20 Days of Summer, Day 11: How To Swim

Day 11: How to Swim (1942)
Starring: Goofy
Setting: At home and at the beach
Plot: Goofy learns us the ins and outs of swimming.

Tan Lines
The movements by Goofy while he’s “swimming” atop the piano stool are some of the most graceful and beautiful pieces of animation we’ve seen.

Outside of Goofy’s house, there’s an advertisement for “Ryan’s Stogies.”

Goofy’s outfit of white pants, mustard yellow sports coat, floppy hat and hipster eye glasses is, perhaps, the sharpest and most stylish we’ve ever seen him.

Of course, “learning to dress in your average beach locker” is an integral part of swimming.

Ultimately, why do we need to learn how to swim?  To get mermaid chicks to fawn over you on your own deserted island – that’s why.
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Sitting by the Campfire
At 33, I still don’t know how to swim and, at this point, will probably never learn how.  Maybe if I ever had a piano stool thing would be different but, alas… here I am, landlocked and blogging. 

I mentioned it before but it’s worth noting again how well the animators captured Goofy’s long, limber and rubbery body practicing his strokes while atop that stool.  His physicality and unconventional athleticism lends itself so well to all of these sports themed cartoons.  You can see why “Goofy + sports” became such a popular formula going forward.