Canal Boats) and a mild roller coaster called Casey Jr., Le Petit Train du Cirque (Casey Jr. Circus Train).
Tomorrowland at Disneyland Paris is called Discoveryland, and is based on the works of Jules Verne. Discoveryland opened with the Orbitron, Autopia, Star Tours and Captain EO. In 1994, Les Mysteres du Nautilus "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" walk through opened.
Space Mountain: De la Terre a la Lune opened in 1995, and was based on Jules Verne's "From the Earth to the Moon." The attraction got a new theme ("Mission 2") in 2005. The Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast was new for Discoveryland in 2006.
Disneyland Paris had a big McDonald's promotion in Europe in 1995/1996.
Squeeze a plastic Disneyland Paris building, and it pops open to reveal a hidden Disney character.
Since Space Mountain was the big new attraction, it was naturally a big part of this promotion.
Here's another French Twist for you: This set was also sold at Blockbuster video stores in the United States. That's where this Donald Duck toy is from.
In 2001, Disneyland Paris celebrated with a Circus/Carnivale theme at McDonald's.
I like the pairing of Genie and Abu.
This McDonald's set is a mix of plush puppets and plastic action figures.
I wonder why they did not use Dumbo for this Happy Meal.
I think the Hippo is the funniest character in this set.
Wow, McDonald's in Europe sells "Fish Fingers." Do they sell Mincemeat pies along with the Apple and Cherry variety (and currently, Strawberry Creme) we see in the United States?
Bon Anniversaire, Disneyland Paris! I hope to visit you someday!
Dan Alexander Dizmentia is home to items related to Advertising Characters, Animation, Art, Disney, Oddities, Theme Parks and More!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Minnie Moo And Clarabelle Cow At Walt Disney World
Minnie Moo was an adorable cow that used to live at Walt Disney World in Florida. Couldn't you just eat her up with fries and a milkshake?
In 1988, Disney celebrated Mickey Mouse's 60th Birthday in a big way.
In addition to selling special merchandise featuring old friends like Clarabelle Cow, Walt Disney World opened a new land to host Mickey's party.
Mickey's Birthdayland brought the town of Duckburg to life, and was the place to visit Grandma Duck's Farm, Mickey's House, catch a live show, and meet the Mouse.
McDonald's had a Mickey's Birthdayland Happy Meal. I wonder why they didn't make a Clarabelle toy. Curious. Anyway, these toys were also available for years at The Disney Store.
These days, actress April Winchell provides the voice for Clarabelle Cow, and she is also the voice of the cows in the California Cheese ads on TV and on the radio (for which she has also been a writer).
April Winchell was also the voice of Mrs. Herman and infant Baby Herman in the 1988 movie, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." Roger used to appear regularly at Walt Disney World.
The animals that lived at Grandma Duck's Farm enjoyed thousands of people a day petting them in the blazing Florida sun. Hey, it was a better life than any other farm animal would ever get.
Donald Duck milks Minnie Moo while Clarabelle Cow daydreams about something.
Minnie Moo made her debut at Walt Disney World in 1990, about the time that Mickey's Birthdayland became Mickey's Starland.
Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horsecollar rarely ever appeared as plush toys, but in the beanie craze of the early 2000's, all sorts of Disney characters became bean bag toys.
Clarabelle Cow made her debut way back in 1928. When I was a little kid, I always thought her name was Clara Cowbell for some reason. Maybe because her boyfriend is Horace Horsecollar and not "Horace Horse."
When Splash Mountain was under construction, the train ran from Main Street to Mickey's Starland backwards. Or maybe it was the other way around?
Clarabelle Cow has been spotted in recent years on Main Street, which is kind of a big deal. Clarabelle had spent decades feeling too bashful to appear in public.
Maybe it was because most people didn't know who she was. As a kid, I only knew her as a background character. Clarabelle is more visible these days, and appears on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse TV show. I really like the voice April Winchell has given her.
Clarabelle loved the Jungle Cruise because she had a crush on one of the Wildebeest there.
Clarabelle did not care that the Wildebeest was a robot. After all, Clarabelle has a mechanical bull set up in her house.
Fantasyland is a favorite spot for Clarabelle, because she likes to pretend to be a princess.
Mickey's donkey never returned Clarabelle's phone calls, living up to his species' other name.
Clarabelle udderly loves getting cow-tipsy on Fantasyland attractions.
The Mad Cow Tea Party is Clarabelle's favorite Fantasyland experience.
Though she is not in the show, Clarabelle enjoys the "Mickey's Philharmagic"3D attraction in Fantasyland and its interactive effects.
Clarabelle auditioned for Philharmagic, but nobody liked her idea of her interactive effect of squirting milk at the audience. Before you freak out, know that it would have been milk coming out of her nose.
After a busy day at the Magic Kingdom, Clarabelle is ready to hit the beach.
No visit to the beach is complete until you see a cow in a snug swimsuit.
At Walt Disney World, Clarabelle goes surfing at Typhoon Lagoon.
Typhoon Lagoon opened in 1989, and was such a hit that another storm related water park called Blizzard Beach opened in 1995.
Clarabelle is no stranger to storms.
Clarabelle starred in the tornado cartoon "The Band Concert" in 1935. Well, "starred" is misleading. She was in the background.
During the beanie craze of the early 2000s, you could also find bean bag characters from The Band Concert.
