The Mickey and Friends Series This series follows Mickey and his friends over two decades and a half, from 1977 to 2002. Here's the timeline of events for the series:
Mother's Day (Completed) it's Mother's Day, Goofy and Max made a present for Peg, but then Pete tells Max that the only woman he should be giving a present to is in a cemetery. (A missing Goof Troop episode)
Max and PJ the Vampire Slayers (16/18) Max and PJ's ordinary life takes an unexpected turn when Max's cool older cousin, Debbie, comes to stay, quickly making herself at home. However, Max soon discovers Debbie sneaking out of his window in the dead of night. Convinced something mysterious is afoot, Max and PJ decide to secretly follow her, determined to uncover the truth behind her strange nocturnal disappearances.
Maxine (Completed) Max wakes up one morning thinking he's a girl. A girly girl.
The Story of the Pete Family Singers (Completed) All Peg wanted was to see the Sound of Music on stage. Was that too much to ask?
Pistol's Crush (Completed) When Pistol's kindergarten friends all suddenly declare they have crushes, Pistol frantically searches for a boy to crush on herself to avoid being the only one left out.
Harmonie Goof (Completed) Due to extreme financial difficulties, having almost lost their house twice, and really not wanting to go back to trailer park life, Goofy decides to rent the attic in his house. A harmless-looking woman with enormous duffle bags shows up. Goofy and Max liked her well enough, that is, until Pete decides to play mind games with Max, again, making him a little suspicious about this newcomer.
Our Rich Friend Bradley (8/?) After losing their mortgage money, Goofy and Max face the grim reality of living in a trailer. PJ and Pistol persuade their mom, Peg, to ask her friend Mrs. Willoughby for a loan. However, Mrs. Willoughby is preoccupied with the arrival of her snobby nephew and his family, the Uppercrusts. This is a friendship fic between Max who is struggling with poverty, PJ who is struggling with an overbearing father, and Bradley who is struggling with loneliness.
(Goof Troop/Ducktails Crossover Fics:)
The Reunion At Duckburg (Completed) The reunion between friends is held at Scrooge McDuck's house. Max Goof doesn't want to waste his Spring Break on a cantankerous miser and his mischievous nephews, but being an eleven year old kid, he doesn't have a say in this.
(Maxley Fics:)
A Maxley Wedding (Completed) With great joy, we invite you to the wedding of Mr. Bradley Uppercrust III and Mr. Maximillion Goof on Saturday, May 14th, 2005 at 3:00 in the afternoon. The ceremony will be held in the Georgian Ballroom Hilton Boston Park Plaza Boston, Massachusetts. A formal reception, dinner, and dancing will follow the ceremony in the adjacent Grand Ballroom.
Turning Back Time (Completed) A Bradley/Max Friendship fic. After losing a five-year winning streak at the X-Games to an 18-year-old freshman, Bradley decides to put an end to this humiliation. He signs a contract with the devil, who gives him a moon-shaped necklace and three chances to ensure Max never skateboards again.
Remember Me? (Completed) On the final day of school, Max falls down the bleachers of the school football field and loses consciousness. He wakes up four years later and discovers that he's in college, he's popular, he's the best skateboarder on campus, and he's a chick/dude magnet. How radical is that! What could possibly go wrong in the perfect future? Especially a future that includes a hottie with the clearest blue eyes skateboarding on a massive ramp in the college skate park.
Siberia (36/44) Warning: Rape/Non-Con. When the one you want doesn't want you. Bradley likes Mona, Mona likes Max, and Max is attracted to Bradley. Bradley is going to use that last piece of information for his advantage in the most twisted way. Or Bradley is gonna make Max pay for stealing his glory, his popularity and Mona everyday in a motel room at 5 o'clock.
A Kick From Inside (7/20) Something weird was going on with Max. He was nauseous, and his stomach was getting bigger. The more he researched about it, the more he suspected he was… pregnant? How? Why? Who? Three excellent questions he would find the answers to while spending the summer vacation between his freshman and sophomore years at the Uppercrust mansion. There, he would be doted on by Bradley's mother, play video games with Bradley's younger sister, pretend to talk sports with Bradley's older brother, and – get this – be looked after by Bradley himself.
Freaky Maxley (6/20) Max and Bradley can't stand the sight of each other's faces, until they're forced to wear them. Max becomes the king of the Gammas, and Bradley becomes... a guy stuck in a small dorm room with Dumb and Dumber – yeah, who cares about learning the names of Max's token entourage? What insane shocks will they discover about each other, and most importantly, how can they put an END to being each other?
Harmonie loves to be a parent for her Maxie.
And Max loves her enough to let her parenting.
Harmonie can't have kids. It would never said in Goof Troop as I feel it's not fitting the tone of the show, but it would be hinted in the episode when Aunt Goophelia says to her "I can't wait to see your beautiful kids with my little Goofy". Harmonie would make a sad expression and won't answer.
It's an idea I had for her since the very beginning as I thought Max would already makes her heart complete 💜 She doesn't need her "own kids" as Max is already everything to her 🥹❤️
What's your headcanon on Max Goof's relationship with Goofy's friends: Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy when he was a child and after losing his mother? :)
I headcanon them to be very close! Max is especially close with Minnie because of her kind and patient attitude reminding him of how a mother is supposed to be. While he cares for all of them and continues to do so, as a child, he was a bit scared of Donald due to seeing how temperamental he could get.
#Go girl give us trauma again!#I’m still unwell after chapter 35 hah#And since I finally caught up to Siberia I will have time for other fics
You will NOT be ready for Ch37 (Mona's POV) I'm gonna rip her apart XD in a loving way obviously, my love language with these characters is to hurt them.
