Santa's Little Helper
Santa's Little Helper | |
---|---|
The Simpsons (owner) She Biscuit (mother) | |
Children | 25 puppies[a] (first litter) 8 puppies (second litter) |
Mates | She's the Fastest Rosa Barks |
Santa's Little Helper is a fictional dog in the American
Santa's Little Helper has since appeared frequently on The Simpsons, and is the center of the plots of several episodes. During the course of the show, he has fathered litters of puppies, passed obedience school, had surgery for bloat, replaced Duffman as the mascot for Duff Beer, and been trained as a police dog at Springfield's Animal Police Academy. Some of the episodes that focus on Santa's Little Helper have been inspired by popular culture or real experiences that staff members of the show have gone through.
Although cartoon animals are often humanized,[1] Santa's Little Helper generally exhibits canine behavior. Santa's Little Helper has become a popular character following his appearances on The Simpsons. He ranked 27th in Animal Planet's 2003 television special 50 Greatest TV Animals that was based on popularity, name recognition, and the longevity of the shows. He has also been featured in merchandise relating to The Simpsons, such as video games, board games, and comics.
Role in The Simpsons
Santa's Little Helper is a greyhound dog that appears on the animated television sitcom series The Simpsons and is the pet dog of the Simpson family.[2] He can often be seen on the show in minor appearances, although there have been some episodes that feature him heavily, including the first episode of The Simpsons. In that episode, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" (season one, 1989), Homer discovers that he has no money to buy Christmas presents for the family. Desperate for a miracle, he and Bart go to the greyhound racing track on Christmas Eve in hopes of winning some money. Although Homer has inside information on which dog is the most likely to win, he instead bets on a last-minute entry, Santa's Little Helper (here despite being brown), believing the dog's Christmas-inspired name to be a sign. However, the greyhound finishes last. As Homer and Bart leave the track, they watch the dog's owner abandon him for losing the race. Bart pleads with Homer to keep the dog as a pet and he agrees after it affectionately licks him on the cheek. When Bart and Homer return home, Santa's Little Helper is assumed by the rest of the family to be a Christmas present.[3] Years later, the family would find breeder and trainer Les Moore and reunite their pet with his mother She-Biscuit.[4]
In various episodes, Santa's Little Helper can be seen chewing on newspapers and other objects in the Simpsons' household, destroying furniture, and digging holes in the backyard.[5][6] In "Bart's Dog Gets an "F"" (season two, 1991), he manages to infuriate the entire family by destroying valued items in the home. As a result, Homer and Marge want to get rid of the dog, but Bart and Lisa convince them that he can be trained at an obedience school. Santa's Little Helper does not do well there as Bart is unwilling to use a choke chain suggested by the instructor. The night before the final exam, Bart and Santa's Little Helper play, thinking it will be their last few hours together. This bonding breaks down the communication barrier, allowing the dog to understand Bart's commands, and consequently pass the obedience school.[7]
Santa's Little Helper has fathered several puppies. In "
The dog has been neglected or treated unfavorably by the family in some episodes.
