Day 26: Guh…Guh…Guh…Ghosts!
October 26, 2022
Dear Disney,
When I was in Elementary School, the best part of any day was the Disney Afternoon. Sometime soon, we should dive into that delightful line of Nostalgia, but today, we are going to be looking at one small part, the 1992 tv sitcom called Goof Troop,” specifically the Halloween episode, “Hallow-weenies.”
Goof Troop, as stated in the opening, was one of Disney’s forays into Non-Disney exclusive television. Disney had had the DIsney Channel since 1983 as its premium subscription-based tv services, but in 1989, Disney created Ducktales, and then Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers, and the Disney Afternoon was created. Early on it was just the two shows, but starting in 1990, it became a two-hour long block of content. For a young, relatively poor, unable to watch Disney, yet completely Disney-crazed youth of the 80’s/90’s, the Disney Afternoon was the ONLY option.
When Darling and I stopped our busy lives to watch one episode of Goof Troop, memories came flooding back. I started, first, humming the theme song. Then, a part of my memory I did not know I had clicked on and I began singing the theme song.
We lounged on our couch and watched the episode. Things about the episode that I did not know as a youth and would not have even considered became apparent. The pitfalls and physical gags between Goofy, Pete, and the ghosts had obvious allusions to “The Lonesome Ghosts” short from the 50’s. The art direction was comical, but retained the style of the Disney Renaiisance, albeit adjacently. Watching that one episode was cathartic in ways that I did not expect.
Darling and I will do a full look at the Disney Afternoon shows, but for this small glimpse, I was very satisfied. I feel that, unlike some of our Halloween specials, my nostalgia does not eclipse the underlying tone of this show. I feel that Goof Troop is timeless. However, it’s going to take more than one episode for me to be positive in my theory.
What do you think? Is the Goof Troop a great animated tv sitcom, or am I blinded by nostalgia.
Sincerely,
Jim Dear