The Band Concert is now the theme of an attraction at the California Adventure park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.
Silly Symphony Swings opened in 2010 at California Adventure's Paradise Pier.
Silly Symphony Swings originally operated as The Orange Stinger when California Adventure opened in 2001.
Cow Bells ring, are you listening?
During the cold winter months, Clarabelle earns extra money for presents by selling ice milk to busy shoppers.
It's time to go to Downtown Disney and get a jump on the holiday rush.
Horace enjoys getting shoes as gifts from Clarabelle, but he does not care for hearing that version of the song "Sleigh Ride" that uses the whip crack and horse whinny over and over again.
Clarabelle is actually a well known character outside of the United States.
Many obscure Disney characters are very popular in Japan.
In 2004, Clarabelle starred in The Three Musketeers with Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Pete.
Clarabelle was a villain in this story, but in the end she became a hero (and a love interest for Goofy).
I'd like to see Clarabelle paired up with the villain Taurus Bulba from the 1991 Darkwing Duck origin story, "Darkly Dawns the Duck."
Taurus Bulba was voiced by the great Tim Curry (of The Rocky Horror Picture Show fame). He was wonderful at making life difficult for Darkwing Duck (the versatile Jim Cummings).
I am proposing a new show called "Disney's Cash Cows." Clarabelle could be a famous Bollywood actress living on a ranch and dating business tycoon Taurus Bulba.
The Cash Cows cast would include Taurus Bulba's shady associates, including Clovis (Marcia Wallace), Hammerhead Hannigan (Hal Rayle) and Hoof and Mouth (Eddie Deezen).
Think of it as a spoof of those "Real Housewives of ..." reality shows but with a criminal element. And cows. Cartoon cows. And a Bollywood musical number in every episode.
In 1996, Mickey's Starland at Walt Disney World became Mickey's Toontown Fair.
Most of the Duckburg building facades were removed and Mickey's House was remodeled, transforming Mickey from City Mouse to Country Mouse.
Visitors to Mickey's Toontown Fair could tour Minnie's new House and splash around outside Donald Duck's Boat.
There's nothing quite like a Clarabelle Cow Pie. Tasty!
The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm roller coaster opened at the site of Grandma Duck's Farm.
The Barn remained, but Minnie Moo and her animal friends moooved elsewhere on Walt Disney World property.
Eventually, Scrooge McDuck and Donald Duck had to hit the road, too. Mickey's House, Minnie's House, Donald's Boat and the Duckburg elements of Birthdayland, Starland and Toontown Fair were removed so the new Storybook Circus could roll into town and stay in 2012.
An upgraded version of the popular Dumbo, The Flying Elephant attraction moved right next to Goofy's Barnstormer, which lost the barn altogether. Storybook Circus features all sorts of Disney characters, including the Three Little Pigs. Check out this vintage train reproduction, which shows early versions of Clarabelle, Horace, Mickey and the gang traveling in their Circus Train in style.
Clarabelle wants people to know that she is not a refreshment location, so if you meet her at a park, don't ask her for milk refills for your souvenir mug.
In 1988, Disney celebrated Mickey Mouse's 60th Birthday in a big way.
In addition to selling special merchandise featuring old friends like Clarabelle Cow, Walt Disney World opened a new land to host Mickey's party.
Mickey's Birthdayland brought the town of Duckburg to life, and was the place to visit Grandma Duck's Farm, Mickey's House, catch a live show, and meet the Mouse.
McDonald's had a Mickey's Birthdayland Happy Meal. I wonder why they didn't make a Clarabelle toy. Curious. Anyway, these toys were also available for years at The Disney Store.
These days, actress April Winchell provides the voice for Clarabelle Cow, and she is also the voice of the cows in the California Cheese ads on TV and on the radio (for which she has also been a writer).
April Winchell was also the voice of Mrs. Herman and infant Baby Herman in the 1988 movie, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." Roger used to appear regularly at Walt Disney World.
The animals that lived at Grandma Duck's Farm enjoyed thousands of people a day petting them in the blazing Florida sun. Hey, it was a better life than any other farm animal would ever get.
Donald Duck milks Minnie Moo while Clarabelle Cow daydreams about something.
Minnie Moo made her debut at Walt Disney World in 1990, about the time that Mickey's Birthdayland became Mickey's Starland.
Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horsecollar rarely ever appeared as plush toys, but in the beanie craze of the early 2000's, all sorts of Disney characters became bean bag toys.
Clarabelle Cow made her debut way back in 1928. When I was a little kid, I always thought her name was Clara Cowbell for some reason. Maybe because her boyfriend is Horace Horsecollar and not "Horace Horse."
When Splash Mountain was under construction, the train ran from Main Street to Mickey's Starland backwards. Or maybe it was the other way around?
Clarabelle Cow has been spotted in recent years on Main Street, which is kind of a big deal. Clarabelle had spent decades feeling too bashful to appear in public.
Maybe it was because most people didn't know who she was. As a kid, I only knew her as a background character. Clarabelle is more visible these days, and appears on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse TV show. I really like the voice April Winchell has given her.
Clarabelle loved the Jungle Cruise because she had a crush on one of the Wildebeest there.
Clarabelle did not care that the Wildebeest was a robot. After all, Clarabelle has a mechanical bull set up in her house.
