YMMV / Gooby

• Alternative Character Interpretation: Two people on a How Did This Get Made? thread have interpreted Willy in different ways.
  • The first theorist interpreted that Willy might have a mental issue, as he sees and hears "Hoonies" and a giant bear man.
  • Another person theorized that Willy is Closet Gay, and Gooby is a manifestation of his hiding of it. For example, the very first hiding spot Willy puts Gooby in is his closet, and just tries to hide him in general, and the dad struggling to accept Gooby at first.
  • Another person also theorized on Gooby, interpreting him to be a manifestation of sexual abuse. They theorized that Willy's dad had been sexually abused, and the sexual abuse got handed down to Willy, and Willy giving Gooby to a little girl at the end of the movie can be interpreted as him continuing the cycle.
    Now she's got the Gooby.
• Nightmare Fuel: Gooby's Nightmare Face. Just the uncanny way it moves, its ferocious look, the suddenly realistic bear sounds and the fact that such a nice guy can be so scary is, well, scary. Scary enough to make Big Bruce pee.
• Special Effect Failure: The one time we actually get to see the Hoonies, they're CGI gross monsters that blatantly don't blend in with their surroundings.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: When Willy and Gooby get into an argument that temporarily ends their friendship, sad music is played to make us feel bad for Gooby. However, Gooby continuously got Willy in trouble and is essentially nothing more than a big nuisance. So if anything, this is good for Willy.