Rowlf the Dog

ike fangs on his lower jaw. Rowlf first appeared in 1962 in a series of Purina Dog Chow commercials. He was paired with Baskerville the Hound in a series of ads which aired in Canada from 1962 to 1963. Unlike most of the early Muppets, he was designed as a live-hand Muppet; he was also one of the first non-abstract Muppet characters, built to resemble a dog. According to Henson's original notes, other names considered for the character were Barkley, Woofington, Baskerville, Barkus, Howlington, Waggington and Beowolf. Jim Henson designed three different dogs, one of which became the design for Rowlf, and another of which became the design for Baskerville.[1]

According to Jim Henson Company archivist Karen Falk, the scripts for the Purina Dog Chow commercials spelled Rowlf's name as "Ralph," possibly after Ralph Freeman, the advertising account executive on the original Purina campaign. Soon, Jim Henson and Rowlf were sought after for other commercials, sales films, and appearances. In late 1963, Bill Wright contracted Henson to make a sales film featuring Rowlf the Dog for the American Photocopy Equipment Company (APECO). Rowlf also appeared in an ad for Esskay Meats during the same time period. Rise to Fame (1963-1976)
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Frank Oz, Rowlf and Jim Henson. Henrowlf- muponpup68
Rowlf rose to stardom as Jimmy Dean's sidekick on The Jimmy Dean Show. The show ran from 1963 until 1966. Rowlf the Dog was a regular on the show, and was billed as Jimmy's "ol' buddy." Between seven and ten minutes of every show were devoted to a spot with Rowlf and Dean. Many of the comedy sketches ended with the two singing a duet together. Rowlf's tenure on The Jimmy Dean Show allowed Jim Henson to develop the character over a period of time. Rowlf continued to star on variety shows, hosting the 1967 summer variety series Our Place and appearing in several episodes of The Mike Douglas Show. He also hosted the 1968 special Muppets On Puppets. Rowlf appeared in the 1965 Wilson's Meats Meeting Film, as an example of the Muppets' exposure ("I'm the Muppets' big lovable shaggy dog Rowlf, from ABC's The Jimmy Dean Show!"). He did a similar thing by "stopping by to say 'Howdy'" in the 1966 La Choy Chow Mein Presentation Reel. He also appeared in the Sesame Street pitch reel, explaining the concept and production process to a wary Kermit, as both characters were the most familiar Muppets at the time. He also appeared in Sesame Street's first season, making a cameo appearance in the "Song of Nine." Rowlf appeared in brief celebrity cameo-esque roles in the two Muppet Show pilots, The Muppets Valentine Show and S*x and Violence. The Muppet Show (1976-1981)
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Rowlf the Dog as "Dr. Bob" in Veterinarian's Hospital. When The Muppet Show debuted, Rowlf was a part of the cast. Rowlf was assigned the role of resident pianist (abandoning his ukulele skills from The Jimmy Dean Show). At the piano, Rowlf would often perform classical music, and sing solos or duets. Rowlf also performed in the pit orchestra and sometimes sat in with the Electric Mayhem. Despite Rowlf's established fame among American audiences, a majority of his musical numbers were not seen in the US, as the sketches and songs starring Rowlf dominated the list of UK Spots. Apart from displaying his musical talents, Rowlf continued his comedic style from The Jimmy Dean Show with his customary puns and gags – most notably as Dr. Bob, "the quack who has gone to the dogs," in Veterinarian's Hospital, or with a female partner in the recurring At the Dance segments. During the first season, Rowlf also appeared in two poetry segments. Rowlf would occasionally take on other character roles in the on-stage productions - including Sherlock Holmes and a Western bar piano player. Whether in featured roles or non-speaking cameos, Rowlf appeared in 89 of the 120 episodes of The Muppet Show. Although he's one of the big stars of the show, Rowlf has never been spotlighted in a backstage plot. Due to Rowlf's musical skill, it is sometimes incorrectly assumed that he was a part-time member of The Electric Mayhem Band. Although Rowlf played in the orchestra and back-up on several numbers with musicians in the Mayhem band, Rowlf only accompanied the Electric Mayhem three times: in episode 424, in episode 513 and at Fozziwig's Christmas party in The Muppet Christmas Carol. In fact, when the Electric Mayhem walked out over the apparent lameness of The Muppet Show theme song in episode 123, Rowlf was the only musician left. As a result, Rowlf had to play the closing theme single-handedly. In 1985, Rowlf hosted two-hour-long video compilations of The Muppet Show. In Rowlf's Rhapsodies with the Muppets, Rowlf sat at his piano and presented a compilation of his best numbers and other songs from The Muppet Show. In Country Music with the Muppets, Rowlf rented a barn and hosted his own country music program while showing clips from the show. The Muppet Movie (1979)