Rest in peace, Dana Hill ❤️ She was the first voice of Max Goof, and my childhood memories are of her voice and adorable 11 y/o Max. I do feel that the pictures of Max in the original post should have been strictly Goof Troop Max - that's the Max Dana used to voice.
Hi, if you don't mind, I'd like to request a Goof Troop fanfic. I want Peg helping Max bake a birthday cake for his dad's birthday, maybe a sweet mom moment between them that makes Max feel flustered because he's not used to motherly affection.
I hope you like it!
Word count: 449
Warnings: none!
Requested: yes!
The smell of vanilla and melted butter had long since taken over the Goof house.
“Maxie, can you hand me the flour?” Peg asked with a smile as she tied another apron string behind her back.
Max blinked, realizing he’d been staring into space.
“Huh? Oh—yeah.”
He grabbed the bag from the counter and passed it over. “You know, you really didn’t have to come over and help.”
“And let you accidentally make your dad a hockey puck instead of a birthday cake?” Peg laughed. “No chance.”
“I only burned one cake.”
“You burned three.”
“…The first two don’t count.”
Peg chuckled to herself as she measured the flour into the bowl. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
Max couldn’t help smiling.
The kitchen felt…easy.
Goofy had been sent out on an “important birthday errand” by Peg, which mostly consisted of keeping him out of the house until the cake was finished. P.J. had been recruited to decorate the living room, leaving Max and Peg to tackle dessert.
“You’re on mixing duty,” Peg says, handing him the whisk.
Yes, ma’am.”
“There you go.”
Max stirred the batter while Peg cracked eggs beside him.
“You know,” she said, “your dad’s gonna love this.”
“I hope so.”
“He will.”
“I kinda wanted it to be perfect.”
Peg glanced over.
“Because it’s from you?”
Max shrugged.
“He does a lot for me.”
There was a softness in his voice that made Peg’s heart ache.
“He really does.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The only sound was the clink of the whisk against the bowl.
Peg reached over and gently brushed away a streak of flour off max’s cheek with her thumb.
“There.”
Max froze.
“…You had flour on your face.”
“I—I know why you did it.”
His ears were burning.
Peg smiled knowingly.
“You’re blushing.”
“I am not.”
“You absolutely are.”
“I just got hot from the oven.”
“Mhm.”
Max looked anywhere but at her.
This was…different.
Peg looked over the lopsided frosting lettering and laughed.
“It’s perfect.”
Max frowned. “The ‘H’ is crooked.”
“So?”
“Dad deserves better than crooked.”
She gently bumped his shoulder with hers.
“Max, your dad isn’t going to remember whether the letters were straight.”
She smiled at the cake.
“He’s going to remember that you made it.”
Just then the front door swung open.
“Gawrsh! I’m home!”
Max and Peg exchanged quick glances before scrambling to hide the cake.
Just wanted to post a little list of my current WIPs. They're all in various stages of completion and some have been posted on AO3 already. They will eventually all be posted but I wanted a little recorded for myself somewhere other than Google Docs and I'm also curious to see which ones people are the most excited about☺️ Also sorry in advance for any typos it took me forever to edit these summaries down to a manageable post.
COLLEGE SWEETHEARTS-After the events of the X Games Bradley becomes ostracized from the Gammas and Tank is out for revenge. With nowhere to turn he forms an unlikely friendship with Max that quickly blossoms into so much more. The story covers their beginnings as tentative friends all the way through to their eventually marriage and beyond. It's a song fic so there's lots of music sung directly by the characters, used in scenes and played as background music. (13 chapters posted on AO3)
College Sweethearts AUs: (these stories recycle characters and themes from the original story College Sweethearts. They also contain spoilers for the unpublished chapters of that story)
JURASSIC WORLD: MAXLEY EDITION- A human AU. Max and Bradley are in their 30s, happily married and surrogate parents to Bradley's younger half brother Andy. Max's rockstar career is now stable and he's a household name. Bradley is a high profile lawyer that runs his own civil rights firm. One day Max gets an invite from John Hammond saying that he's reopening Jurassic Park as Jurassic World and he's asking Max to play a concert for the launch. As expected chaos immediately ensues. The story is a musical adventure filled with fluff, parrel, corrupt business partners, hyper intelligent dinosaurs, a sprinkle of comedy and lots of action. (Preview posted on AO3)
AN EXTREMELY GOOFY SPIDER VERSE- Starts off following the plotline of the one true Spiderman Tobey Maguire. Max is just a normal teenage boy until a trip to the Museum of Science and Industry changes everything. Once bitten Max relies on his boyfriend Bradley to help him navigate these new abilities. If it weren't obvious from the mention of the Museum of Science and Industry the story takes place in Chicago not New York. The storyline incorporates many of my favorite MCU characters including Deadpool and the X-Men. So it's a real mashup. Things start to develop more as a novel plot once the boys graduate and go off to college where Max meets Wade Wilson. The story is broken up into 4 arcs so far but that may change the deeper I get into it. (Preview posted on AO3)
DIFFERENT WORLDS- Inspired by a combination of media. First Cousin Skeeter (one of the best Nickelodeon shows of the early 2000s) and second Bogus a tragic but beautiful movie from my childhood that follows the story of a little boy who has to navigate life after his mom dies in a car accident. I also have to thank @danagoof for mentioning their story " Our Rich Friend Bradley". I haven't read it but it did get me thinking about Bradley and Max meeting when they were younger. In Different Worlds Bradley is 16 living in LA with his wealthy family when a drunk driver ruins everything. His mom was on the way back home and gets killed in a car accident. His father, who never really wanted kids, sends Bradley away to live in Chicago with his brother Wilber. Bradley II and Wilber are estranged so he doesn't really know anything other than that Wilber lives in Chicago in a spacious apartment. When Bradley III arrives he horrified to learn that Wilber is gay and lives with his common law husband, Mark. While living with Wilber he eventually starts to meet other tenants in the building including 3 boys around his age Max, PJ and Bobby. They also go to the same high school that he's going to be starting at. He hates Max at first because he makes Bradley feel things he doesn't want to but eventually they start to get closer. During the story Bradley has to grapple with his internalized homophobia and his own identity. (Coming soon)
