Suzanne Muldowney

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Suzanne Muldowney is a visionary artist best known for her dance interpretation of the cartoon character Underdog in parades and on the Howard Stern show.

Suzanne Muldowney in her handmade Underdog costume

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[edit] History

Muldowney was born in New Jersey. As a young child, she was inspired by the improvisational dance of Isadora Duncan. Since 1976[1] she has entertained crowds with her depiction of various characters. She appears in many seasonal parades up and down the East Coast, including the Hampden Christmas Parade in Baltimore, MD.

Muldowney's most famous dance interpretation is of Underdog, but she has also portrayed Vlad the Impaler. Among her other self-created characters are Shelley the South Jersey Shore mermaid, Irish Cinderella, and Spectrum the Ghost King. She sews all her own costumes and they are known for their exacting detail and elaborate ornamentation. For example, the interior of her Underdog cape is lined with streaks of silver, representing the streaks of light trailing behind the animated Underdog.

She has appeared on many television programs. On May 22, 2006 she appeared as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live [2] and demonstrated "figure jogging", a dance activity she invented that she hopes will become an Olympic sport.

In 2006 the documentary My Life As An Underdog was released by director Boris Gavrilovic.[3]

Muldowney has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome.

[edit] Howard Stern

Muldowney has appeared on the The Howard Stern Show several times. Muldowney carries a grudge against Howard Stern, maintaining that she was lured to the show "through deceit and guile"[4] and that her association with him and inclusion in the Wack Pack has sullied her family-friendly image. She has expressed frequent disgust with Stern's shock jock material. The sobriquet "Underdog Lady" serves as a shibboleth, determining who knows her most prominently from the Howard Stern show. Muldowney has never referred to herself as "Underdog Lady" and resents the title.