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Our loved dogs of the small screen
Nostalgia warning: these dogs are so well-known and loved, they’re remembered by their first names. They are the pooches who have entertained, educated and opened our hearts through the years.
2/10Lassie — The most enduring screen dog is without a doubt the rough collie, Lassie (originally a male called Pal). Seven movies, 19 seasons on TV, a radio show in the late 40s and an animated series have made Lassie one of the most adored dogs of all time. In 2005, Variety named Lassie one of the “100 Icons of the Century” — the only animal star on the list. Fun fact: “The Son of Lassie” (1943) provided a small breakout role for an actor named Elizabeth Taylor.
3/10Rin Tin Tin – Rescued from a World War 1 battlefield, Rin Tin Tin was a star in the making, an immediate box-office success and went on to appear in 27 Hollywood films. After he died in 1932, his bloodline continued and his offspring and offspring’s offspring appeared in numerous films, on radio and Rin Tin Tin IV appeared in the popular TV series in the 1950s The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (though most of the scenes were actually played by a dog called Flame Jr). Fun fact: The current Rin Tin Tin XII is owned by Texan Dorothy Yanchak and takes part in public events to represent the Rin Tin Tin legacy. Others in the bloodline are trained as service dogs to provide assistance to special needs children.
4/10Bouncer — The loveable Labrador featured on Neighbours between 1987-1993. The resilient hound survived house fires, road accidents and poisonous mushrooms, but most memorably fantasised in a dream sequence about marrying Rosie, the border collie who lived next door. Fun Fact: For the 30th anniversary in 2015, Bouncer (or a distant relative) returned for a cameo. “Bouncer had a few notable affairs when he was on the show,” said producer Jason Herbison at the time, “so we are not exactly sure who he knocked up, but Bouncer 2 is definitely a direct descendant.”
5/10Inspector Rex — The popular series follows German Shepherd police dog Rex, his partners and the rest of the team at the Vienna Kriminalpolizei homicide unit as they work together to solve crimes. From 2008, episodes are set in Rome. Fun fact: The franchise continues with Hudson & Rex, a Canadian spin-off that premiered on March 25, 2019.
6/10Scooby-Doo — This Saturday morning staple featured four teenagers — Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Norville “Shaggy” Rogers — and their talking brown Great Dane, Scooby-Doo. They solve mysteries and get around in a van called the Mystery Machine. Scooby and Shaggy tend to share several personality traits — mostly being cowardly and perpetually hungry. In 2013, TV Guide ranked Scooby-Doo the fifth greatest TV cartoon. Fun fact: The newest series, Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, premiered on June 27, 2019.
7/10Woodrow — On April 10, 1986, Simon Townshend’s beloved bloodhound Woodrow passed away. For seven years he’d joined Townshend in the studio as the mascot for Simon Townsend’s Wonder World! He was so popular, his death made the front page of numerous Australian newspapers. Fun Fact: Townshend made a heartfelt tribute to Woodrow compiling a touching montage set to Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend”. Watch it on the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia website.
8/10Brian Griffin — The talking dog from animated TV series Family Guy generally walks on his hind legs, is a struggling writer, fond of dry martinis, drives a second-generation Toyota Prius and often acts more rationally than the human characters in the series. Brian famously gets killed in a hit and run in Series 12 which caused an outrage but miraculously he returned two episodes later through the use of a time machine. Fun fact: In the episode “Road to the Multiverse”, Brian was voiced by Japanese actor Kotaro Watanabe in an alternate universe (due to a US defeat in the WWII).
9/10Wilfred – Having won at the short film festival Tropfest in 2002, SBS picked Wilfred, created by Adam Zwar, Jason Gann and Tony Rogers for two seasons in 2007 and 2010. The story follows the lives of the eponymous dog Wilfred, his owner Sarah, and her boyfriend Adam, who sees Wilfred as a man in a dog suit. Wilfred was picked up by US channel FX and ran from 2011 to 2014. Elijah Wood played the lead role of Ryan in the US series. Fun Fact: US producer described Wilfred as being a mixed breed dog who is “part Labrador Retriever and part Russell Crowe on a bender”.
10/10Wags the Dog – A Wiggles institution with his own song (“Here comes Wags/ My dog Wags/He eats so much that his tummy drags”) Wags was created by Blue Wiggle Anthony Field in 1995 because he knew “kids liked dogs”. Wags was also the last of the core group of four Wiggly Friends (his best friend Captain Feathersword; Dorothy the Dinosaur; and Henry the Octopus) to be created, in 1995. Fun fact: Mic Conway of The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band fame has provided Wags’ dialogue.
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