In "
The dog once replaced
Creation and development
Santa's Little Helper's initial appearance on The Simpsons was in the first episode of the series, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", which aired on Dec. 17, 1989.[16] Since then, he has become a recurring character. The Simpsons creator Matt Groening told TV Guide in 2000 that "we [the staff] painted ourselves into a corner with our Christmas episode. Once we wrote the dog into the show, we were stuck with him."[16] The name "Santa's Little Helper" was chosen because, according to writer Al Jean in the same TV Guide article, "we needed a name that would inspire Homer to bet on him, an omen, a Christmas name since he was betting on Christmas Eve. But, at that point, nobody was thinking long-term. We weren't considering what might happen in ten years, when we've got to use this name."[16] Although "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" was the first episode of the series to air on TV, it was the eighth episode produced by the staff. It was chosen to air first because there were animation problems with the others. Jean told the Houston Chronicle in 2001 that after the first episode was broadcast and "the next seven didn't have the dog, people wondered why."[17] He also said in 2003 that the staff enjoyed the first episodes that centered on him, particularly "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", which is the reason that more episodes about him were written.[18]
Writer
Some ideas for episodes featuring Santa's Little Helper come from reality. The plot of "Dog of Death" was based on Swartzwelder's experiences with his own dog, which had also suffered from
Sounds
Although cast member Dan Castellaneta occasionally voiced Santa's Little Helper for bit parts,[18] American voice artist Frank Welker most often provided the sounds of the dog and other animals on the show from "Bart's Dog Gets an 'F'", which aired on March 7, 1991, to "Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily", which aired on October 1, 1995.[29] He said on his official website in 2007 that he liked portraying Santa's Little Helper because the dog was a "sympathetic" character.[30] Welker has been praised by staff members for his performances on the show. David Mirkin has noted that "he can do anything, and it fits perfectly. You forget you're listening to a guy, and he's a pleasure to work with."[20] Groening has commented that he was "unbelievably good" at doing animal noises.[19] After 1995, Castellaneta voiced Santa's Little Helper on his own while Welker performed other animal noises until his full departure in 2002, when he was denied a pay raise.[30] In the "questions and answers" section on his website, Welker revealed that the reason he stopped performing as Santa's Little Helper was because "The producers thought... 'Hmmm, Dan barks pretty good, and we are already paying him and he seems to like doing the dog thing... why do we need to pay Welker who comes in here, spends less than an hour, eats all the doughnuts, refuses to come to rehearsals... let's just give the damn dog to Dan!'"[30]
Reception
Santa's Little Helper has become a well-known dog because of his appearances in the series. A writer for
Among fans and critics, Santa's Little Helper has been mostly well received. He ranked seventh in a 2008 poll by
"As cartoon dogs go, Santa’s Little Helper is spectacularly unspectacular. In a realm of aggressively anthropomorphic canines, some of whom, admittedly, have strong speech impediments, he doesn’t talk or wisecrack or engage in shenanigans. His abilities and powers begin and end with masticating, defecating, and regular napping. You know, just like a real dog. Consequently, episodes devoted to Santa’s Little Helper tend to be a little on the sleepy side, even the Simpsons Christmas special that launched the series."[1]
In 2022,
Influence
Since his first appearance on The Simpsons, Santa's Little Helper has appeared in merchandise relating to the show. On the board art of The Simpsons Clue, a 2000 board game by USAopoly based on
Santa's Little Helper has made an impact on real life in that an espresso-based drink has been named after him at the award-winning restaurant and bar Bambara in
References
- ^ a b Rabin, Nathan (2010-12-16). "'Bart's Dog Gets an F'". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2011-08-14.
- ^ "Highlights". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 1992-03-12. p. 5E.
- ^ "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". The Simpsons. Season 01. Episode 01. 1989-12-17. Fox Broadcasting Company.
- ^ "The Way of the Dog". The Simpsons. Season 31. Episode 22. 2020-05-17. Fox Broadcasting Company.
- OL 433519M..
- ^ "Santa's Little Helper". TheSimpsons.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
- ^ "Bart's Dog Gets an F". The Simpsons. Season 02. Episode 16. 1991-03-07. Fox Broadcasting Company.
- ^ "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds". The Simpsons. Season 06. Episode 20. 1995-04-09. Fox Broadcasting Company.
- ^ "Today I Am a Clown". The Simpsons. Season 15. Episode 06. 2003-12-07. Fox Broadcasting Company.
- ^ Guzior, Betsey (2002-06-14). "Pulp fiction". The State. p. E3.
- ^ "Dog of Death". The Simpsons. Season 03. Episode 19. 1992-03-12. Fox Broadcasting Company.
- ^ "The Canine Mutiny". The Simpsons. Season 08. Episode 20. 1997-04-13. Fox Broadcasting Company.
- Stop or My Dog Will Shoot". The Simpsons. Season 18. Episode 20. 2007-05-13. Fox Broadcasting Company.
- How Munched is That Birdie in the Window?". The Simpsons. Season 22. Episode 07. 2010-11-28. Fox Broadcasting Company.
- Old Yeller Belly". The Simpsons. Season 14. Episode 19. 2003-05-04. Fox Broadcasting Company.
