Mr. Magoo Inspired Dog Names

While animal-based cartoon characters were all the rage when Mr. Magoo first hit screens in 1949, making him a rare case, the writers and developers never strayed away from using animals, especially dogs. In fact, the second short that Mr. Magoo was ever featured in, titled “Spellbound Hound”, featured a dog that would soon help develop the dynamic between Magoo himself and many of the characters that most frequently surrounded him. 

In the short, the dog spends nearly five of the total seven minutes trying to convince the nearly-blind man that there was a convict hiding in his house, with Mr. Magoo digging himself deeper into trouble at every blatant turn of miscommunication — it would end up being a theme repeated by numerous characters throughout the show including Charlie (Cholly, although he was axed in 1960 for being a bit of a stereotype), Waldo and Worcestershire. 

But the dogs that were featured in the shorts and cartoons didn’t stop there either. Not only did the writers continue with more dog-centric episodes like “The Dog Snatcher” and “Magoo’s Canine Mutiny”, but also gave Mr. Magoo some dogs of his own, each of which had a unique personality. Humorously enough, in the 1960s series titled “The Mr. Magoo Show”, he also established a relationship with Bowzir, who was actually a cat, though Magoo was never able to tell as much.

The most recognizable is likely McBarker, a veritable look-alike to the man himself, complete with a wrinkled face, stout figure and an equally bad case of short-sightedness, which only furthered Magoo’s ability to get himself into trouble. However, unlike the dogs featured in many of the shorts developed throughout the 1950s and 1960s, McBarker wasn’t introduced until the late 1970s when Mr. Magoo was licensed out to another studio and was aired in a series called “What’s New, Mr. Magoo?” 

But despite the use of the canines throughout the various iterations of Mr. Magoo, the dog who received some of the most screen time and fanfare was Angus, the live-action dog who starred alongside Leslie Nielsen in the 1997 self-titled film. Not only was he given bits of scenes all to himself, including some comedic moments of his own, but was also is featured throughout the entire movie, helping to play the classic helpful character opposite Magoo, helping him through various scenarios and saving him from significant trouble. Even though the film was considered a commercial flop, it still carried loyalty to stars of both human and canine persuasions.