Non-College Sweethearts Related WIPS:
WE HAVE AN ACCORD- What if Bradley and Max's first meeting had gone differently? This story explores that. Instead of shutting Max down Bradley agrees to let Bobby and PJ also join the Gammas. There's a catch however, Max is in automatically but Bobby and PJ have to try out and go through hazing to earn their places. This eventually starts to cause a rift between Max and the guys because Bradley is obviously favoring him. Little do any of them know that Bradley has a massive crush on Max and will do anything to keep him close. Things get even more complicated when Goofy arrives on campus and Bradley invites him to join the Gammas much to Max's dismay. It doesn't take long for Goofy to notice the dynamic developing between his son and Bradley and in true PFLAG parent fashion he makes it his mission to help them get together. As things tend to do when Goofy gets involved, shenanigans quickly ensue. (Coming soon)
MY FAIR PRINCE- Max is a fae prince from the Moors that's fascinated by the human world. His mother, Ramona forbids him to cross the border but he disobeys her and sneaks into the neighboring human kingdom. He quickly finds out that his mother is right and humans are barbaric but he's saved by a mysterious boy on a horse. When they part ways all he knows is that the boy's name is Bradley. Max returns to the human kingdom many times trying to find the boy again but never does. Years later they're reunited when the King from the human kingdom proposes an alliance/truce with the fae through marriage. When they show up and Max recognizes Bradley he immediately agrees to the marriage but his parents urge him not to be so impulsive and to get to know the man Bradley has become, not just romanticize the boy that saved his life. Max takes their advice and they begin a tentative engagement. Bradley however has been tasked with an ulterior motive by his evil father. Seduce the prince, kill the royal family and secure the Moors for the humans. Everything is going to plan until Bradley starts to actually fall in love with the naive charismatic prince. Being in the Moors for so long he also starts to discover secrets about himself and clues to what really happened to his mother, Queen Esme. (Coming soon)
ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD- A story where Bradley is faking being rich but in reality his family struggles financially. His mom is a waitress and his father is a mechanic. Bradley got into State on a full scholarship and runs various scams on campus to keep up the rich boy facade. His entire lie threatens to come crashing down when over the summer Max and Goofy are on their way to Lake Destiny for their annual fishing trip when the car breaks down. They get towed to Bradley's father's shop where Max catches Bradley working there and calls him out on the lie. Bradley's father overhears and this makes the relationship between Bradley and his parents even more strained because they were already struggling with his coming out. Now finding out he's invited an entire fake life because he's embarrassed of them cuts deep. Max has no intention of telling anyone but Bradley doesn't believe him and takes the old saying “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” to the extreme leading to an accidental relationship with his arch foe. This story is a bit of a comedy with a lot of angst mixed in. I also haven't decided if I want to make this a one shot or a multi chapter fic yet. (Coming soon)
NEW HIRE- This story was inspired by a picture depicting Max and Bradley in waiter uniform from the House of Mouse. After the X Games Bradley's father disowns him which leaves him broke and homeless. He sees a restaurant is opening a new location and with no other options he applies. To his horror he finds out that the boy who wrecked his life, Max Goof, also works there. Not only that, his ridiculous father works there as well and the owner is Max's godfather. He can't quit so he grudgingly continues to work there and he and Max constantly argue and fight. Mickey, the owner, sees the fighting and thinks forced proximity will help them get along so he keeps assigning them tasks together. Things do calm down a bit between them but they still fight like an old married couple. Aphrodite, one of the patrons of the restaurant, sees this and mistakenly pegs them as soulmates. She decides as Goddess of Love it's her duty to help these two oblivious kids get together. Her involvement complicates things and leads the boys to question if there is more to their relationship than being frenemies. (Coming soon)
STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU- A Maxley one shot inspired by that one episode of Bob's Burgers where he gets stuck in the elevator with Hugo. Max couldn't think of a worse situation than being trapped in a confined space with the campus’ most entitled pretty boy, Bradley Uppercrust III. This story takes place after the X Games and Max and Bradley get trapped in an elevator together courtesy of the Gammas who want to get revenge on Bradley. It's a classic wrong place wrong time situation for Max. (Coming soon)
SOME CALL IT MAGIC- Another Maxley one shot inspired by the That's So Raven song “some call it magic”. Max has had visions his whole life. His father and best friends PJ and Bobby are the only people that know about it. One day he has a vision of kissing Bradley. It totally freaks him out because he's always thought he was straight. Throughout the story Max is grappling with his sexuality all the while starting to notice some of his new towel boy's “attributes”. In this story they kept the bet and Bradley did become Max's towel boy. (Coming soon)
Where Were Peg and Pistol? A Canon Analysis of the "Divorced Pete" Theory
Throughout my time in the Pete fandom, I have noticed one particular theory resurface whenever the topic of A Goofy Movie comes up. Since Goof Troop prominently featured Pete's entire family — his wife Peg and daughter Pistol — their complete absence from both A Goofy Movie and An Extremely Goofy Movie has naturally led fans to speculate about their whereabouts.
One of the most popular interpretations proposes that, sometime between the end of Goof Troop and the events of A Goofy Movie, Pete and Peg legally separated or divorced, with Peg taking custody of Pistol. Under this theory, Pete is a divorced father throughout the films.
