Even though the Lhasa Apso is an eccentric dog breed that originates from the mountains of Tibet, it has had its fair share of features in literature and television and the occasional appearance on the big screen. When it comes to this specific breed, however, there is none more popular than the weirdly-named Ms. Lion, from the animated series entitled Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. The story, as the name implies, revolves around Spider-Man and his friends, namely Iceman and Firestar, and the trio’s adventures.

Peter Parker, Angelica Jones (Firestar) and Bobby Drake (Iceman) are students at the fictional Empire State University. They are boarding together at Peter’s Aunt May’s home. They share the space together with the adorable Lhasa Apso named Ms. Lion, who was originally adopted from Firestar. The three friends helped recover a “Power Booster” that was stolen from Tony Stark, otherwise known as Iron Man. As a way to thank the trio, Stark helped them create a “Super Multi-Purpose Room” containing a crime lab, where they can operate. The three friends then decide to stick together for good, dubbing themselves the “Spider-Friends”.

Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends aired from 1981 to 1983 and originally aired on NBC. Ms. Lion began as a minor character in the series and was one of the few characters on the show who knew about the Spider-Friends’ identities. Over time, however, he became an integral part of the story and, similar to Firestar, was ultimately added to the comic books. In fact, Ms. Lion was a central figure in some major story arcs. The four-issue limited series, called Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers, featured Ms. Lion as one of the main characters, despite his lack of super powers. Another limited animation series, called Princess, features the Lhasa Apso as the titular character. Princess was produced by the creators of the acclaimed animated series South Park.

Apart from animations, the Lhasa Apso has also been the subject of literary classics. In the 1948 children’s book by Louise Rankin, entitled Daughter of the Mountains, the Lhasa Apso is both a plot device and a central character. The story revolves around Momo and details the long and challenging journey she had to take in order to retrieve her dog who was stolen by a wool trader. In 1949, a year after its original publication, Daughter of the Mountains received a Newbery Honor award.

Even outside of Tibet, the Lhasa Apso remains to be a beloved dog, thanks in large part to the pop culture references based on the breed.