Muppets Dog Names

Outside the likes of Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, and Snoopy, many forget that Rowlf was one of the first widely-recognized dog-stars on television. But for anyone unfamiliar with his earliest years, Rowlf’s origins didn’t stem from The Muppet Show, the actually came from a series of Purina Dog Chow commercials that aired in Canada in 1962 and 1963, in which he was also paired up with Baskerville the Hound, who would garner considerably less fame than his co-star. The duo represented two of three of Henson’s original dog designs (although built by Don Sahlin), the third of which saw little, if any, screen time. 

But it wasn’t even his dog food commercials that helped him, and therefore Henson, rise to stardom. In 1963, Rowlf joined The Jimmy Dean Show as Jimmy Dean’s sidekick and “ol’ buddy,” getting seven to ten minutes of every episode to do comedy sketches, duets, and other skits. The frequency of his appearances allowed Henson to develop his character over several years between Jimmy Dean and other variety shows before becoming a Muppets staple next to Kermit, who were both featured in the earliest years of Sesame Street. 

By 1976, The Muppet Show was ready for launch, equipped with Rowlf as a featured member of the cast. Because of the time that Henson had to develop him, he continued on with his comedic and musical stylings in a similar manner, helping to give The Muppet Show a bit of both star power and familiarity. Although he was well-known for his musical numbers, many of them weren’t even shown in the US, but their popularity in the UK was unrivaled for a made-up character. 

Rowlf went on to be featured regularly on the show for its entire existence, and was also cast in all three of the original Muppet movies, including The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, and The Muppets Take Manhattan, all of which feature his musical ability at one point or another, as well as numerous television specials like John Denver’s Rocky Mountain Holiday and A Muppet Family Christmas. After the death of Jim Henson, Rowlf continued to appear in many Muppets productions but was generally held to silent and brief cameos, out of respect for Henson, whom many other Muppeteers considered irreplaceable after decades of performance. After several years, Bill Barretta transitioned into the role, helped to bring Rowlf back to prominence, going so far as to bring him back into the limelight in the most recent Muppets movies. 

Unlike many of the other Muppets, Rowlf was designed as a ‘live-hand’ character, meaning there were no strings or sticks attached. It took three hands to control him, one for the head and mouth and one for each hand, necessitating two performers to make him move convincingly. Until he passed, Henson was both the voice and the mouth of this undeniably famous and lovable character and although many credit Kermit as being his most famous character, those who knew Henson best said that Rowlf’s down to earth and laid-back personality was closest to the man and legend himself.