Dogzilla (picture book)

Dogzilla is a children's picture book created by Dav Pilkey that parodies Godzilla with a Cardigan Welsh Corgi. Harcourt, Inc. published this title in 1993. “The illustrations in this book are manipulated photographic collage, heavily retouched with acrylic paint.”^[1] The photographs of the animals are of Pilkey’s own pets: Flash starring as the Big Cheese, Rabies as Professor Scarlett O’Hairy, Dwayne as the Soldier Guy, and Leia as the Monster. Dogzilla is dedicated to John “The Rapper” Wills and the book has been rated EG, meaning “Extremely Goofy.” A companion title is Dav Pilkey’s Kat Kong which spoofs King Kong.

Plot summary

“It’s time for Mousopolis’s First Annual Barbecue Cook-Off. But just when the fun is about to begin, the irresistible aroma of barbecue sauce awakens the most frightening creature known to mousekind: the dreaded Dogzilla. As her horrible doggy breath fills the streets, the residents of Mousopolis must run for their lives. Can they get rid of that big stinky dog before it’s too late?” ^[1]

Inspiration for Dogzilla

"The inspiration for Dogzilla came one day when I was at a friend's house watching one of my favorite movies, Godzilla vs. Megalon. My friend's son, Nate, was sitting on the floor building a castle out of Lego. Everything was fine until Nate let his dog, Leia, into the house. Leia came charging into the room and smashed right through the Lego castle. With the mass of little Lego blocks and action figures scattered around her, Leia looked like a silly monster who had just rampaged a city. 'I should write a book about that,' I said. So I did." — Dav Pilkey^[2]

Reception

Publishers Weekly described 'Dogzilla as "featuring a wacky mix of animal photos, art and a deadpan Sam Spade-style narrative."^[3] It appears on reading and study lists.^[4][5][6][7]

References