Remember that one day when you could wake up without an alarm? When you would get your favorite bowl of cereal and sit between the hours of 8 and 12? This is a blog dedicated to the greatest time of our childhood: Saturday mornings. The television programs you watched, the memories attached to them, and maybe introducing you to something you didn't realize existed. Updated every weekend.
Pound
Puppies was a Flash-animated
reboot of the toy franchise, and the second cartoon based on them. Pound Puppies
continued to be popular throughout the 80s and early 90s, and were redesigned
at the turn of the century to represent actual dog breeds instead of the
generic model that was in use. The line would come to an end in 2002 and laid
dormant until Funrise acquired the license
and restarted
the line in 2014.
In the interim, Tonka,
who had introduced the Pound Puppies to the American market after gaining the
rights from Irwin
Toy,
ran into financial trouble from purchasing Kenner Parker
in 1987. They themselves ended up needing to be bought out and were purchased
by Hasbro
in 1991. In 2009, Hasbro entered into a joint venture with Discovery Communications
to re-launch the Discovery
Kids
channel with family-oriented programming. Since Hasbro was responsible for
acquiring and developing the programming, they turned to their own toy
franchises as the starting point for them. Pound
Puppies became one of the launch programs for the network that would be
known as The
Hub.
Niblet, Strudel, Lucky, Cookie and Squirt in front of Shelter 17.
Like the original
animated series from the 80s, Pound Puppies focused on a group of dogs who operated in secret out
of a dog pound to find “a pup for every person, and a person for every pup”. However,
this time the dogs, designed by Martin Ansolabehere,
were less anthropomorphic and more dog-like; resembling their respective breeds.
Amongst the Pound Puppies was Lucky (Eric McCormack), a German
Shepherd/Scottish Terrier/Golden Retriever/Jack Russell Terrier mix, the
group’s cool and collected leader; Cookie (Yvette Nicole Brown), a Boxer, the
tough-talking but sweet second-in-command; Niblet (John DiMaggio), an Old
English Sheepdog, who was clumsy and dim but had a big heart; Strudel (Alanna
Ubach), a German Dachsund, the resident egotistical genius of the group that
invented all the gadgets used by the Pound Puppies—particularly the computer
database that helped find puppies matches; and Squirt (Michael Rapaport), a
Chihuahua, the street-smart pessimist of the group who was Niblet’s best
friend. They worked underneath Shelter
17
at the Happy Valley shelter with the aid of Strudel’s squirrel
assistants (who handled her building due to her lack of
fingers). A running gag included Lucky and Cookie’s unspoken attraction for
each other; unspoken because every time Lucky got the nerve to act on it
something would interrupt him.
The Super Secret Pup Club: Cupcake, Rebound and Patches.
As
the series progressed, it was shown that the Pound Puppies were just one of
many units around the world. They even had an unofficial side branch, the Super
Secret Pup Club, started by Patches
(Jessica DiCicco):
a Dalmatian puppy that idolized Lucky. Cats even had their own version called
the Kennel
Kittens, which were run by Ace (McCormack) and Fluffy
(Brown), who were virtual copies of the Puppies in cat form. Pups adopted out
were given a doghouse-shaped tag for their collars, because “once a Pound
Puppy, always a Pound Puppy”.
McLeish and Olaf.
The human running the pound was Leonard
McLeish (René Auberjonois); a short-tempered man who hated his job and always
demanded things be done the right way. His employee was the eccentric, kind
caretaker of the pound, Olaf Hugglesbjork (M. Emmett Walsh), and often helped
visitors find their ideal pet. Ketchum
was the silent, seemingly emotionless dog catcher that would bring new dogs to
the pound, often instigating that episode’s quest.
The General with 67 charges she needs adopted. Easy peasy, right?
Other characters included Leonard’s
mother Agatha
(Betty White),
who initially hated dogs until she met Niblet’s sister, Rebound
(Brooke Goldner);
Leonard’s brother-in-law Mayor Jerry
(Dabney Coleman
& John
Larroquette), who often pushed Leonard into doing
things for him and berated him for any mistakes; Dolly
(E.G. Daily),
a pink poodle and legendary member of the Pound Puppies network; Agent
Ping
(Lauren Tom), an Akita Inu who worked with
the Chinese Pound Puppies; Cupcake
(Cree Summer),
a Boxer/Labrador mix who was a member of the Pup Club and Cookie’s adopted
daughter; Claudio
(Jeff Bennet),
an Italian fisherman; and Dot Henderson
(Grey DeLisle),
Lucky’s eventual owner and the only human who knew about the Pound Puppies.
