Rowlf the Dog
Encyclopedia
Rowlf the Dog is a Muppet
The Muppets
The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...

 character, a scruffy brown dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...

 of indeterminate breed
Mixed-breed dog
A mixed-breed dog, also known as a mutt or mongrel, is a dog whose ancestry is generally unknown and that has characteristics of two or more types of breeds. A mixed-breed may be a cross-breed dog, a random-bred dog, or a descendant of feral or pariah dog populations...

 with a rounded black nose and long floppy ears. He was created (and originally performed and voiced) by Jim Henson
Jim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...

.

Rowlf is the Muppet Theatre's resident pianist (as well as one of many vocalists). Though Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1955. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over...

 is often credited as the icon of Henson's Muppets, Rowlf was actually the first true Muppet "star" as a recurring character on The Jimmy Dean Show
The Jimmy Dean Show
The Jimmy Dean Show is the name of several similar music and variety series on American local and network television between 1957–75. Each starred country music singer Jimmy Dean as host.-Daytime:...

, first appearing in a show telecast on September 19, 1963.

Rowlf is a calm and quiet fellow. He is very easygoing and a fan of classical music (particularly Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...

) and musicals. Equally likely to be found cracking dry jokes as tinkling the ivories, Rowlf is one of the few Muppets rarely flustered by the mayhem so prevalent around The Muppet Show.

In the 1966 IBM Industry Film, Rowlf introduces himself by his full name: "Rowlf Cameron Swayze".

History

Rowlf was built in 1962 for Purina Dog Chow commercials, in which he appeared with Baskerville the Hound
Hound
A hound is a type of dog that assists hunters by tracking or chasing the animal being hunted. It can be contrasted with the gun dog, which assists hunters by identifying the location of prey, and with the retriever, which recovers shot quarry...

. Jim Henson designed Rowlf, and Don Sahlin
Don Sahlin
Don Sahlin was a Muppet design and builder who worked for Jim Henson from 1962 to 1977. His first creation for Jim Henson was Rowlf the Dog, which he built in 1962 for a series of Purina Dog Chow commercials. Don would go on to design and build most of the Muppet characters, including Bert and...

 built him; it was Sahlin's first muppet construction.

Rowlf rose to popularity as Jimmy Dean
Jimmy Dean
Jimmy Ray Dean was an American country music singer, television host, actor and businessman. Although he may be best known today as the creator of the Jimmy Dean sausage brand, he became a national television personality starting in 1957, rising to fame for his 1961 country crossover hit "Big Bad...

's sidekick on The Jimmy Dean Show
The Jimmy Dean Show
The Jimmy Dean Show is the name of several similar music and variety series on American local and network television between 1957–75. Each starred country music singer Jimmy Dean as host.-Daytime:...

. He was the first Muppet with a regular spot on network television appearing in many episodes from 1963 to 1966. Jimmy Dean stated that the segments with Rowlf were one of the most popular parts of the show, and that Rowlf drew two thousand fan letters a week.

In 1968, Rowlf appeared with Kermit the Frog on the pitch reel for Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...

. At the end of the pitch reel, Rowlf is depicted as being eager to join the Sesame Street cast, while Kermit seems reluctant to do so; ironically, it was Kermit who became a Sesame star, while Rowlf appeared only in one filmed segment and was never a part of the show's regular cast.

In 1976, Rowlf joined the recurring cast of The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...

 as the show's pianist. Rowlf also played Dr. Bob, the wisecracking doctor in a recurring medical drama parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...

 skit "Veterinarians' Hospital", alongside nurses Janice and Piggy
Miss Piggy
Miss Piggy is a Muppet character who was primarily played by Frank Oz on The Muppet Show. In 2001, Eric Jacobson began performing the role, although Oz did not officially retire until 2002....

.

Rowlf achieved movie stardom with his appearance in The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Released in 1979, the film was produced by Henson Associates, Children's Television Workshop and ITC Entertainment....

 (1979). The film depicts Rowlf's origin as a musician at a piano bar
Piano bar
A piano bar consists of a piano or electronic keyboard played by a professional musician, located in a cocktail lounge, bar, hotel lobby, office building lobby, restaurant, or on a cruise ship. Usually the pianist receives a small salary plus tips in a jar or basket on or near the piano,...