While the films themselves never explain Peg and Pistol's absence, later statements from A Goofy Movie director Kevin Lima provide a surprisingly straightforward answer.
Before getting to those, however, I would like to examine the arguments most commonly used to support the divorce theory and consider whether they hold up against Pete's established characterization and the broader canon.
I have always found the theory unconvincing, both from a character-writing perspective and from the available evidence. Although Peg and Pistol's absence certainly raises legitimate questions, I do not believe it necessarily points toward an unseen divorce. This analysis is my attempt to examine the evidence as objectively as possible and determine whether Pete's family is, in fact, still canonically intact.
Credit also goes to the Disney Wiki for being among the first to seriously examine this topic in Peg Pete's trivia section. Their work greatly helped me organize the available information and track down several important sources.
Short answer?
Pete and Peg are still together.
For those interested in the full analysis, the text is below.
Examining the Arguments for the Divorce Theory
Before presenting the evidence that supports Pete's marriage remaining intact, I'd first like to address the main arguments commonly cited in favour of the divorce theory. With the exception of Peg and Pistol's absence from the films themselves, these points are largely interpretative rather than explicit, relying on inferences rather than direct confirmation from the story.
1. Pete's Aggressive Parenting and P.J.'s Increased Submissiveness
Pete's harsher, more controlling parenting style toward P.J. in A Goofy Movie is often interpreted as a consequence of a failed marriage. Likewise, fans have noted that P.J. appears more anxious and fearful of his father's anger than he did in the comparatively light-hearted television series, arguing that this reflects the emotional aftermath of his parents' separation and his fear of losing the only parent still living with him.
Counterargument
One detail that is often overlooked is P.J.'s role in helping Max hijack the school assembly at the beginning of A Goofy Movie. Although the film never explicitly connects the two events, it is entirely plausible that Pete's unusually strict treatment of P.J. later in the story is a direct punishment for this very incident. Such a reaction would fit naturally with Pete's authoritarian, "under my thumb" approach to parenting.
Viewed from this perspective, P.J.'s anxious behaviour requires no additional explanation involving divorce. He may simply feel guilty about what happened at school and be trying to regain his father's approval after getting into serious trouble.
More importantly, the basic dynamic between Pete and P.J. had already been firmly established in Goof Troop. P.J. regularly addresses his father as "sir" and is frequently made to perform chores whenever Pete wants to avoid work himself or teach his son what he considers "valuable life lessons."
The series also establishes Pete's strict expectations long before the films. In the pilot episode, "Everything's Coming Up Goofy (Forever Goof, Part 1)" (S01E01), P.J. explains that he is not allowed to remove the comic books his father bought him from their original packaging. He also remarks that if he ever breaks the toys Pete buys for him, "he's history."
Taken together, Pete's aggressive parenting and P.J.'s submissiveness remain entirely consistent with the relationship already portrayed throughout Goof Troop. If anything, A Goofy Movie simply places their established dynamic under greater emotional pressure. The film itself even provides a plausible catalyst for Pete becoming temporarily stricter than usual. None of this necessarily indicates that the two are coping with the aftermath of a divorce.
2. The Flashy RV
Pete's enormous luxury RV — complete with extravagant features such as its own bowling alley — is sometimes interpreted as the stereotypical purchase of a man going through a midlife crisis or attempting to prove that he is "winning" after a divorce.
Counterargument
This interpretation overlooks the fact that Pete's taste for flashy possessions predates the films by quite some time.
In the Goof Troop episode "O, R-V, I N-V U" (S01E08), Pete attempts to build a similarly luxurious RV himself. While the project ultimately ends in disaster, it clearly establishes that this sort of over-the-top vehicle already appealed to him well before A Goofy Movie. Similarly, another RV can be seen in "You Camp Take It with You" (S01E05).
Likewise, Pete already owns an expensive car and a large boat moored outside his house. Wealth, status symbols, and conspicuous displays of success have always been central parts of his personality. Purchasing an extravagant RV therefore carries little symbolic weight on its own — it is exactly the sort of thing Pete has always enjoyed.
From a storytelling perspective, the RV primarily serves another purpose altogether. It exaggerates the contrast between Pete's lavish vacation and Goofy's far more modest road trip, making Max's embarrassment feel even stronger by comparison. More importantly, it reinforces one of the film's central themes by tempting Max to equate flashy material success with happiness and personal worth.
In other words, the RV tells us far more about Pete's established love of excess — and the story's thematic goals — than it does about the state of his marriage.
3. "It's My Last Night of Babysitting and I'm a Free Man!"
The opening scene of An Extremely Goofy Movie is often cited as one of the strongest pieces of evidence for the divorce theory. As P.J. prepares to leave for college, Pete celebrates by proclaiming, "It's my last night of babysitting!" and declaring himself "a free man." Some fans interpret this as an indication that Pete had been raising P.J. alone following a divorce from Peg.
Counterargument
On closer inspection, however, this interpretation is far less convincing than it first appears.
To begin with, it conflicts with Pete's established characterization throughout the Goof Troop era. Several episodes show that Pete enjoys having P.J. around — not necessarily out of sentimental affection, but because he constantly recruits him for chores, yard work, and other tasks Pete would rather avoid himself. Likewise, in A Goofy Movie, Pete stresses the importance of spending time with P.J. as part of strengthening their father-son bond, even if his version of quality time often doubles as free labour.
Against that backdrop, Pete suddenly wanting P.J. out of the house makes surprisingly little sense. Since Peg handled the majority of the day-to-day parenting in Goof Troop, Pete would gain relatively little from becoming an "empty nester." If anything, he would be losing a reliable helper for all the jobs he dislikes doing himself.