Fantasyland is a favorite spot for Clarabelle, because she likes to pretend to be a princess.
Mickey's donkey never returned Clarabelle's phone calls, living up to his species' other name.
Clarabelle udderly loves getting cow-tipsy on Fantasyland attractions.
The Mad Cow Tea Party is Clarabelle's favorite Fantasyland experience.
Though she is not in the show, Clarabelle enjoys the "Mickey's Philharmagic"3D attraction in Fantasyland and its interactive effects.
Clarabelle auditioned for Philharmagic, but nobody liked her idea of her interactive effect of squirting milk at the audience. Before you freak out, know that it would have been milk coming out of her nose.
After a busy day at the Magic Kingdom, Clarabelle is ready to hit the beach.
No visit to the beach is complete until you see a cow in a snug swimsuit.
At Walt Disney World, Clarabelle goes surfing at Typhoon Lagoon.
Typhoon Lagoon opened in 1989, and was such a hit that another storm related water park called Blizzard Beach opened in 1995.
Clarabelle is no stranger to storms.
Clarabelle starred in the tornado cartoon "The Band Concert" in 1935. Well, "starred" is misleading. She was in the background.
During the beanie craze of the early 2000s, you could also find bean bag characters from The Band Concert.
The Band Concert is now the theme of an attraction at the California Adventure park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.
Silly Symphony Swings opened in 2010 at California Adventure's Paradise Pier.
Silly Symphony Swings originally operated as The Orange Stinger when California Adventure opened in 2001.
Cow Bells ring, are you listening?
During the cold winter months, Clarabelle earns extra money for presents by selling ice milk to busy shoppers.
It's time to go to Downtown Disney and get a jump on the holiday rush.
Horace enjoys getting shoes as gifts from Clarabelle, but he does not care for hearing that version of the song "Sleigh Ride" that uses the whip crack and horse whinny over and over again.
Clarabelle is actually a well known character outside of the United States.
Many obscure Disney characters are very popular in Japan.
In 2004, Clarabelle starred in The Three Musketeers with Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Pete.
Clarabelle was a villain in this story, but in the end she became a hero (and a love interest for Goofy).
I'd like to see Clarabelle paired up with the villain Taurus Bulba from the 1991 Darkwing Duck origin story, "Darkly Dawns the Duck."
Taurus Bulba was voiced by the great Tim Curry (of The Rocky Horror Picture Show fame). He was wonderful at making life difficult for Darkwing Duck (the versatile Jim Cummings).
I am proposing a new show called "Disney's Cash Cows." Clarabelle could be a famous Bollywood actress living on a ranch and dating business tycoon Taurus Bulba.
The Cash Cows cast would include Taurus Bulba's shady associates, including Clovis (Marcia Wallace), Hammerhead Hannigan (Hal Rayle) and Hoof and Mouth (Eddie Deezen).
Think of it as a spoof of those "Real Housewives of ..." reality shows but with a criminal element. And cows. Cartoon cows. And a Bollywood musical number in every episode.
In 1996, Mickey's Starland at Walt Disney World became Mickey's Toontown Fair.
Most of the Duckburg building facades were removed and Mickey's House was remodeled, transforming Mickey from City Mouse to Country Mouse.
Visitors to Mickey's Toontown Fair could tour Minnie's new House and splash around outside Donald Duck's Boat.
There's nothing quite like a Clarabelle Cow Pie. Tasty!
The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm roller coaster opened at the site of Grandma Duck's Farm.
The Barn remained, but Minnie Moo and her animal friends moooved elsewhere on Walt Disney World property.
Eventually, Scrooge McDuck and Donald Duck had to hit the road, too. Mickey's House, Minnie's House, Donald's Boat and the Duckburg elements of Birthdayland, Starland and Toontown Fair were removed so the new Storybook Circus could roll into town and stay in 2012.
An upgraded version of the popular Dumbo, The Flying Elephant attraction moved right next to Goofy's Barnstormer, which lost the barn altogether. Storybook Circus features all sorts of Disney characters, including the Three Little Pigs. Check out this vintage train reproduction, which shows early versions of Clarabelle, Horace, Mickey and the gang traveling in their Circus Train in style.
Clarabelle wants people to know that she is not a refreshment location, so if you meet her at a park, don't ask her for milk refills for your souvenir mug.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Disney's Wuzzles: Bumblelions And T-Mobile Ads And Butterbears, Oh My!
Disney's 1985 CBS Saturday Morning series "The Wuzzles" may have only lasted one season, but it is far from forgotten. In fact, the characters continue to appear on TV and in the movies. You just may not have noticed.
The Wuzzles was one of the first shows created by Walt Disney Television Animation, and it was better than it needed to be. The series was based on a toy line that Disney developed with the Hasbro toy company.
The Wuzzles lived in the land of Wuz and were two animals in one. "They got originality, living with a split personality." The fun, nonsensical, fantasy stories were narrated by Stan Freberg.
The main Wuzzles included Bumblelion (bee/lion, voiced by Brian Cummings---another lion named Lionel, voiced by Jim Cummings, appeared on the Dumbo's Circus TV show in 1985), Butterbear (butterfly/bear, voiced by Kathleen Helppie---who later became a producer at Warner Brothers named Kathleen Helppie-Shipley), Hoppopotamus (rabbit/hippo, voiced by Joanne Worley), Rhinokey (rhino/monkey, voiced by Alan Oppenheimer), Eleroo (elephant/rabbit, voiced by Henry Gibson) and Moosel (moose/seal, voiced by Bill Scott).
