Cheese Inspired Dog Names

Be forewarned, if you do not already know the story of Cheeseface the dog and prefer not to read sad stories, we recommend you don’t read the one below. 

Many people remember National Lampoon for their series of popular films, thanks to the cult classic status some have obtained over the last few decades. Films like National Lampoon’s Animal House and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation have firmly cemented themselves in their respective genres, fueled by raciness, a bit of vulgarity, and most importantly, good dialogue and a touch of physical comedy spawned by comic genius. But for anyone who didn’t grow up in the 70s or 80s, it’s nearly lost that the comedy trio of Doug Kenney, Henry Beard, and Robert Hoffman was first encapsulated in the National Lampoon magazine, an offshoot of the Harvard Lampoon, in 1970.

In 1973, the magazine was beginning to get a foothold and was just a few steps away from their initial breakout, hitting their most successful sales period between 1973-1975. From this period came one of the most controversial magazine covers ever printed. On the cover of the “Death” issue, was the now-infamous Cheeseface, a black and white dog with a worried, sideways glance pinned at the hand holding a revolver to his head. Next to him was the caption “If you don’t buy this magazine, we’ll kill this dog.” What readers didn’t know was that Cheeseface was a professional and worked with photographer Ronald Harris to achieve the convincing look — after trying everything to get him to look genuinely scared, they actually pulled the trigger and the click spooked him, leaving one perfect frame, which is why the gun isn’t cocked in the photo. Of course, the entire cover was meant to be a joke, but at the time, when the media had a strong grip on public belief, it seemed to actually drive up a frenzy, despite claims from National Lampoon that they would not actually kill the dog if all the issues weren’t sold, although they did print the next issue of Cheeseface laying down as if dead on the Editor’s page with the claim that they did so for that exact reason. 

In reality, after the shoot, Cheeseface went back home to live on his farm. For three years he lived happily until early 1976, when assistant copy editor Susan Devins received a mysterious call on her very first day. When she picked up, the caller simply said “Cheeseface is dead. Cheeseface the dog is dead.” At first, given her new work environment, she thought it to be a joke but soon realized that someone had actually tracked him down and killed him. As of April of 2018, there is still no information that has surfaced as to who did so or why.