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Kermit and Rowlf sing "I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along" in The Muppet Movie. Rowlf was prominently featured in The Muppet Movie as a piano player at The Terrace Restaurant, where he first meets Kermit. When Kermit is down, Rowlf shares his motto in life, a motto even he can't follow - "stay away from women." The two sing "I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along". An original draft of the script describes the song as "a sad/funny little duet based on the old 'can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em' theme, designed to allow for some good harmony howling from Rowlf." The song featured a rare pairing of characters, as Jim Henson virtually performed a duet with himself. In order to achieve the effect, the vocals of the two characters were recorded separately by Henson and then combined. Because Rowlf and Kermit are now played by two different performers (Bill Barretta and Steve Whitmire respectively), they were able to perform a duet again at the 2011 D23 Expo in honor of Henson's naming as a Disney Legend. Rowlf soon joined Kermit and the rest of the gang on their way to Hollywood. Before joining the Muppets, Rowlf's life was simple - he lived alone, would "go to work, come home, read a book, have a couple of beers, take [himself] for a walk and go to bed." While in the desert, Rowlf played harmonica as Gonzo sang "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday" (while Fozzie played ukulele). Rowlf served as the film's cameraman in the finale, as the Muppets prepare to shoot their movie. Rowlf appeared on the piano in the promotional special The Muppets Go Hollywood, accompanying Johnny Mathis as he sang "Never Before, Never Again." The Great Muppet Caper (1981)
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Rowlf sings a line of "Happiness Hotel" in The Great Muppet Caper. In The Great Muppet Caper, Rowlf was a resident of the Happiness Hotel. He played piano during the song "Happiness Hotel" and commented on the chambermaids, bugs, and lice. He joined the Muppets on their quest to thwart Nicky's plot to steal the Baseball Diamond (accounting for the whoopie cushion, which he thinks is on the bus). Rowlf saves the day with his bilingual ability to speak dog as well as English. He is able to reason with Henderson's attacking guard dogs at the Mallory Gallery (a skill he would use again in A Muppet Family Christmas to communicate with Sprocket). The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
Snookums
Rowlf and Snookums in The Muppets Take Manhattan. In The Muppets Take Manhattan, Rowlf was a supporting player, co-starring in Manhattan Melodies. As the gang disbands, Rowlf leaves New York on a bus headed to Delaware. Rowlf displays cinematic range as the conflicted manager of a dog kennel, looking after Mr. Skeffington's dog Snookums and other canine tenants. When Rowlf gets the news that the show is on, he excitedly returns to the Big Apple, bringing along a host of Muppet dogs from the kennel. A baby version of Rowlf appeared in Miss Piggy's fantasy, I'm Gonna Always Love You. The young pup played piano, sang along, and abstractedly hammered away at a Big Bird doll. Baby Rowlf was also part of the regular cast of babies in the animated series Muppet Babies. Baby Rowlf's role was, of course, that of the nursery's resident musician, often leading the others into on-the-spot song breaks, with his ever-present baby piano. His voice in the animated program was performed by Katie Leigh. The Jim Henson Hour (1989)
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Rowlf appears as Merlin the Magician, M.D. On The Jim Henson Hour, Rowlf appeared in a series of sketches where he portrayed the character Merlin in "Merlin the Magician, MD". The sketches (seen in episode 102 and 107) were similar to his Dr. Bob days in Veterinarian's Hospital, but with a medieval, magical twist. The wizard Merlin would use his magic to cure people's medical problems, making jokes and slinging puns all the while. In one sketch, Rowlf is turned into musical icon Elvis Presley.