Visitors to Disneyland in the Eighties could meet The Wuzzles in person and see them in parades. At some point, The Wuzzles characters were evicted from Disneyland, and found themselves available for rent. The Wuzzles have been seen in a number of non-Disney commercials, movies and TV shows, including the Fox series "Grounded For Life" starring Donal Logue and Megyn Price.
Bumblelion can be seen in T-Mobile's 2012 "Bring The Game To You With T-Mobile TV" commercial.
Bumblelion has had a bit of cosmetic work (sometimes his antennae have been removed) and costume changes over the years for his different roles in commercials, TV shows and films.
I also remember seeing a Rhinokey plush toy on at least one episode of the TV show "Roseanne."
The story and voice work for the TV show was done in California, but the actual animation production for The Wuzzles was handled by TMS Entertainment (Tokyo Movie Shinsha) in Japan. TMS is well-known in the animation industry, and later worked on shows like "Tiny Toon Adventures" and "Animaniacs!" for Warner Brothers.
I thought the villains (Croc, Flizzard and Brat) were the best characters in the Wuzzles universe. I don't think they appeared on any merchandise. Maybe because they were a little scary. That's why I liked them so much.
The artwork in this comic book story is really impressive, and unfortunately, sort of uncredited. Note that even in the land of Wuz, there are dog-faced "background characters" so often used in Disney comics.
The Wuzzles debuted on CBS in the Fall of 1985. Their competition on NBC was Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears. The Gummi Bears won that fight, and The Wuzzles were done. Or so we thought.
The Smurfs and Alvin and the Chipmunks recently returned to movie theaters. A Fraggle Rock movie has been in the works for years, and ALF and Don Johnson never really left. Maybe someday we'll see a return of Disney's Gummi Bears.
The Wuzzles have successfully infiltrated movies and TV shows made by rival studios and in multiple commercials that you only subliminally noticed. You thought The Wuzzles were cute and innocent. You were wrong! I bet the Wuzzles are plotting their return to TV and the big screen right now.
The Wuzzles was one of the first shows created by Walt Disney Television Animation, and it was better than it needed to be. The series was based on a toy line that Disney developed with the Hasbro toy company.
The Wuzzles lived in the land of Wuz and were two animals in one. "They got originality, living with a split personality." The fun, nonsensical, fantasy stories were narrated by Stan Freberg.
The main Wuzzles included Bumblelion (bee/lion, voiced by Brian Cummings---another lion named Lionel, voiced by Jim Cummings, appeared on the Dumbo's Circus TV show in 1985), Butterbear (butterfly/bear, voiced by Kathleen Helppie---who later became a producer at Warner Brothers named Kathleen Helppie-Shipley), Hoppopotamus (rabbit/hippo, voiced by Joanne Worley), Rhinokey (rhino/monkey, voiced by Alan Oppenheimer), Eleroo (elephant/rabbit, voiced by Henry Gibson) and Moosel (moose/seal, voiced by Bill Scott).
Visitors to Disneyland in the Eighties could meet The Wuzzles in person and see them in parades. At some point, The Wuzzles characters were evicted from Disneyland, and found themselves available for rent. The Wuzzles have been seen in a number of non-Disney commercials, movies and TV shows, including the Fox series "Grounded For Life" starring Donal Logue and Megyn Price.
Bumblelion can be seen in T-Mobile's 2012 "Bring The Game To You With T-Mobile TV" commercial.
Bumblelion has had a bit of cosmetic work (sometimes his antennae have been removed) and costume changes over the years for his different roles in commercials, TV shows and films.
I also remember seeing a Rhinokey plush toy on at least one episode of the TV show "Roseanne."
The story and voice work for the TV show was done in California, but the actual animation production for The Wuzzles was handled by TMS Entertainment (Tokyo Movie Shinsha) in Japan. TMS is well-known in the animation industry, and later worked on shows like "Tiny Toon Adventures" and "Animaniacs!" for Warner Brothers.
I thought the villains (Croc, Flizzard and Brat) were the best characters in the Wuzzles universe. I don't think they appeared on any merchandise. Maybe because they were a little scary. That's why I liked them so much.
The artwork in this comic book story is really impressive, and unfortunately, sort of uncredited. Note that even in the land of Wuz, there are dog-faced "background characters" so often used in Disney comics.
The Wuzzles debuted on CBS in the Fall of 1985. Their competition on NBC was Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears. The Gummi Bears won that fight, and The Wuzzles were done. Or so we thought.
The Smurfs and Alvin and the Chipmunks recently returned to movie theaters. A Fraggle Rock movie has been in the works for years, and ALF and Don Johnson never really left. Maybe someday we'll see a return of Disney's Gummi Bears.
The Wuzzles have successfully infiltrated movies and TV shows made by rival studios and in multiple commercials that you only subliminally noticed. You thought The Wuzzles were cute and innocent. You were wrong! I bet the Wuzzles are plotting their return to TV and the big screen right now.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Mrs. Goofy And The Attack Of The Dog People From Planet Pluto
One of the biggest Disney mysteries of all time is the identity of Goofy's wife. One working theory is that Mrs. Goofy is a character named Glory-Bee, a humanoid canine character from the Disney Comics in the Seventies.
Here is proof that Goofy is truly a dog:
Nine months later, Max was born.
Yes, this was taken out of context. Goofy really called Glory-Bee on the telephone. But Goofy's original name was Dippy Dawg, so that answers that "What is Goofy?" question.
Glory-Bee seemed to work well as a romantic interest for Goofy, but it is easy to see why she would get frustrated and leave him.
In comic books in the Seventies, Goofy had an alter ego named Super Goof.
I miss this baggy-pants, slightly overweight version of Goofy.
Even though Goofy has had a son since the early 1950s (introduced in the 1951 short, "Fathers Are People"), the character was not used (to my knowledge) in the comic books. Goofy was paired up with his brainy nephew Gilbert in the Super Goof series.
My guess is that Goofy Junior was not used in the comics because the character was not endearing to audiences (in the cartoon shorts, the red-headed offspring of Goofy seemed to be created only to cause conflict for the Goof).
Another dog-faced Disney character named The Sleuth appeared in the Seventies. The Sleuth worked with Mickey Mouse to thwart a bad guy named The Armadillo, a henchman for the crafty Professor Nefarious.
Clarabelle Cow often appeared in comic books with Goofy, and in some older stories, she dated him.
The Beagle Boys made life difficult for Donald Duck's Uncle Scrooge for years in the comics, and then on the "DuckTales" syndicated animated series that debuted in 1987. Before that, Goofy appeared with Scrooge McDuck, Huey, Dewey and Louie and the Beagle Boys in "Sport Goofy in Soccermania," which included a zoo full of animal soccer players that seemed to be based on characters from Disney's Bedknobs and Broomsticks movies. Soccermania also included a brief cameo of an early version of Roger Rabbit (in a crowd scene).
In Disney animation, a prisoner named Mad Dog can be chased down by dog-faced cops and their police dogs on leashes.
Before the days of the Internet, I used to write letters all the time. I wrote to Walt Disney Television Animation and got a response from a very nice artist there named Wendell Washer, who at the time was working on Goof Troop. He even drew me a small picture of Max and PJ, so I got a sneak preview of what they would look like back in February of 1992.
Goof Troop first had a "sneak peek" run on The Disney Channel in the Spring of 1992, then it aired in syndication and on ABC in the Fall of 1992.
For Goof Troop, Walt Disney Television Animation revived the idea of Goofy having a son, and redesigned Goofy Junior into a more appealing character named Max. The idea of Pete having a son was also not new. Pete Junior first appeared in the 1942 Donald Duck short, "Bellboy Donald." Pete Junior (PJ) got an extreme makeover for Goof Troop.
Early Development Art for Goof Troop reveals that an older version of the red-headed Goofy Junior from the classic Goofy theatrical cartoons had been planned for the series at some point.
The name Goof Troop suggests a show about a bunch of scouts lead by Goofy, and that is what the original concept for the series was (originally called Goofy Troopers). The wilderness scouting idea was thrown out in favor of a neighborhood sitcom, with neighbor Bad Pete, new characters Peg and Pistol, and a redesigned Pete Junior (a very different Pete Junior appears in the Donald Duck cartoon Bellboy Donald).
Single Dad Goofy (voiced by Bill Farmer) and Max (the late Dana Hill, who played Audrey in "National Lampoon's European Vacation") live next door to Pete (Jim Cummings), the very first animated Disney Villain (here he's a used car salesman). Pete has a wife named Peg (April Winchell), a son named PJ (Rob Paulsen) and a daughter named Pistol (Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson). Mrs. Goofy was never mentioned.
For many years, people have asked "What is Goofy?" and an equal number have probably wondered "What is Pete?" When Pete first appeared with Mickey Mouse, he was clearly a cat, but in later appearances, Pete looked more like a wolf or a dog. These days, Pete is now called "Pete the Cat" on the "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" TV show.
In the United States, Burger King promoted Goof Troop in October of 1992.
The Burger King Kids Club Kids enjoyed watching Goof Troop weekdays on The Disney Afternoon and Saturday Mornings on ABC.
Whatever happened to the Burger King Kids Club Kids? Hopefully they are successful doctors and lawyers now, and not in rehab. With child stars, you just never know.
Poor original, red-headed Goofy Junior was replaced by Max just like Sarah Chalke replaced Lecy Goranson as the character Becky on the TV show "Roseanne." But wait, Lecy Goranson returned to that show. For a time, there were two Beckys! Well, the original, red-headed Goofy Junior DID have a cameo appearance many years later in a 2000 Goofy cartoon called "How to Be a Baseball Fan" on Disney's House of Mouse TV series.
Max and PJ share some Halloween tips with us, and show off Burger King's Goof Troop toys.
Look, we also get a peek at the toys from Disney's new movie, Aladdin. I bet you that movie is going to do really well.
Burger King's vinyl, pull-back Goof Troop bowling toys look like they were based on the Disney News magazine's "Suitable For Framing" artwork.
Max is just a pawn in the game of Goofy's career. The character shows up or ages as needed to give Goofy different stories. A version of Max that is even younger than his Goof Troop appearance can be found in the 1999 movie "Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas." For the 2004 sequel, "Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas", Max is a young adult.
