Mickey Mouse Shorts: Easy Street

Season 5, Episode 14: “Easy Street” 5/18/19
Starring: Goofy, Pluto, and Mickey
Costarring: Pierre
Setting: Around Town
Plot: Pluto gets jealous after Goofy decides to act more like a dog so he could live on “Easy Street.”

Short Stuff

Goofy references “workin’ for a living.” Could he still have the job as a crash test dummy that he got in “Workin’ Stiff” (S2, E15)???

When Goofy break-dances, Mickey can be heard offscreen yelling “yeaaah, boyeee!!!” This is in reference to Flava Flav (best known as hype man for the hip-hop group Public Enemy) and his catchphrase.

The devil and angel combo that appear over Pluto’s shoulder were first seen in classic shorts Mickey’s Pal Pluto (1933) and its remake Lend a Paw (1941). The only difference here is that the angel actually cosigns the devil’s debauchery with an “amen.”  

Has Pierre the Doggie Spa guy ever appeared in a short before? It’s rare that a marginal character like him actually gets a name. 

It should be noted that Goofy has worms… and wants to keep them.  Of the five different types of worms that commonly afflict dogs (hook, round, tape, whip, and heart), the symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, weight loss, and an otherwise shabby appearance. Good luck to Goofy!

Final Grade: B+
This is the second time that the series has played with the notion that Goofy is, in fact, a dog ("Dog Show" (S1, E11)). It’s always been an awkward fit with the anthropomorphized Goofy interacting with the quadrupedal Pluto but this short mines some great comedy from this classic, cartoon paradox. And, while he’s overwhelmingly sweet in nature, a jealous and vindictive Pluto is always fun. It’s evocative of all his battles with Chip ‘N’ Dale or any other of his various nuisances from the classic shorts.  Like Donald, an agitated Pluto is the best Pluto.