The series ran for 3 seasons, ending
after 65 episodes; enough needed for syndication. It has continued to air on
The Hub and its successor in reruns. In 2012, Hasbro produced a new line of
toys for the show, adapting several characters into plush
toys
and small
figurines. The plush toys came with an adoption certificate,
which was also available through a website. Shout! Factory
released 57 of the episodes across 11
DVD collections between 2012 and 2016. In 2019, Hasbro
would license the brand out to Basic
Fun! who produced reproductions
of the classic 1980s toys.
EPISODE GUIDE:
Season 1:
“The
Yipper Caper” (10/10/10) – An “unmatchable puppy” finds—and loses—his perfect
match while McLeish attempts to impress his brother-in-law.
“Nightmare
on Pound Street” (10/29/10) – The Puppies try to find a home for the
weird-looking Freddie.
“Rebound”
(11/5/10) – Hyperactive Rebound keeps being returned to the pound, but she ends
up finding a home with McLeish’s mother.
“The
General” (11/19/10) – The legendary General comes to the Puppies for help
adopting out 67 puppies while Cookie attempts to connect with her feminine
side.
“The
Prince and the Pupper” (12/3/10) – Squirt decides to switch places with a rich
lookalike named Cuddlesworth.
“Catcalls”
(12/17/10) – The Puppies and the Kennel Kittens try to get a pup and a kitten
adopted to the same home where one of the parents hates each of the species.
“King
of the Heap” (12/24/10) – A Rottweiler wants to get adopted by a junkyard
owner, but he ends up adopting Niblet instead.
“My
Fair Rebound” (8/13/11) – Rebound has the Puppies get her into show shape so
that she can win a dog show and help Ms. McLeish show up her rival.
“Quintuplets”
(8/13/11) – A group of quintuplets refuse to be adopted separately.
“Dog
on a Wire” (8/20/11) – Strudel’s escort mission leads her to helping a circus
keep running, and to a choice of circus life or returning to the pound.
“Homeward
Pound” (8/27/11) – Squirt and Niblet accidentally end up on a plane that takes
them to Canada.
“Rebel
Without a Collar” (9/10/11) – Cookie develops a crush on a coyote that has her
considering leaving the pound, much to Lucky’s dismay.
“Taboo”
(10/1/11) – The Puppies believe a puppy is bad luck.
“Toyoshiko!
Bark Friend Machine” (10/8/11) – Milton Feltwaddle brings a robot dog to the
pound who can understand Strudel.
“Zoltron”
(10/15/11) – Zoltron comes to the Puppies for help in finding his family, but
there’s a strong possibility he may not even be from Earth.
“The
Really Weird Dog” (10/22/11) – Lucky wants to help Rover find his person, which
won’t be easy since he’s an alligator.
“Bone
Voyage” (11/12/11) – Rebound believes she’ll never see Ms. McLeish again after
she goes on a cruise.
“Snow
Problem” (11/19/11) – The Puppies act as sled dogs to help Tundra impress his
perfect person.
“The
K9 Kid” (11/26/11) – Pepper wants to become a police dog, but she’s neither the
right size or breed for the job.
“The
Call of the Squirredog” (12/3/11) – Squirt reveals the origin of Mr. Nut.
“I
Never Barked for My Father” (12/10/11) – Lucky’s father hides out at the pound
to escape the dog catcher, but Lucky has some unresolved issues from his
childhood to deal with.
“McLeish
Unleashed” (12/17/11) – Feltwaddle takes over the pound when McLeish is
promoted and turns the pound into a prison.
“Olaf
in Love” (1/7/12) – A new puppy wants to live with Olaf and Gertrude, so the
Puppies must get the two together so that she can be adopted.
“Kennel
Kittens Return” (1/14/12) – Squirt infiltrates the Kennel Kittens to retrieve a
device they stole.
“Mutternal
Instincts” (1/21/12) – With her family always busy, Cookie becomes close with a
puppy she names Cupcake.
“Lucky
Gets Adopted” (1/28/12) – Lucky ends up adopted, and he’s not too happy about
it.
Season 2:
“Zipper
the Zoomit Dog” (6/2/12) – Squirt vows to train Zipper to catch frisbees in
order to get revenge on a dog from Squirt’s past.
“The
Fraud Princess” (6/9/12) – Ms. McLeish’s new boyfriend brings a nosey playmate
over for Rebound.
“The
Super Secret Pup Club” (6/16/12) – Told they’re too little to join the Puppies,
Rebound and Cupcake form their own group with Patches.
“Barlow”
(6/23/12) – An old basset hound’s laziness spread through the pound while a
legendary dog comes seeking placement for his grand-pups.
“There’s
Something About Camelia” (6/30/12) – Camelia has a lot of great matches, so the
Puppies try to find her perfect one.