More importantly, the divorce interpretation overlooks one of Pete's defining personality traits: he consistently hides genuine emotion behind bluster, sarcasm, and exaggerated bravado. Throughout Goof Troop, Pete rarely expresses affection or vulnerability directly. Instead, he masks uncomfortable feelings with jokes, boasts, or theatrical overconfidence.
His reaction to P.J. leaving home fits this pattern perfectly.
The scene itself is carefully constructed around the contrast between Pete and Goofy. While Goofy openly admits that he is heartbroken about Max growing up and leaving home, Pete immediately undercuts the sentiment with jokes about finally being "free" and no longer "babysitting."
Since P.J. is already a young adult leaving for college, the term "babysitting" is clearly not meant literally. Instead, it comically reduces parenthood to an obligation, allowing Pete to present himself as relieved rather than emotionally affected.
Seen through the lens of Pete's established characterization, this reads less like a sincere statement and more like emotional deflection. Rather than admitting that his son leaving home saddens him, Pete retreats into his familiar performance of the loud, emotionally guarded father. Significantly, his remark, "I can't miss you if you won't leave," subtly betrays the very feeling he is trying to conceal. The joke only works because it acknowledges that he may, in fact, miss P.J. after all.
From a narrative standpoint, Pete primarily functions as Goofy's foil throughout this sequence. The film requires Goofy to embody parental attachment and vulnerability, while Pete provides the comedic opposite. His exaggerated celebration of P.J.'s departure therefore serves the emotional rhythm of the scene rather than offering reliable information about his family life.
It is also worth noting that, if the writers genuinely intended to imply a divorce, this would be an unusually indirect way of communicating such a significant development. The theory asks the audience to infer a major off-screen life event from a comedic exchange that can already be fully explained by Pete's long-established personality.
Finally, Goof Troop itself reminds us not to take Pete's bluster at face value. In "Axed by Addition" (S01E03), Pete openly admits that he does not mean everything he says when he is putting on a show — including things like threating to kill someone.
Taken together, Pete's dialogue in An Extremely Goofy Movie tells us considerably more about how he expresses his emotions than it does about the state of his marriage.
Evidence That Pete's Family Is Still Intact
Having addressed the most common arguments in favour of the divorce theory, we can now turn to the evidence that supports the opposite conclusion.
Unlike the previous points — which rely primarily on interpretation — the following evidence includes direct statements from the filmmakers, official Disney material, and Pete's established characterization throughout Goof Troop.
1. Direct Confirmation from the Director
Perhaps the strongest evidence against the divorce theory comes from A Goofy Movie director Kevin Lima himself.
When asked directly on Twitter whether Pete and Peg had divorced between Goof Troop and A Goofy Movie, Lima gave a remarkably straightforward answer:
"They didn't."
When asked about it again four years later, Lima replied with:
"Nope"
Within fandom, statements made by a creator outside the work itself are often referred to as Word of God. While audiences are naturally free to interpret a story however they wish, it is difficult to imagine a clearer authorial answer than this one.
Lima also clarified that Peg and Pistol's whereabouts during the events of the films were intentionally left to the audience's imagination, encouraging fans to explore those possibilities through their own stories and artwork rather than treating their absence as evidence of a specific unseen event.
Lima also proposed to simply assume that Peg stayed at home and was taking care of Pistol.
Many of Lima's other responses paint a consistent picture: Peg and Pistol were absent not because the story implied a divorce, but because they did not serve the particular narrative the filmmakers wanted to tell.
It is entirely possible that both characters appeared in early drafts of the film before the story gradually shifted its focus toward the contrasting father-son relationships between Goofy and Max on one hand, and Pete and P.J. on the other. As that focus became more refined, Peg and Pistol would naturally have had far less to contribute to the central emotional arc.
Lima himself has acknowledged that this was ultimately a storytelling decision.
He elaborated further:
"AGM is a father son story. Pete and P.J.'s father/son trip (having to always one-up Goofy) is a nightmare mirror of Goofy and Max's emotional journey. Peg and Pistol muddied that intention."
In other words, Peg and Pistol's absence is best understood as a narrative choice rather than an in-universe statement about Pete's marriage. The films simply narrow their focus to two father-son relationships, leaving the rest of Pete's family off-screen because they were not essential to the story being told.
2. Disney Parks
Although only occasionally, Disney Parks have continued to acknowledge Pete's family life long after the release of the Goofy films.
One example comes from the Disneyland version of Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, where a construction wall featured an advertisement for a Toontown real estate agency run by Peg herself.
In addition, two Pete’s family photographs can be found inside Goofy's Playhouse (formerly Goofy's Bounce House) in Mickey's Toontown at Disneyland. Notably, the second photograph appears to be set during the same general period as A Goofy Movie, with Pete and P.J. wearing their film attire.
While these references are admittedly small, they nevertheless demonstrate that Disney itself has continued to associate Pete with his established family rather than presenting him as a divorced father.
3. Pete and Peg's Established Marital Dynamic
Perhaps the greatest weakness of the divorce theory is that it runs contrary to the relationship Goof Troop consistently establishes between Pete and Peg.
Far from portraying an unhappy marriage on the verge of collapse, the series repeatedly presents two people who understand each other remarkably well. Peg is under no illusions about the kind of man she married. She knows Pete is stubborn, selfish, loud, and frequently impossible to deal with — but she also chooses him every day, accepting his flaws while refusing to let him get away with them.
Likewise, Pete's affection for his family extends far beyond his usual bluster. While he often struggles to express genuine emotion directly, his actions repeatedly reveal that Peg and the children are among the most important things in his life.
Several episodes illustrate this dynamic particularly well.
In "Gymnauseum" (S01E51), Pete's rival Tan Roadster insults Pete's weight before attempting to flirt with Peg. Rather than entertaining the attention, Peg punches Tan in the face and proudly declares: "There's a lot of him, but he's all mine!".
