July 6, 2012

Location: Goofy's Candy Co., Downtown Disney

We all know the Fab Five: Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Pluto and Minnie quite well. They all have their distinct personalities that truly makes them who they are. The amazing thing is that Goofy is the only one named after this most recognizable trait: he's goofy!

Goofy has had one of the most diverse and fulfilling careers of any member of the Fab Five. He started off as Dippy Dawg, an audience member during the short cartoon Mickey's Revue. All the other people in the area were frustrated with his laugh and would eventually hit him with a mallet. That was meant to be his entire lifespan as a cartoon character. However, something unbelievable happened.

Audience members ate up the Dippy Dawg character and he began to make more and more appearances in Mickey Mouse short cartoons and would eventually be renamed Goofy. During his eighty year career (as of this year) Goofy has starred in How to Shorts, different films (Saludos Amigos and Fun and Fancy Free), and has even been the host of attractions like The Barnstormer.

If you grew up in the late 1980's/early 1990s, like I did, you most likely wouldn't associate Goofy with any of these other projects. Instead you would think back to Goofy's time in Spoonerville as a father to the one and only Max. And with that giant ramble in mind, it's time to focus on our Fun Find Friday for the week!

While walking around any shop or restaurant on Disney property you will find all the staples of a typical store or restaurant anywhere else in the world (for safety and health code reasons), but there is one item you should pay extra special attention to next time. There is always a spot somewhere, often in a very obscure section, where a sign informs guests and Cast Members how many people can come into the shop. I'm sure you've seen the signs pointing out the maximum occupancy.

While all the stores on Disney property clearly call this the Maximum Occupancy, Goofy's Candy Co. does things a little bit differently. Keeping in mind that starting back in 1992 audiences learned all about Goofy's son Max the Maximum Occupancy sign has been shortened to:

Even more interesting is the fact that '91 was the year Goof Troop was being worked on in full force. So even though we may not see Max on a regular basis like we did twenty years ago, or even five years ago for that matter, Goofy has clearly remembered his son and gives him a nice little shout out inside of his shop!