Have you ever wondered what a musical stage show version of Goof Troop would look like? It would be like the "Cats" musical but with dog-faced people on the set of "In Living Color." Check out the "Gotta Be Gettin' Goofy" music video seen at the end of Goof Troop VHS tapes.
I would actually like to see a CGI Goof Troop animated comedy movie. I think it could be a big hit.
For 1995, Goofy got his own movie (written by Jymn Magon), and it went through a few title changes. It was known as "The Goofiest Movie Ever" and then "The Goofy Movie" and then finally "A Goofy Movie." The movie stars Goofy, Max, Pete and PJ, but it is quite different from Goof Troop. Characters not featured include Peg, Pistol, Waffles (Goofy's cat) and Chainsaw (the Pete family's pet dog). The setting was changed, the characters were aged and all were redesigned.
In A Goofy Movie (directed by Kevin Lima, who later directed "Tarzan" for Disney), Max is a teenager (voiced by Jason Marsden). New characters include Roxanne (Kellie Martin), Bobby (Pauly Shore), Stacey (Jenna von Oy), and Chad (Joey Lawrence). Plush toys of Goofy and Max were sold at Big Lots, but I don't believe the Roxanne doll was actually ever produced in large quantities.
Max (dressed as Powerline), Roxanne (with hair!), Bigfoot (with stamper feet) and Goofy (about to do the Perfect Cast) were featured in a big McDonald's Happy Meal in Europe and other countries outside the United States.
Bigfoot (with a dog nose) is my favorite character in the film.
I believe this skateboarding Max toy was part of A Goofy Movie promotion at restaurants in Disneyland Paris in France.
A Goofy Movie was created by Walt Disney Television Animation, with animation production taking place at Disney's Animation Studios in France and Australia (both studios closed down years ago). Jenna von Oy hosted a great "Making of A Goofy Movie" special, which featured interviews with artists like Nancy Beiman about the process of bringing the characters to life.
A Goofy Movie did well at the box office, but it really found a life of its own when it was released on video, and later on TV.
With its humor and high-energy songs (like Tevin Campbell's "Eye 2 Eye" concert performance) the tone of A Goofy Movie was a very different kind of Disney cartoon feature for its time.
A warning to fans of Goof Troop and A Goofy Movie: Your head may explode in a minute. Here is a Goof Troop comic from a 1995 Disney Adventures Magazine that stars characters from A Goofy Movie. Say what?!?!
The cynic in me knows that this was only done to promote the video release of A Goofy Movie.
Goofy and Pete are not in this story.
In case you wondered, Peg and Pistol are not in this story, either.
Waffles and Chainsaw are absent, too.
I guess if the movie had been popular enough, more episodes of Goof Troop would have been made with these characters.
I have to say I went to see A Goofy Movie in theaters with low expectations. I ended up really enjoying it. I thought it was better than Goof Troop.
A Goofy Movie did well enough for a DVD sequel. Roxanne and Stacey must have shared the same agent as Peg and Pistol, because they were were written out of the series. Roxanne did appear later in a Season 2 episode of Disney's House of Mouse TV show.
An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000) followed the adventures of Max and Goofy in college. The only new character from A Goofy Movie to make it to the sequel was Bobby.
Goofy got a new love interest named Sylvia (voiced by Bebe Neuwirth, AKA Lilith Crane on "Cheers" and "Frazier"). By day, Sylvia was a shy librarian who shared Goofy's interest in all things related to the Seventies.
McDonald's had an Extremely Goofy Movie Happy Meal, featuring launch toys that connected to form a "stadium."
The highlight of this movie was the "Shake Your Groove Thing" nightclub number, with Goofy and Sylvia dancing the night away.
In 2004, The Beagle Boys were henchmen to Pete in the Mickey Mouse feature, "The Three Musketeers." Notice Pete's cat motif furnishings in the background.
Clarabelle Cow was Pete's sidekick here. This was something of a Goof Troop reunion, since April Winchell provided the voice of Clarabelle and was Peg in Goof Troop. The Troubadour Turtle was voiced by Rob Paulsen, who played Pete and Peg's son, PJ.
Clarabelle Cow was Goofy's love interest in The Three Musketeers, reviving their old comic book relationship.
For most of her animated career, Clarabelle was paired up with Horace Horsecollar (who, like Goofy and Pluto, is voiced by Bill Farmer).
In the upcoming science fiction adventure "The Attack of the Dog People from Planet Pluto" a race of alien canine people discovers a test subject dog in a space craft from Earth that has landed on their planet, Pluto. The Plutonians seek revenge on Earthlings by taking control of Earth's dog population and turning them against humans.
That movie I made up doesn't actually exist (yet!) but Disney did make the 2002 intergalactic film "Treasure Planet" which featured a dog-like scientist named Dr. Doppler (voiced by "Frazier" star David Hyde Pierce) and the cat-like Captain Amelia (voiced by Emma Thompson). The squabbling duo ended up getting married in the movie.
I think The Attack of the Dog People From Planet Pluto could be the next Planet of the Apes.
Should it be all CGI characters or costumes and makeup on actors? I'm not sure.
So how is it that Goofy wears clothes and drives a car, and Pluto can't? Because it's a cartoon.
Sometimes, even for high-priced collectibles, Goofy can't hide his original persona of Dippy Dawg.
So we still don't really know who Mrs. Goofy is. Maybe we'll find out her identity in A Goofy Movie 3: Goofy About Family Health History.