, who is discovered by Kermit while on his way to Hollywood. In the scene, Rowlf and Kermit sing the duet "I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along!
I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along!
"I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along" is sung at a bar in The Muppet Movie by Kermit the Frog and Rowlf the Dog. Kermit is feeling blue over Miss Piggy so he wanders into a bar and orders 'a grasshopper'. The pianist, Rowlf, commiserates with him by singing this song about the difficulty of...

", a song about their troubles with women. Afterwards Rowlf leaves the bar and joins Kermit and the other Muppets on their trip to Hollywood in search of fame and fortune. He later plays the harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...

 during Gonzo's song "I'm Going To Go Back There Someday
I'm Going To Go Back There Someday
"I'm Going to Go Back There Someday" is an original song written by Kenny Ascher and Paul Williams for The Muppet Movie. The Muppets get stranded in the desert, and as night falls they sit around a campfire...

".

In 1984, Baby Rowlf debuted playing a toy piano during a musical number in The Muppets Take Manhattan
The Muppets Take Manhattan
The Muppets Take Manhattan is the third of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets, and also the final film before Henson's death. This film was produced by Henson Associates and TriStar Pictures, and was filmed on location in New York City during the summer of...

. This fantasy sequence with the Muppets as babies was so popular that it resulted in the successful animated cartoon spinoff, Muppet Babies
Muppet Babies
Jim Henson's Muppet Babies is an American animated television series that aired from September 15, 1984 to November 2, 1991 on CBS. The show portrayed childhood versions of the Muppets living together in a large nursery in the care of a human woman called Nanny...

. He was voiced on that program by Katie Leigh
Katie Leigh
Katherine "Katie" Leigh is an American voice actress best known for her role as Connie Kendall on the Focus on the Family radio program Adventures in Odyssey since 1987...

.

Jim Henson's last public performance as Rowlf before his death was as guest on The Arsenio Hall Show
The Arsenio Hall Show
The Arsenio Hall Show is an American variety/talk show that aired late weeknights in syndication from January 3, 1989 to May 27, 1994. The show was created and hosted by comedian/actor Arsenio Hall.- Background :...

 in 1990. For several years afterward, the character was retired out of deference to Henson's memory as he was both the first Muppet to achieve popularity and, according to some sources, the character closest to Jim Henson's personality, with his son Brian saying in the introduction to episode 117 of The Muppet Show "Kermit was my father's best known character, but a lot of people think he was more like Rowlf in real life except he couldn't play the piano as well."

Since 1996, Rowlf has been portrayed by puppeteer Bill Barretta
Bill Barretta
Bill Barretta has been performing with the Muppets since 1991, when he performed the body of family father Earl Sinclair on Dinosaurs...

. Barretta has gradually transitioned into the role. Rowlf uttered his first word since Henson's death in the second episode of Muppets Tonight
Muppets Tonight
Muppets Tonight is a live-action/puppet television series created by Jim Henson Productions and featuring The Muppets. Much like the "MuppeTelevision" segment of The Jim Henson Hour, Muppets Tonight was a continuation of The Muppet Show, set in a television studio, rather than a theater.-Format:The...

. Rowlf had several lines of dialogue in The Muppet Show Live in 2001 and also spoke two lines of dialogue ("Hey, Kermit!" and "Yeah! Heh, heh. Oh!") in It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

 Movie in 2002. In 2005, however, Rowlf had a 190-word monologue in the second episode of Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony
Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony
Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony is a multi-award–winning webshow starring the Muppet characters Statler and Waldorf which ran biweekly on Movies.com from June 2005 until September 2006. The series spawned more than 35 episodes and featured many Muppet characters — both well-known classics and...

. Rowlf appeared in the "Keep Fishin" music video for rock band Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...

. Although he's only briefly seen, Rowlf had a more prominent role in the behind the scenes making-of special that accompanied it, Weezer and the Muppets Go Fishin.

Additionally, Bill Barretta recorded the vocals as Rowlf singing "The Christmas Party Sing-Along" for the 2006 A Green and Red Christmas album.

Rowlf is currently on display at the Center for Puppetry Arts
Center for Puppetry Arts
The Center for Puppetry Arts, located in Atlanta, is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to the art form of puppetry. The Center focuses on three areas: performance, education and museum. It is one of the only puppet museums in the world. The Center is located in Midtown, the city's arts...

 in Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

.

Host Seth Rogen
Seth Rogen
Seth Rogen is a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, producer, screenwriter, and voice artist. Rogen began his career doing stand-up comedy during his teen years, winning the Vancouver Amateur Comedy Contest in 1998. While still living in his native Vancouver, he landed a small part in Freaks and...

 portrayed Rowlf in two appearances on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...