Similarly, "Peg O' the Jungle" (S01E61) establishes that Pete and Peg have been married for twenty years. When Peg challenges Pete to prove that he still loves her, he ultimately rises to the occasion, much to her delight. The same episode also reveals that Pete carries a heart-shaped locket containing photographs of himself and Peg, tucked inside his jacket close to his heart.
Other episodes reinforce the same picture. Peg wants to gift Pete an expensive new car in "Window Pains" (S01E47). Pete regularly takes his family on annual vacations in "Wrecks, Lies & Videotape" (S01E17). In "Calling All Goofs" (S01E54), Peg casually mentions helping Pete peel the skin from his sunburn — an oddly mundane detail that nevertheless conveys the intimacy and familiarity of a long-established marriage.
Perhaps the clearest demonstration of Pete's commitment to his family, however, comes from "And Baby Makes Three" (S01E41).
After mistakenly hearing that Peg is expecting a third child, Pete's immediate reaction is not irritation or resentment, but responsibility. He panics, exclaiming that: "the lawn must be mown and the house cleaned up before the mother and the child arrives!". He immediately begins preparing the house, building a cradle and remodelling a room for the baby.
This is hardly the behaviour of a man longing to escape his family. On the contrary, Pete instinctively responds by trying to become the provider he believes his growing family will need.
More broadly, Goof Troop consistently presents Pete's family not as a burden, but as his moral anchor.
Whenever Pete drifts too far into selfishness or dishonesty, the quickest way to bring him back to his senses is to remind him that his actions could harm the people who depend on him. In "Wrecks, Lies & Videotape" (S01E17), for example, Pete ultimately abandons one of his schemes after realizing it could leave his family in poverty.
This pattern appears throughout the series. Pete often cares little about what others think of him, but he cares deeply about the welfare of his family. What truly frightens him is not being disliked — it is failing the people who rely on him.
That is precisely why Peg complements him so well.
She refuses to indulge Pete's worst tendencies, readily ordering him around or even sending him to sleep in the doghouse when he deserves it. At the same time, she clearly delights in the man he is beneath all the bluster. She affectionately calls him "Petey Pie," "Pudgy Poo," "Porky Pete," and "Porkbelly Pie," embracing the very qualities that others might mock.
Pete, in turn, flourishes under that acceptance. Peg's unwavering confidence in him continually encourages him to become a better husband, father, and person than he might otherwise choose to be.
As Peg herself beautifully puts it, Pete is her "knight in tarnished armour."
Rather than depicting a marriage headed toward divorce, Goof Troop presents one built on mutual understanding, complementary personalities, and genuine affection despite countless imperfections.
4. Family Movie Night
If the French Mickey Mouse comic Cent Ans de Cinéma (Inducks Code: F JM 95202) from the 1990s is considered part of the broader canon, it provides another interesting piece of supporting evidence against the divorce theory.
The story explicitly places itself on the 100th anniversary of the Lumière brothers' invention of the Cinématographe, which Mickey himself identifies as 13 February 1895. This dates the comic to 13 February 1995.
Meanwhile, several official pieces of merchandise indicate that A Goofy Movie takes place later that same year, while a calendar visible during the truck stop diner sequence places the events of the film in June 1995.
If the comic indeed precedes A Goofy Movie by only a few months, it seems highly unlikely that Pete and Peg would have separated during that brief interval — particularly since they are shown together as a happy family.
In fact, Pete is the one treating Peg and P.J. to an evening at the cinema.
While the comic alone cannot definitively settle the question of canon, it nevertheless aligns with the broader picture presented by the rest of the available evidence: Pete continues to be portrayed as a married family man rather than someone whose marriage has quietly dissolved off-screen.
5. A Goofy Movie Comic Adaptation
On 27 July 2021, Fantagraphics published the first official English translation of the 1996 French graphic novel adaptation of A Goofy Movie (Inducks Code: E GN 96-06).
Interestingly, this new English edition includes several deliberate references to Goof Troop that are absent from both the original French version and the film itself. One of the most notable occurs during the photo studio scene with Pete, where Goofy explicitly mentions Peg and Pistol by name while speaking to Pete.
The dialogue treats them as though they are simply back home during the events of the film, naturally implying that Pete's family is still living together.
As with Cent Ans de Cinéma, comic adaptations occupy a lower tier of canon than the films themselves. Nevertheless, they remain noteworthy as officially licensed material and, more importantly, they are entirely consistent with every other piece of evidence discussed throughout this analysis.
Final Verdict
At the end of the day, the divorce theory rests almost entirely on an absence: Peg and Pistol do not appear in A Goofy Movie or An Extremely Goofy Movie, and fans naturally tried to fill in the blanks.
The problem is that the theory has very little positive evidence supporting it.
The supposed signs of divorce — Pete's parenting style, P.J.'s behaviour, the extravagant RV, or Pete joking about becoming "a free man" — are all open to interpretation and have alternative explanations that fit both the films and Pete's established characterization just as well (if not better). None of these examples explicitly point toward a separation, and most require multiple assumptions before they can be connected to one.
By contrast, the evidence against the theory is considerably stronger.
The director of A Goofy Movie directly stated that Pete and Peg never divorced, further explaining that Peg and Pistol were absent because the story was intentionally focused on the contrasting father-son relationships between Goofy and Max and Pete and P.J. Additional official material — from Disney Parks references to licensed comics — continues to acknowledge Pete as a married family man. Most importantly, the Goof Troop series itself consistently portrays Pete and Peg's marriage as loving, resilient, and fundamentally stable despite Pete's many flaws.