Here is proof that Goofy is truly a dog:
Nine months later, Max was born.
Yes, this was taken out of context. Goofy really called Glory-Bee on the telephone. But Goofy's original name was Dippy Dawg, so that answers that "What is Goofy?" question.
Glory-Bee seemed to work well as a romantic interest for Goofy, but it is easy to see why she would get frustrated and leave him.
In comic books in the Seventies, Goofy had an alter ego named Super Goof.
I miss this baggy-pants, slightly overweight version of Goofy.
Even though Goofy has had a son since the early 1950s (introduced in the 1951 short, "Fathers Are People"), the character was not used (to my knowledge) in the comic books. Goofy was paired up with his brainy nephew Gilbert in the Super Goof series.
My guess is that Goofy Junior was not used in the comics because the character was not endearing to audiences (in the cartoon shorts, the red-headed offspring of Goofy seemed to be created only to cause conflict for the Goof).
Another dog-faced Disney character named The Sleuth appeared in the Seventies. The Sleuth worked with Mickey Mouse to thwart a bad guy named The Armadillo, a henchman for the crafty Professor Nefarious.
Clarabelle Cow often appeared in comic books with Goofy, and in some older stories, she dated him.
The Beagle Boys made life difficult for Donald Duck's Uncle Scrooge for years in the comics, and then on the "DuckTales" syndicated animated series that debuted in 1987. Before that, Goofy appeared with Scrooge McDuck, Huey, Dewey and Louie and the Beagle Boys in "Sport Goofy in Soccermania," which included a zoo full of animal soccer players that seemed to be based on characters from Disney's Bedknobs and Broomsticks movies. Soccermania also included a brief cameo of an early version of Roger Rabbit (in a crowd scene).
In Disney animation, a prisoner named Mad Dog can be chased down by dog-faced cops and their police dogs on leashes.
Before the days of the Internet, I used to write letters all the time. I wrote to Walt Disney Television Animation and got a response from a very nice artist there named Wendell Washer, who at the time was working on Goof Troop. He even drew me a small picture of Max and PJ, so I got a sneak preview of what they would look like back in February of 1992.
Goof Troop first had a "sneak peek" run on The Disney Channel in the Spring of 1992, then it aired in syndication and on ABC in the Fall of 1992.
For Goof Troop, Walt Disney Television Animation revived the idea of Goofy having a son, and redesigned Goofy Junior into a more appealing character named Max. The idea of Pete having a son was also not new. Pete Junior first appeared in the 1942 Donald Duck short, "Bellboy Donald." Pete Junior (PJ) got an extreme makeover for Goof Troop.
Early Development Art for Goof Troop reveals that an older version of the red-headed Goofy Junior from the classic Goofy theatrical cartoons had been planned for the series at some point.
The name Goof Troop suggests a show about a bunch of scouts lead by Goofy, and that is what the original concept for the series was (originally called Goofy Troopers). The wilderness scouting idea was thrown out in favor of a neighborhood sitcom, with neighbor Bad Pete, new characters Peg and Pistol, and a redesigned Pete Junior (a very different Pete Junior appears in the Donald Duck cartoon Bellboy Donald).
Single Dad Goofy (voiced by Bill Farmer) and Max (the late Dana Hill, who played Audrey in "National Lampoon's European Vacation") live next door to Pete (Jim Cummings), the very first animated Disney Villain (here he's a used car salesman). Pete has a wife named Peg (April Winchell), a son named PJ (Rob Paulsen) and a daughter named Pistol (Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson). Mrs. Goofy was never mentioned.
For many years, people have asked "What is Goofy?" and an equal number have probably wondered "What is Pete?" When Pete first appeared with Mickey Mouse, he was clearly a cat, but in later appearances, Pete looked more like a wolf or a dog. These days, Pete is now called "Pete the Cat" on the "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" TV show.
In the United States, Burger King promoted Goof Troop in October of 1992.
The Burger King Kids Club Kids enjoyed watching Goof Troop weekdays on The Disney Afternoon and Saturday Mornings on ABC.
Whatever happened to the Burger King Kids Club Kids? Hopefully they are successful doctors and lawyers now, and not in rehab. With child stars, you just never know.
Poor original, red-headed Goofy Junior was replaced by Max just like Sarah Chalke replaced Lecy Goranson as the character Becky on the TV show "Roseanne." But wait, Lecy Goranson returned to that show. For a time, there were two Beckys! Well, the original, red-headed Goofy Junior DID have a cameo appearance many years later in a 2000 Goofy cartoon called "How to Be a Baseball Fan" on Disney's House of Mouse TV series.
Max and PJ share some Halloween tips with us, and show off Burger King's Goof Troop toys.
Look, we also get a peek at the toys from Disney's new movie, Aladdin. I bet you that movie is going to do really well.
Burger King's vinyl, pull-back Goof Troop bowling toys look like they were based on the Disney News magazine's "Suitable For Framing" artwork.
Max is just a pawn in the game of Goofy's career. The character shows up or ages as needed to give Goofy different stories. A version of Max that is even younger than his Goof Troop appearance can be found in the 1999 movie "Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas." For the 2004 sequel, "Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas", Max is a young adult.
