San Diego Reader

Matt:

Why is Goofy Mickey Mouse's best friend, but Pluto's his dog? Shouldn't Pluto be his best friend, by definition? And Goofy has a son named Max, but they never mention Max's mother. Who is she?

-- Wonder What Walt Had in Mind

Umm�by definition? Like, dogs are man's best friend? Pluto started out as just an anonymous bloodhound in a prison-break cartoon back in the '30s; later he appeared as Minnie's dog Rover; then he found his calling as Mickey's dog Pluto. By then, Goofy had seniority. Like Norm's wife, Vera, in Cheers, Mrs. Goofy's voice is heard in one cartoon from the 1950s, but she's never seen. After that, all trace of her disappears. They never speak of her again. It must be a very sad story. Goofy's not talking.