- ^ a b c d Rhodes, Joe (2000-10-21). "Flash! 24 Simpsons stars reveal themselves". TV Guide.
- ^ Westbrook, Bruce (2001-11-04). "Animated icons After a dozen seasons, Fox's 'The Simpsons' still has strange appeal". Houston Chronicle. p. 11.
- ^ a b c Jean, Al (2003). The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season DVD commentary for the episode "Dog of Death" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b Groening, Matt (2005). The Simpsons: The Complete Sixth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b Mirkin, David (2005). The Simpsons: The Complete Sixth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Reardon, Jim (2003). The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season DVD commentary for the episode "Dog of Death" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Camp, Todd (1999-04-11). "What a 'Guy' – New Fox cartoon mocks TV, 'The Simpsons'". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 2.
- ^ Ashton, Alison (1991-11-26). "Questions that yule like – See how much you know about this time of year". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. NC-6.
- ^ Coombe, Tom (2002-01-21). "Furry friend raises cash for greyhounds – Group selling stuffed animals to help pay for adoption program". The Morning Call. p. B5.
- The Gold Coast Bulletin. p. 060.
- ^ Scully, Mike (2005). The Simpsons: The Complete Sixth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ "Stanley and Bart... another Kubrick legend". The Guardian. 1999-07-16. Retrieved 2011-03-01.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-86189-203-4.
- ^ Vitti, Jon (2002). The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season DVD commentary for the episode "Bart's Dog Gets an 'F'" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c Welker, Frank. "Ask Frank". The Frank Welker Homepage (official website). Retrieved 2011-08-14.
- ^ "... And with a huge cast of oddball characters". The Grand Rapids Press. 2002-11-03. p. F1.
- ^ McClatchy News Service (2007-09-28). "Doggy details". Gilroy Dispatch. Retrieved 2011-08-14.
- ^ Rollo, Sarah (2008-11-27). "Lassie crowned top TV dog in poll". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
- ^ Mayer, Nissim (2010-01-19). "Bart named favourite 'Simpsons' character". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
- ^ Walker, Kevin (2004-03-26). "Top Dogs". The Tampa Tribune. p. 24.
- ^ Berry, Robert (2006). "Year of the dog – The 100 greatest dogs of pop culture history". Retrocrush. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
- ^ "The 25 most memorable TV pets". Yardbarker. March 21, 2022.
- ^ Barker, Olivia (2000-12-15). "'Millionaire,' 'Simpsons' win the board game". USA Today. p. 15E.
- ^ Gintout, Sarah (2011-12-11). "Gifts galore – Captivate the art and tech lovers on your list". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. D-1.
- Titan Magazines. Archived from the originalon 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
- Fandango. Archived from the originalon 2012-10-19. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
- ^ Harris, Craig (2001-04-24). "The Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror review". IGN. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
- ^ Harris, Craig (2007-09-05). "The Simpsons: Mr. Sparkle hands-on". IGN. Archived from the original on 2012-01-25. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
- ^ "Jonesing for Simpsons Toys". IGN. 2006-06-26. Archived from the original on 2007-01-06. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
- ^ "Simpsons – Family Christmas – Interactive Environment w/5 exclusive figures". Amazon. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
- ISBN 978-0-313-35111-2.
- ^ "'The Simpsons' midway of crazy carnival games opens at Universal Orlando inviting guests to step right up into Springfield". 7 October 2012.
- ^ "When weather outside is frightful, rich holiday drinks are delightful". The Salt Lake Tribune. 2004-12-15. p. D1.
- ISBN 978-1-933068-02-2.
Santa's Little Helper simpsons.
- ^ "That Azaria is quite a character: In fact, he's a few on TV Guide's cover". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 2000-10-18. p. A2.
Notes
- ^ Named Rover I, Fido, Rex I, Spot, Rover II, Fido II, Rex II, Cleo, Dave I, Jay I, Paul I, Branford I, Dave II, Jay II, Paul II, Branford II, Sleepy, Dopey, Grumpy I, Donner, Blitzen, Grumpy II, King, Queenie, Prince, and The Puppy Formerly Known As Prince.
External links