Fans have debated it for years. Now we have a clear answer. According to Goofy’s veteran voice actor, the beloved character is not a dog.

Goofy has stood beside Mickey since the 1930s. He first popped up as “Dippy Dawg” in 1932. Later, in 1939, he took the name that stuck. Since then, he has starred in films and series, including A Goofy Movie, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Goof Troop. In that 1992 show, he even plays a well-meaning single father to Max.

Many viewers assumed he was simply a talking dog. However, Bill Farmer, who has voiced Goofy since 1987, says otherwise. He explains that Pluto is a dog, with dog-like behavior. Goofy, by contrast, walks, talks, and dresses like a person. Farmer jokingly labels him a unique “canine cousin,” not a household pet.

Moreover, Disney archivists have offered a similar view. They describe Goofy as a human-style character with dog-like features. That blend helps explain his upright stride, his wardrobe, and his very human foibles.

The revelation startled some fans. Social media filled with surprise, disbelief, and a few laughs. Yet the news also fits the character’s long history. Goofy has always been an original. He doesn’t need a tidy species label to be himself.

In short, he is Goofy—one of animation’s most enduring friends—and that seems to be enough.