Ultimately, the simplest explanation is also the one best supported by the available evidence: Pete and Peg did not divorce. Peg and Pistol were simply left off-screen because the films had no meaningful role for them within the story they set out to tell.
Sometimes a missing character is just a missing character — not the aftermath of an unseen custody battle.
Or, to borrow a principle often attributed to Sherlock Holmes:
"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
In this case, however, the truth is not even particularly improbable.
Pete isn't divorced.
His family just wasn't invited into the script.
And considering that Peg has spent over twenty years successfully managing one of Disney's most stubborn, loud-mouthed, impossible husbands, the idea that she would suddenly throw in the towel — and miss the opportunity to keep bossing Petey around — may just be the least convincing theory of them all.
Wow, this needs the right quiet moment to be read with my upmost attention! Thanks @flowerycoffin for the mention and YES! Pete and Peg are still married and in love! They're my babies and I'll always root for them! @unknownrussainrat I think you'll enjoy reading this!
I finally wrote the first part of my Goof troop fanfic! Enjoy please! Dedicated to @thecoolguysuniverseblog and other fans of this series.
Part 1 - The softness which saved tough guy
It was quiet summer day, the kind of day when you really wanted to be outside and think about nothing. It was on such a day that our story began. The pleasant idyll was broken by someone's loud scream. A chase was going on in the city – fat black-and-tan male pit bull named Pete was chasing someone to steal money.
"Hey, come back here!" Pete yelled.
Pete ran as fast as he could, while the person the pit bull was chasing tried to run away from him. Soon, Pete tripped over a pebble and fell, giving the runaway a chance to escape into the depths of city.
Fallen Pete looked up and noticed bleeding wound on his left hind paw. The victim struggled to nearby bench and sat down.
"The damn bastard got away from me! I'll get him next time!" Pete began rubbing his injured paw, trying to ease the pain.
At that moment, unfamiliar light-yellow female papillon with large orange ears passed by and saw Pete.
"Are you okay?" stranger asked, approaching the bench.
"What business is it of yours?" male dog snapped, turning his head toward the stranger.
"You can't talk like that," female dog reprimanded and introduced herself. "My name is Peg."
"And I'm Pete," said fat pit bull.
"Your injury is serious!" Peg noted, looking at Pete's left hind paw. "I need to take you to the doctor immediately for first aid."
"I don't need anyone telling me what to do or taking me to doctor!" injured pit bull refused.
"Pete, what if your injury is really serious?" Peg began to coax fat dog. "If you don't want your paw to hurt, you need to disinfect the wound, otherwise infection will spread throughout the body and you will become seriously ill."
"Oh, okay. Just make it quick," Pete rolled his eyes indignantly and tried to get up from the bench, but intense pain only made it harder.
Peg carefully helped the dog up and led him to the hospital.
As they walked, Pete got idea to sneak into Peg's house to find the money.
"Peg, can I stay with you?" pit bull asked.
"With me?" female dog was surprised. "What about your own house?"
"I... got kicked out, so I need a place to stay," Pete lied to his interlocutor.
"Okay. I think I'll let you stay with me until you get better," Peg smiled.
"Well, that's great!" Pete nodded.
They soon came at the hospital, where doctor x-rayed Pete's paw to assess the extent of injury. The paw was intact, so doctor disinfected the wound with hydrogen peroxide and applied a bandage.
"I hate wearing bandages!" male dog complained, limping after female dog.
"You can't say that, Pete," Peg shook her head. "It would be good idea for you to get medical checkup."
"What? No way!" Pete dismissed him sharply.
"I won't keep you in my house if you have some kind of latent illness," Peg said sternly.
Pete lightly hit himself on the forehead, but it couldn't be helped.
Pete had medical checkup, and it turned out he had no infections. He had bad cough from smoking all the time only.
"Now I know you can stay in my house," Peg carefully reviewed all results of medical checkup. "I have to wean you off alcohol and smoking only. Now we'll find you some clothes so you don't have to wear those dirty rags."
And they went to the store, where Peg bought Pete new clothes. Afterwards, they came to Peg's house.
"This is where I live!" Peg opened the door and let Pete in.
"It's all too girly here," guest grimaced with displeasure.
"Sometimes guests say that to me..." Peg giggled and went into the bathroom. "I'll give you a good wash now."
"Wash? Why should I wash?" asked Pete.
"Because you smell like stinky dog!" Peg crossed her paws over her chest. "You need a wash."
Female dog led Pete into the bathroom and began washing him.
After the bath, she dressed her guest in clean robe and led him into the kitchen, where she gave him some food.
"I hope you like it," Peg wiped her paws on clean napkin after preparing the food.
Pete grabbed the food with his paws and began eating quickly.
"Don't eat so fast! You'll choke!" Peg snatched the food from fat dog's paws. "And don't forget the utensils I put by the plate. Use them, I'm not stopping you from touching them."
"I never use them," Pete said.
"Really? Well, then I'll teach you. It's not that hard," Peg sat down at the table and explained how to use cutlery properly.
"So, why did they kick you out of the house anyway?" Peg asked her new friend after he ate everything.
Pete remained silent, unsure how to respond.
"If it upsets you, you don't have to answer," female dog hastened to say.
"They kicked me out for a reason..." fat pit bull came up with excuse. "I was robbed. They took all my property, including house."
"That’s terrible!" Peg whispered. "Why didn't you call the police?"
"I tried to get those insolent guys out of my old place myself," Pete said discontentedly.
"But you could have put yourself at risk that way!"
"There was no other way. When it comes to defending my home, I become a beast. What did you think, looking at my body? Do you think I'm overfed and clumsy? Despite my plumpness, I'm quite fast and agile. I can lift heavy weights too."