“Good
Dog, McLeish!” (7/7/12) – McLeish is hypnotized into thinking he’s a dog and
joins the Puppies.
“The
Ruff Ruff Bunch” (7/14/12) – The Puppies look for a lost dog while the Pup Club
joins a high society dog club.
“Salty”
(7/21/12) – An aging sea dog tries to pick his own person.
“Squawk”
(7/28/12) – Niblet shares the Puppies’ secrets with a talkative parrot McLeish
is watching.
“The
Accidental Pup Star” (8/25/12) – The Puppies try to keep McLeish from
exploiting Rebound’s talents for fame.
“No
Dogs Allowed” (9/1/12) – A landlord institutes a no-dogs policy, resulting in a
lot of returns to the pound.
“Pound
Preemies” (12/1/12) – A premature litter is accidentally adopted by three
girls, which the Puppies must find to get them back to their mother.
“I
Heard the Barks on Christmas Eve” (11/24/12) – The Puppies need a miracle to
place thousands of pups overflowing the shelters all over town.
Season 3:
“Working
K-9 to 5” (6/1/13) – Dolores becomes a newspaper delivery girl in order to prove
to her dad she can be responsible enough for a dog, but her deliveries keep
ending up late.
“Cuddle
Up Buttercup” (6/1/13) – The Puppies scramble to find a puppy the right home as
she looks too much like the latest toy sensation.
“The
Pups Who Loved Me” (6/8/13) – A visiting British Puppy accidentally has his
flying car taken by the Pup Club while on a mission to place a pup with his
perfect home.
“Fright
at the Museum” (6/15/13) – Placing a pup with the daughter of a museum curator
brings Niblet and Squirt face-to-face with a reincarnated cat mummy.
“Puddles
the Problem Pup” (6/23/13) – The Puppies try to get a dog with a weak bladder a
home.
“It’s
Elementary, My Dear Pup Club” (6/29/13) – Pepper and the Pup Club try to prove
a boy innocent of school vandalism so he can adopt a pup.
“Hot
Dawg!” (7/6/13) – Headquarters puts a new Puppy on the team who has trouble
focusing on their mission and instead concentrates on wooing female dogs.
“I’m
Ready for my Close Pup” (7/13/13) – Cupcake subs in for a dog star that needs a
break, but the fame quickly goes to her head.
“When
Niblet Met Giblet” (7/20/13) – Niblet falls in love with another sheepdog and
Lucky and Cookie follow when he goes to find her after she’s adopted.
“Once
a Ralph, Always a Ralph” (7/27/13) – A new arrival scares off potential
adopters, and the Puppies think he’s sabotaging their operation on purpose.
“Hello
Kitten” (8/3/13) – A kitten ends up at the pound and the Pup Club tries to help
place her, but the Kennel Kittens have other ideas.
“Beauty
is Only Fur Deep” (8/10/13) – A heroic rescue dog arrives without any fur, but
even with the toupee Squirt makes him his lack of confidence is a turn-off for
adopters.
“The
Watchdogs” (8/17/13) – After being mistaken for a superhero, Strudel begins a
double life that causes her Puppies work to suffer.
“Hail
to the Chief” (8/17/13) – Agent Ping tasks Strudel with finding the perfect
family for an energetic pup.
“All
Bark and Little Bite” (8/24/13) – Patches’ friends tease him for hanging out
with girls.
“Lucky
the Dunce” (8/31/13) – Strudel’s new device causes Lucky to become zany.
“Back
in Action” (9/7/13) – An old TV star dog feels useless until he’s needed for a
rescue.
“The
Truth is in Hear” (9/14/13) – Too many sci-fi movies has McLeish believing the
dogs are space aliens.
“No
More S’Mores” (9/21/13) – A shy pup ends up with the High Energy Scouts and the
Puppies have to get him to a perfect home before he’s overwhelmed.
“Doubles
Trouble” (9/28/13) – A siblings’ squabble threatens their adoption.
“Little
Monster” (10/5/13) – Noodles wants to get rid of the family’s new baby.
“Rebound’s
First Symphony” (10/12/13) – An argument with Ms. McLeish makes it tough to
place Yoyo with her perfect person.
“Lord
of the Fleas” (10/19/13) – The Puppies must rescue a pup from an island before
the volcano erupts.
“The
Road to Empawerment” (10/26/13) – A motivational speaker prompts Niblet to lead
three pups on a dangerous journey of self-discovery.
“The
Pupple’s Court” (11/9/13) – Lucky’s instincts land him in trouble with the
Pound Puppy tribunal.
“Lucky
Has to Move” (11/16/13) – The Puppies try to foul up a promotion for Dot’s
father so Lucky doesn’t have to move.
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