Triumph the Insult Comic Dog

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog
First appearance	Late Night with Conan O'Brien (February 13, 1997)
Created by	Robert Smigel
Portrayed by	Robert Smigel
In-universe information
Full name	Ch. Triumph's Honor of Whitehall[1]
Species	Dog (Montenegrin Mountain Hound)
Gender	Male
Occupation	Interviewer, Insult Comic Dog

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is a

The dog puppet was found, in an assortment of animal puppets, at a country furniture store, by Robert Smigel and his newlywed-wife, with Smigel using it in-store to "smell" his newlywed-wife's "butt", she bought an assortment of seven of those animal puppets, and later presented them to Smigel as a birthday gift.^[4][5]

For four years, Late Night with Conan O'Brien had done remote segments parodying the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.^[5]

On 13 February 1997, Triumph, the character, created by Robert Smigel, was first used^[6] for a segment on Late Night with Conan O'Brien parodying the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, where Triumph (Ch. Triumph's Honor of Whitehall, Yugoslavian Mountain Hound) appeared as a Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show winner (Hound division) in a vaudeville stage, with an Insult Comic talent, telling "for me to poop on" jokes.^[7] later used in post-interview segments with ill-informed guests,^[4]

Triumph speaks with a nebulous Eastern European accent, which Smigel based on his grandparents who were immigrants from Russia.^[8]

Triumph first became a "viral video" at iFilm.^[4]

Notable appearances

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

In 1999, Jordan Schlansky^{[9][10][11][12][13][14]} and the Triumph entourage crashed the 123rd annual^[15] Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden, New York City, and after some video shooting, was later ejected by security guards,^{[16][17][18][19]} returning in 2000.^{[citation needed]}

Star Wars

In May 2002, Triumph paid a visit to Star Wars fans lining up for the premiere of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones outside the Ziegfeld Theater in New York, airing 2002-05-17, mocking their actions and stereotypical nerd culture. Notable moments include a wedding that took place at the line, and the appearances of Blackwolf the Dragonmaster (Richard Washington),^{[20][21][22][23]} a real-life fantasy gaming fan and the "Unofficial Wizard of New York", and Spock who gave everyone the finger. Smigel has said "It's still the Triumph sketch I hear the most about and I'd say it's still the best. The simplest explanation is that it features the funniest straight men Triumph's ever encountered. So you're laughing not only at the jokes but the faces, the costumes and committment [sic]. There's so much to enjoy."^[24][25]

Space Ghost Coast to Coast

In 2004, Triumph appeared as the guest star on the hit Adult Swim series Space Ghost Coast to Coast in the episode "Dreams". Triumph offhandedly mentions having anal sex with Lassie, which causes friction between Space Ghost and Moltar over such topics being brought up on television.

MTV Video Music Awards and incident with Eminem

In 2001 and 2002, Triumph appeared in the audience at the MTV Video Music Awards. In 2001, Triumph interviewed Carson Daly before spotting Jennifer Lopez and asking if he could sniff her butt.^[26]

In 2002, Triumph interviewed Moby before spotting Eminem, who covered Triumph with his hand, saying "I already got my TV time".^[27] Triumph was then shoved away by Eminem's bodyguards.^[28] The following day, Triumph appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and gave a press conference about the incident while wearing a neck brace.^[29] Triumph later appeared in Eminem's music video for "Ass Like That", and at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, Eminem began his performance by voicing a lookalike puppet.^[30]

2004 presidential campaign

Triumph filmed a number of segments during the 2004 US presidential election cycle. In November 2003, in the early days of the 2004 U.S. presidential primary campaign, Triumph was the "lead guest" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno the same night that Democratic candidate John Kerry also appeared on the show. Kerry made a dramatic entry, riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle onto the stage; but Triumph, in characteristic style, poked fun at him with a series of scathingly rude remarks, to Kerry's evident discomfort.^[31] (Among his jibes: "The poop I made in the dressing room had more heat than John Kerry!")^[32]

In July and August 2004, Triumph followed up with visits to both major parties'

Triumph was a main character in the short-lived Adult Swim series The Jack and Triumph Show with Jack McBrayer and June Squibb.^[18] It premiered on February 20, 2015, and lasted until April 3, 2015.

2016 and 2020 presidential elections

In February 2016, Triumph starred in Triumph's Election Special 2016, sponsored by

In June 2022, Smigel and six staffers from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert were arrested by the United States Capitol Police for an alleged unlawful entry in the Longworth House Office Building while filming a segment with Triumph during the January 6 Attack hearings.^[42]

Trademark lawsuit

In 1999, after Triumph accused Pets.com's sock puppet mascot of being a "rip-off" of Triumph on television shows, in print media, online, and in a letter, the company sent lawsuit threats and cease and desist letters to Smigel claiming "unfair competition, dilution and potentially tortious interference with contract in violation of federal and state laws" and the following year filed a lawsuit against Late Night and Smigel.^[16][43][44] The bankruptcy and closing of the company during the dot-com bust of 2000 ended the lawsuit.^{[citation needed]} Triumph humped the Pets.com dog in a bathroom during a segment of Late Night as an act of revenge.^[45]

Discography

Triumph's 2003 album,

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.