That evening, when it was already dark, Peg offered her friend the chance to sleep on sofa, but he declined and went to sleep in her basement.
To celebrate Pride Month and since I missed the parade I'm posting a little section from the upcoming chapter of my Maxley fic College Sweethearts. It highlights the importance of having support when coming out and the challenges that come with growing up feeling like you have to hide parts of yourself.
A little context:
-by this point in the story Bradley and Max have become close friends since Bradley had been ostracized from everyone due to the X Games events.
-They're on vacation on a tropical island and Max and his family were there as well but Max has gone back to Spoonerville now
-Kathy is not Bradley's biological Aunt she's his mother's childhood best friend and he's known her his whole life.
✨✨🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈✨✨
One afternoon he was lounging on the couch in the living room lazily flipping through the channels on the TV. As Kathy passed by she noticed him and gave him a sympathetic smile, “Hey baby, shouldn't you be out exploring?” she walked into the living room and stood next to the couch
“Nah it's not the same without Max…..” he said then finally looked up at her, “oh, you look nice”
Her smile widened at the compliment, “Thanks, I'm actually heading out to a date” even though she was on her way out she couldn't just leave him like this, “So you really miss him huh?” she sat next to him on the couch
“Well things are just more fun when he's around” Bradley shrugged
Kathy smiled softly, “You two have a pretty special bond”
A soft sappy smile spread across Bradley's face, “Yeah I guess we do….” he admitted without thinking but then he quickly snapped out of it and corrected himself, “I…I mean we're good friends he's really been there for me…”
Kathy quirked an eyebrow, “Friends? Is that really all you two are?” she laughed softly teasing
Bradley furrowed his brow, “Wh-what do you mean?”
“Oh come on now anyone can see you two are together. So how long have you been dating?” Kathy smiled playfully
“Dating!? Auntie I'm not….we're not…. We're just friends!” Bradley got up and looked around frantically before he started to hyperventilate.
Kathy's demeanor instantly shifted from playful teasing to maternal, “Honey, honey breathe it's ok…” she realized he was worried his mom may overhear, “your mom's not here she went out shopping” she reassured him and gently took his hands as she guided him to sit back on the couch before continuing, “baby it's ok you don't have to hide it with me. I love you, all of you” she cupped his cheek before pulling him into a hug. When she pulled back a tear rolled down his cheek.
Her sympathetic smile returned as she wiped the tear away with her thumb, “It's ok….” she whispered
Bradley sniffled and wiped at his eyes, “Thanks…”
After a brief pause she playfully elbowed him, “So how long have you two been together?” she asked once more
Bradley laughed softly, “We’re really just friends, he's not into me…”
“Oh please he's definitely into you” Kathy chuckled dismissively
“What?? How do you know?”
“Trust me, I have a sixth sense. I was in love with my best friend once too you know ” she smirked
He sighed, “Well your sense is off cause he's not interested”
“And what makes you so sure?”
Bradley looked down nervously picking at little lint balls on his pants, “I…when I had those fishbowls the other night I…..kissed him…” Bradley admitted quietly
“Oh I see” Kathy's eyes widened
“The next morning I pretended I didn't remember and he didn't bring it up….”
“Hmm, well that doesn't mean he's uninterested. He could just feel strange about it happening when you weren't sober. Maybe he's afraid you'll regret it or blame him” Kathy explained gently
“Maybe….” Bradley hadn't considered that angle his mind immediately just went to rejection
“Young love is complicated, give it time…and have a real conversation. Don't just assume. Trust me there's something there” Kathy smiled and winked as she got up
Before she could leave he spoke up, stopping her, “Wait! You won't tell mom will you?”
Kathy shook her head, “Course not honey. It's not my secret to tell. This stays between us. You'll tell her when you're ready.” she reassured him once more
Bradley sighed in relief, “Can I ask you one more thing?”
“Anything” Kathy smiled
“What happened between you and your best friend? Did you ever tell them?”
Kathy looked sorrowful as she walked back over to the couch, “No I never got the chance I was too scared…” there was a brief silence before she continued, “she married a man I despise.” Kathy frowned but then her smile returned as she moved closer to Bradley, “but I got the most amazing nephew out of it.” she cupped his face and kissed his forehead
Bradley was stunned silent at the realization.
Kathy pulled back and moved to leave again, “I gotta go honey don't wanna be late for my date
“Ok…yeah…have fun…” Bradley said still slightly lost in thought
Finding out Kathy was into women and that she had a crush on his mom at one point was throwing him for a loop. Underneath the shock though there was a strange sense of comfort. Knowing that they both had opened up and shared something incredibly vulnerable made him feel less alone for once. Like he would actually have family on his side if he came out.
My writing process for a chapter usually takes anywhere from four days to a whole month (depending on the chapter length, muse, interest and whether there's a severe case of writer's block)
Muse about the chapter before bed or during a shower
Write the main idea of each scene
Take a walk and daydream about the chapter
Write the dialogue
Take a walk and daydream about the chapter
Write first draft of the chapter (fast paced and surface level)
Take a walk and daydream about the chapter
Add more character movement and use the surroundings (Like PJ's room is filled with space stuff, use that while Max and PJ are talking, they take something, they throw something at each other) Add more action and change the wording of the dialogue (lots of research especially if the timeline is in the 90s or early 2000s - research slang/clothes style/favorite music and tv shows/important events/tech especially those Nokia bricks 😂 and of course rewatch the source material show/movie)
Take a walk and daydream about the chapter
Edit the chapter and add more and replace some word choices
Forget the chapter and go have a life with your RL peeps
Listen to the chapter on Speechify or Read Aloud Speech in your own Word Decument (Thanks @kpsnumber1fan for this awesome tip) and if it sounds right, post it.