Have you ever wondered what a musical stage show version of Goof Troop would look like? It would be like the "Cats" musical but with dog-faced people on the set of "In Living Color." Check out the "Gotta Be Gettin' Goofy" music video seen at the end of Goof Troop VHS tapes.
I would actually like to see a CGI Goof Troop animated comedy movie. I think it could be a big hit.
For 1995, Goofy got his own movie (written by Jymn Magon), and it went through a few title changes. It was known as "The Goofiest Movie Ever" and then "The Goofy Movie" and then finally "A Goofy Movie." The movie stars Goofy, Max, Pete and PJ, but it is quite different from Goof Troop. Characters not featured include Peg, Pistol, Waffles (Goofy's cat) and Chainsaw (the Pete family's pet dog). The setting was changed, the characters were aged and all were redesigned.
In A Goofy Movie (directed by Kevin Lima, who later directed "Tarzan" for Disney), Max is a teenager (voiced by Jason Marsden). New characters include Roxanne (Kellie Martin), Bobby (Pauly Shore), Stacey (Jenna von Oy), and Chad (Joey Lawrence). Plush toys of Goofy and Max were sold at Big Lots, but I don't believe the Roxanne doll was actually ever produced in large quantities.
Max (dressed as Powerline), Roxanne (with hair!), Bigfoot (with stamper feet) and Goofy (about to do the Perfect Cast) were featured in a big McDonald's Happy Meal in Europe and other countries outside the United States.
Bigfoot (with a dog nose) is my favorite character in the film.
I believe this skateboarding Max toy was part of A Goofy Movie promotion at restaurants in Disneyland Paris in France.
A Goofy Movie was created by Walt Disney Television Animation, with animation production taking place at Disney's Animation Studios in France and Australia (both studios closed down years ago). Jenna von Oy hosted a great "Making of A Goofy Movie" special, which featured interviews with artists like Nancy Beiman about the process of bringing the characters to life.
A Goofy Movie did well at the box office, but it really found a life of its own when it was released on video, and later on TV.
With its humor and high-energy songs (like Tevin Campbell's "Eye 2 Eye" concert performance) the tone of A Goofy Movie was a very different kind of Disney cartoon feature for its time.
A warning to fans of Goof Troop and A Goofy Movie: Your head may explode in a minute. Here is a Goof Troop comic from a 1995 Disney Adventures Magazine that stars characters from A Goofy Movie. Say what?!?!
The cynic in me knows that this was only done to promote the video release of A Goofy Movie.
Goofy and Pete are not in this story.
In case you wondered, Peg and Pistol are not in this story, either.
Waffles and Chainsaw are absent, too.
I guess if the movie had been popular enough, more episodes of Goof Troop would have been made with these characters.
I have to say I went to see A Goofy Movie in theaters with low expectations. I ended up really enjoying it. I thought it was better than Goof Troop.
A Goofy Movie did well enough for a DVD sequel. Roxanne and Stacey must have shared the same agent as Peg and Pistol, because they were were written out of the series. Roxanne did appear later in a Season 2 episode of Disney's House of Mouse TV show.
An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000) followed the adventures of Max and Goofy in college. The only new character from A Goofy Movie to make it to the sequel was Bobby.
Goofy got a new love interest named Sylvia (voiced by Bebe Neuwirth, AKA Lilith Crane on "Cheers" and "Frazier"). By day, Sylvia was a shy librarian who shared Goofy's interest in all things related to the Seventies.
McDonald's had an Extremely Goofy Movie Happy Meal, featuring launch toys that connected to form a "stadium."
The highlight of this movie was the "Shake Your Groove Thing" nightclub number, with Goofy and Sylvia dancing the night away.
In 2004, The Beagle Boys were henchmen to Pete in the Mickey Mouse feature, "The Three Musketeers." Notice Pete's cat motif furnishings in the background.
Clarabelle Cow was Pete's sidekick here. This was something of a Goof Troop reunion, since April Winchell provided the voice of Clarabelle and was Peg in Goof Troop. The Troubadour Turtle was voiced by Rob Paulsen, who played Pete and Peg's son, PJ.
Clarabelle Cow was Goofy's love interest in The Three Musketeers, reviving their old comic book relationship.
For most of her animated career, Clarabelle was paired up with Horace Horsecollar (who, like Goofy and Pluto, is voiced by Bill Farmer).
In the upcoming science fiction adventure "The Attack of the Dog People from Planet Pluto" a race of alien canine people discovers a test subject dog in a space craft from Earth that has landed on their planet, Pluto. The Plutonians seek revenge on Earthlings by taking control of Earth's dog population and turning them against humans.
That movie I made up doesn't actually exist (yet!) but Disney did make the 2002 intergalactic film "Treasure Planet" which featured a dog-like scientist named Dr. Doppler (voiced by "Frazier" star David Hyde Pierce) and the cat-like Captain Amelia (voiced by Emma Thompson). The squabbling duo ended up getting married in the movie.
I think The Attack of the Dog People From Planet Pluto could be the next Planet of the Apes.
Should it be all CGI characters or costumes and makeup on actors? I'm not sure.
So how is it that Goofy wears clothes and drives a car, and Pluto can't? Because it's a cartoon.
Sometimes, even for high-priced collectibles, Goofy can't hide his original persona of Dippy Dawg.
So we still don't really know who Mrs. Goofy is. Maybe we'll find out her identity in A Goofy Movie 3: Goofy About Family Health History.