Pound Puppies

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The hip red pound puppy with studded collar

Pound Puppies were a fad toy that rose to popularity in 1985. Produced by Mattel, they were a spin-off concept from the popular Cabbage Patch Dolls. The puppies were a variety of plush stuffed dog dolls with floppy ears and droopy eyes. They came in a variety of colors, some with spots. Each one came in a carrying case with adoption papers. Smaller versions were also created (approximately 5 inches (13 cm) long), and a line of cats called Pound Purries was also released. Each authentic puppy had a heart shaped emblem near its tail that sported a "PP" logo with either a dog (Puppies) or cat (Purries) peeking around it. In 1987, Hardee's restaurants also offered a series of Pound Puppies with their Children's Meals.

[edit] Cartoon series

A cartoon television show was created based on the fad and was loosely based on the TV special of the same name. It was paired with Star Fairies and broadcast on ABC between 1986 and 1988. Characters in the cartoon included the Fonzie-styled leader Cooler (Dan Gilvezan), the cheerleader Brighteyes (Nancy Cartwright), the southern belle Nose Marie (Ruth Buzzi), the goofy inventor aptly named Howler (Robert Morse), and a new character named Whopper (B.J. Ward), who usually lies a lot. The new orange puppy wearing a Hawaiian shirt was created to make the line more "hip."

The puppies are adopted by Holly and have many adventures while watching out for the evil Katrina Stonehart, her daughter Brattina, her pet cat Catgut, and occasionally the ultimate doghater, the horrific Captain Slaughter (Peter Cullen), who only appeared in season 1.

[edit] Second Season Relaunch

The second season of Pound Puppies, now called The All New Pound Puppies, made various changes to the show:

Bright Eyes was no longer an adult dog but a young puppy. She is now cared for by Cooler and Nose Marie. Her relationship with Cooler changed from possible girlfriend to that of child/parent.

Nose Marie lost her strapless dress and flirtatious manner with Cooler. For a 50's sitcom style mom dress with apron. She was now surrogate mother to Whopper and Bright Eyes and the rest of the puppies.

In 1988, Tri-Star Pictures, Carolco and Family Home Entertainment released a Pound Puppies movie entitled Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw.