Trivia & Fun Facts

The movie was primarily filmed on location in Astoria, Oregon, with a five-month shooting schedule.

The famous Goonies house where Mikey and Brand lived was a real private residence in Astoria, Oregon, and still stands today at 368 38th Street.

One-Eyed Willy's pirate ship "The Inferno" was built on a massive 32,000-square-foot soundstage in Burbank, California. The 105-foot ship took two and a half months to construct!

The children's genuine reactions to seeing One-Eyed Willy's ship for the first time were captured on film - they were not allowed to see it during construction!

The water slide that the Goonies ride was real and functional. The cast and crew would use it for fun after hours!

Steven Spielberg actually directed a few scenes in the movie, despite Richard Donner being the main director.

Director Richard Donner has an uncredited cameo as a police officer on the beach at the end of the film.

The Goonies marked Josh Brolin's feature film debut as Brand.

To generate real tears for the scene where Chunk confesses to the Fratellis, Jeff Cohen thought about his mother dying.

John Matuszak (Sloth) was a former NFL defensive lineman and two-time Super Bowl winner with the Oakland Raiders. His character wears a Raiders T-shirt as a nod to his past!

It took up to five hours daily for John Matuszak to get into his Sloth makeup and prosthetics.

Sean Astin's famous "One-Eyed Willy speech" was technically improvised - director Donner told him the story just before filming and had him naturally recount it.

Jeff Cohen (Chunk) became a founding partner at an entertainment law firm. Director Richard Donner wrote him a recommendation for his UC Berkeley application!

The treasure map was made to look old by production designer J. Michael Riva, who poured coffee on it and cut his finger to drip real blood onto it when they ran out of fake blood!

Sean Astin was given the iconic treasure map prop after filming, but his mother accidentally threw it away years later, mistaking it for trash.

The bats in the underground caves were created using bowties and black paper mache.

The "oil" used for Data's "slick shoes" was actually a mixture of glycerine, water, and food coloring.

The elaborate pirate ship was destroyed after filming because no one claimed it - imagine having that in your backyard!

The Goonies takes place in the same universe as Gremlins! A police officer mentions "little creatures that multiply when you pour water on them" when Chunk calls.

Sloth's Superman T-shirt is an inside joke referencing director Richard Donner, who also directed the 1978 Superman movie.

Mikey's shout of "Holy Mackenzie!" is a reference to Sean Astin's real-life brother, Mackenzie Astin.

In one scene, Data yells "Holy S-H-I-T" and spells out the word because his mother didn't allow him to curse.

A deleted scene involving an octopus was cut from the movie, but Data still mentions it at the end - confusing audiences for decades!

The name "Fratellis" (meaning "brothers" in Italian) inspired the Scottish rock band The Fratellis.

June 7th is officially recognized as "Goonies Day" in Astoria, Oregon, celebrating the film's premiere date.

Some extras were played by real crew members and family - Chunk's mom was played by Jeff Cohen's real mother, and Mouth's father was played by a cameraman.

The Goonies was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2017, recognizing its cultural significance.