.

Rowlf made a rare live appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, where he sings the "8 maids a milking" line for The Twelve Days of Christmas number.

Rowlf and Kermit appeared at the 2011 Disney D23 Expo to honour Jim Henson winning a Disney Legends
Disney Legends
Established in 1987, the Disney Legends program recognizes people who have made an extraordinary and integral contribution to The Walt Disney Company. The honor is awarded annually during a special ceremony....

 award, singing a duet of The Rainbow Connection
The Rainbow Connection
"Rainbow Connection" is a popular song written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher and originally performed by the character of Kermit the Frog in The Muppet Movie in 1979...

 in front of a live audience, being the first two Muppets created by Jim Henson.

Rowlf appears in The Muppets
The Muppets (film)
The Muppets is a 2011 American musical and comedy film, and the first Muppets theatrical release in 12 years, as well as the first Disney-produced Muppets film since 1996's Muppet Treasure Island...

 and has a few lines of dialogue regarding his exclusion from the montage of gathering all the Muppets to save the theater from destruction.

Television & film appearances

  • Purina Dog Chow Commercials (1962–1963)
  • American Photocopy Equipment Company industrial film (1963) *Esskay Meats commercials (1960's)
  • "The Jimmy Dean Show
    The Jimmy Dean Show
    The Jimmy Dean Show is the name of several similar music and variety series on American local and network television between 1957–75. Each starred country music singer Jimmy Dean as host.-Daytime:...

    " (1963–1966)
  • IBM
    IBM
    International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...

     Industry Film (1966)
  • "The Mike Douglas Show
    The Mike Douglas Show
    The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that aired in syndication from 1961 to 1982, distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations.The program featured light banter with...

    " (1966) ... guest
  • "The Ed Sullivan Show
    The Ed Sullivan Show
    The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....

    " (1967) ... guest
  • "Our Place
    Our Place (U.S. TV series)
    Our Place was an hour-long variety show on CBS during the summer of 1967. The official host was one of Jim Henson's early puppets, Rowlf the Muppet Hound. The show's other regulars were comedians Jack Burns and Avery Schreiber and the singing Doodletown Pipers.Our Place, a summer replacement for...

    " (1967)
  • The Muppets On Puppets (1968)
  • Sesame Street
    Sesame Street
    Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...

     (1969)
  • The Muppets Valentine Show (1974)
  • The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975)
  • "The Muppet Show
    The Muppet Show
    The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...

    " (1976–1981)
  • The Bob Hope All Star Christmas Comedy Special (1977)
  • Julie Andrews: One Step Into Spring (1978)
  • "The Julie Andrews Hour
    The Julie Andrews Hour
    The Julie Andrews Hour is a television variety series starring Julie Andrews that was produced by ATV and distributed by ITC Entertainment. It aired on the ABC network in the United States....

    " (1973) ... guest
  • "The Mike Douglas Show" (1979) ... guest
  • The Muppet Movie
    The Muppet Movie
    The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Released in 1979, the film was produced by Henson Associates, Children's Television Workshop and ITC Entertainment....

     (1979)
  • The Muppets Go Hollywood (1979)
  • John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together
    John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together
    John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together is a 1979 Christmas television special starring Jim Henson's Muppets and singer/songwriter John Denver.-Home media releases:...

     (1979)
  • The Great Muppet Caper
    The Great Muppet Caper
    The Great Muppet Caper is a 1981 mystery comedy film directed by Jim Henson. It is the second of a series of live-action musical feature films, starring Jim Henson's Muppets. This film was produced by Henson Associates, ITC Entertainment and Universal Pictures, and premiered on 26 July 1981. The...

     (1981)
  • The Muppets Go to the Movies (1981)
  • John Denver and the Muppets: Rocky Mountain Holiday (1983)
  • "The Merv Griffin Show
    The Merv Griffin Show
    The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, September 20, 1965 to September 26, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 at 11:30 PM ET weeknights on CBS and again in...

    " (1983) ... guest
  • The Muppets Take Manhattan
    The Muppets Take Manhattan
    The Muppets Take Manhattan is the third of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets, and also the final film before Henson's death. This film was produced by Henson Associates and TriStar Pictures, and was filmed on location in New York City during the summer of...

     (1984)
  • "Muppet Babies
    Muppet Babies
    Jim Henson's Muppet Babies is an American animated television series that aired from September 15, 1984 to November 2, 1991 on CBS. The show portrayed childhood versions of the Muppets living together in a large nursery in the care of a human woman called Nanny...

    " (1984–1990) ... as Baby Rowlf
  • The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years (1986)
  • A Muppet Family Christmas
    A Muppet Family Christmas
    A Muppet Family Christmas is a 1987 Christmas television special starring Jim Henson's Muppets.This is one of the very few Muppet productions to feature Muppets associated with all four of the major Muppet franchises: The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock and Muppet Babies...

     (1987)
  • "The Jim Henson Hour
    The Jim Henson Hour
    The Jim Henson Hour was a short-lived television series that aired on NBC in 1989. It was developed as a showcase for The Jim Henson Company's various puppet creations, including the popular Muppet characters. Only nine of the twelve episodes produced managed to air on NBC before the low-rated...

    " (1989)
  • The Muppets at Walt Disney World
    The Muppets at Walt Disney World
    The Muppets at Walt Disney World is a television special starring Jim Henson's Muppets at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. This was the last Muppets project that Jim Henson worked on before his death on May 16, 1990. The special aired on NBC May 6, 1990.-Plot:In this...

     (1990)
  • "The Arsenio Hall Show
    The Arsenio Hall Show
    The Arsenio Hall Show is an American variety/talk show that aired late weeknights in syndication from January 3, 1989 to May 27, 1994. The show was created and hosted by comedian/actor Arsenio Hall.- Background :...

    " (1990) ... guest
  • The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990)
  • The Muppet Christmas Carol
    The Muppet Christmas Carol
    The Muppet Christmas Carol is a 1992 musical comedy film adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, starring Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge, directed by Brian Henson, produced by The Jim Henson Company, and released by Walt Disney Pictures...

     (1992)
  • Muppet Treasure Island
    Muppet Treasure Island
    Muppet Treasure Island is a 1996 American musical film based on Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. It is the fifth feature film to star The Muppets and was directed by Jim Henson's son Brian Henson....

     (1996)
  • "Muppets Tonight
    Muppets Tonight
    Muppets Tonight is a live-action/puppet television series created by Jim Henson Productions and featuring The Muppets. Much like the "MuppeTelevision" segment of The Jim Henson Hour, Muppets Tonight was a continuation of The Muppet Show, set in a television studio, rather than a theater.-Format:The...

    " (1996)
  • Muppets From Space
    Muppets from Space
    Muppets from Space is a 1999 science fiction comedy film and the sixth feature film to star The Muppets, and the first since the death of Muppets creator Jim Henson to have an original Muppet-focused plot. The film was directed by Tim Hill, produced by Jim Henson Pictures, and released to theaters...

     (1999)
  • "Keep Fishin'
    Keep Fishin'
    "Keep Fishin" is a song by the American alternative rock band Weezer. It is the second single off the band's fourth album, Maladroit. It peaked at #15 on the US alternative charts.-Music video:...

    " music video (2002)
  • It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
    It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
    It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie is a 2002 television film that aired on NBC on November 29, 2002. The film is directed by Kirk Thatcher, written by Tom Martin and Jim Lewis and stars the Muppets and was filmed at Lionsgate Studios. The film revolves a plot similar to "It's A Wonderful...

     (2002)
  • The Muppets' Wizard of Oz
    The Muppets' Wizard of Oz
    The Muppets' Wizard of Oz is a 2005 musical telefilm directed by Kirk Thatcher and starring Ashanti and The Muppets. The film was produced by Bill Barretta and written by Debra Frank, Steve L. Hayes, Tom Martin, and Adam F...

     (2005)
  • Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony
    Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony
    Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony is a multi-award–winning webshow starring the Muppet characters Statler and Waldorf which ran biweekly on Movies.com from June 2005 until September 2006. The series spawned more than 35 episodes and featured many Muppet characters — both well-known classics and...

     (2005)
  • A Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008)
  • The Muppets
    The Muppets (film)
    The Muppets is a 2011 American musical and comedy film, and the first Muppets theatrical release in 12 years, as well as the first Disney-produced Muppets film since 1996's Muppet Treasure Island...

     (2011)

Album

A solo album titled Ol' Brown Ears is Back was released by BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...

in 1993 and featured 14 songs recorded by Jim Henson as Rowlf. Although released three years after Henson's death, the tracks were recorded in 1984.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK