Dog City facts for kids
For other uses, see Dog City (disambiguation).
Quick facts for kids Dog City |
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| Created by | Jim Henson (original made for TV movie) |
| Developed by | Peter Sauder J.D. Smith |
| Directed by | John van Bruggen |
| Starring | Muppet performers: Fran Brill Lisa Buckley Kevin Clash Joey Mazzarino Brian Muehl David Rudman |
| Voices of | Ron White Elizabeth Hanna Stuart Stone John Stocker James Rankin Stephen Ouimette Howard Jerome Paulina Gillis |
| Country of origin | United States Canada |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 31 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Michael K. Frith Brian Henson Patrick Loubert Michael Hirsh Clive A. Smith |
| Production company(s) | Nelvana Limited Jim Henson Productions |
| Distributor | Nelvana International |
| Release | |
| Original network | USA: FOX (Fox Kids) Canada: Global Television Network YTV |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | September 26, 1992 – November 26, 1994 |
Dog City is a fun animated TV show from the United States and Canada. It was made by Nelvana Limited and The Jim Henson Company. The show aired on Fox Kids in the US and YTV in Canada. What makes Dog City special is that it mixes two cool things: regular animation and puppetry from the famous Jim Henson team!
Contents
The Original Dog City Movie
Before the TV series, Dog City was a one-hour live-action TV movie. It aired on May 5, 1989, as part of The Jim Henson Hour. In this movie, all the characters were puppets.
The story follows a German Shepherd named Ace Yu. He inherits a restaurant called the Dog House after his Uncle Harry passes away. A mean bulldog crime boss named Bugsy Them tries to get "protection money" from Ace. It turns out Bugsy was involved in Uncle Harry's death, who was actually Ace's dad! Ace refuses to pay or fight. So, Bugsy kidnaps Ace's girlfriend, Colleen. The movie is full of exciting car chases and shoot-outs. In the end, Ace defeats Bugsy and saves Colleen.
Movie Characters
- Ace Yu (played by Kevin Clash) - A brave German Shepherd.
- Colleen Barker (played by Fran Brill) - A beautiful Rough Collie and Ace's girlfriend.
- Bugsy Them (played by Jim Henson) - A bossy bulldog crime leader.
- Miss Belle (played by Camille Bonora) - Bugsy Them's smart poodle partner and wife.
- Mad Dog (played by Steve Whitmire) - Bugsy Them's not-so-smart St. Bernard helper.
- Bubba (played by Jerry Nelson) - The friendly bartender at the Dog House.
- Rowlf the Dog (played by Jim Henson) - The piano-playing dog from The Muppet Show who tells the story.
The movie also has quick appearances by other famous dog puppets like Sprocket from Fraggle Rock and Lyle the Dog from The Muppet Show.
What's the Show About?
The Dog City TV series has two main parts:
- Animated stories: These follow a cool canine private investigator named Ace Hart. He solves mysteries in the cartoon world of Dog City.
- Muppet stories: These show the interactions between Ace Hart and his animator, Eliot Shag. Eliot is a German Shepherd Muppet.
Eliot draws the cartoon adventures, and Ace Hart lives them! Sometimes, Ace even talks directly to Eliot, complaining about the story or asking for changes. In one episode, Eliot even jumps into the cartoon world to help Ace solve a mystery!
A funny part of the show is that many of the cartoon characters are based on the real-life Muppet characters in Eliot's apartment building. For example, the grumpy bulldog superintendent, Bruno, inspires the cartoon crime boss, Bugsy Vile. Ace's girlfriend, Rosie, is based on Eliot's feelings for his neighbor, Colleen. The Muppet characters don't know they are inspiring the cartoon!
Later episodes also included short cartoons from other shows Eliot supposedly worked on. This included funny skits with the main Dog City characters and a superhero series called Watchdog, which is a funny take on Batman.
Meet the Characters
The show is full of memorable characters, both animated and Muppet!
Animated Characters
- Ace Hart (voiced by Ron White) - A smart German Shepherd detective.
- Rosie O'Gravy (voiced by Elizabeth Hanna) - A beautiful Rough Collie who is the chief of detectives and Ace's love interest.
- Eddie (voiced by Stuart Stone) - A young English Springer Spaniel news-pup who often helps Ace.
- Bugsy Vile (voiced by John Stocker) - A bulldog crime boss and Ace Hart's main enemy.
- Frisky (voiced by James Rankin) - Bugsy Vile's small, energetic chihuahua helper.
- Mad Dog (voiced by Stephen Ouimette) - Bugsy Vile's unpredictable mongrel helper.
- Bruiser (voiced by Howard Jerome) - Bugsy Vile's tough nephew and helper.
- Kitty (voiced by Paulina Gillis) - A female cat who works with Bugsy. She owns The Kitty Cat Club, which is often used as a secret hideout.
- Baron Von Rottweiler (voiced by Dan Hennessey) - A sneaky German Rottweiler villain.
- Mayor Kickbark (voiced by Stephen Ouimette) - The Mayor of Dog City, who often causes problems for Rosie.
- Dot (voiced by Tara Strong) - Rosie O'Gravy's cute niece.
- Steven (voiced by George Buza) - A canine watchman often seen with Yves.
- Yves (voiced by Rino Romano) - A cat burglar who tries to steal things but is always comically stopped by Steven.
- Sam Spayed - An older police dog who was Ace Hart's teacher and mentor.
- Sherlock Bones - An English bloodhound detective and Ace's rival.
- Woof Pack - A team of superhero dogs who appear in short comic stories.
- Watch Dog - The leader of the Woof Pack, a superhero like Batman. He uses gadgets based on time and clocks.
Muppet Characters
- Eliot Shag (performed by Kevin Clash) - A German Shepherd who draws the Ace Hart cartoons. He talks to Ace and is often interrupted by his friends or Bruno.
- Artie Springer (performed by Joey Mazzarino) - A young English Springer Spaniel, Eliot's friend, and Terri Springer's son. He loves his squeaky toy, Mr. Mookie.
- Colleen Barker (performed by Fran Brill) - A Rough Collie who is Eliot's neighbor and girlfriend in Season 1. She was the first inspiration for Rosie O'Gravy.
- Terri Springer (performed by Fran Brill) - An English Springer Spaniel who joins in Season 2. She is Eliot's neighbor, Artie's mom, and the new inspiration for Rosie O'Gravy.
- Bruno (performed by Brian Muehl) - A grumpy bulldog who is the building superintendent where Eliot lives. He often bothers Eliot and inspires the cartoon villain Bugsy Vile.
- Bowser (performed by David Rudman) - A big, slow-witted St. Bernard who is Bruno's assistant. He inspires the cartoon character Bruiser.
- Ms. Fluffé (performed by Lisa Buckley) - A cat who is the landlady of Eliot's apartment building. She often argues with Bruno and inspires the cartoon character Kitty.
Episodes
The show had 31 episodes over three seasons.
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
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| First aired | Last aired | Network | |||
| Pilot | May 5, 1989 | NBC | |||
| 1 | 13 | September 26, 1992 | January 30, 1993 | Fox Kids | |
| 2 | 10 | September 18, 1993 | November 20, 1993 | ||
| 3 | 8 | September 17, 1994 | November 24, 1994 | ||
Season 1 (1992–93)
| No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Written by | Original air date | |
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| 1 | 1 | "The Big Squeak" | J.D. Smith | September 26, 1992 | |
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Bugsy Vile steals all the squeaky toys to find one that can open a rich dog's safe.
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| 2 | 2 | "Taming of the Screw" | Peter Sauder | October 3, 1992 | |
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Ace Hart must catch an escaped dog named Screwy Louie before Bugsy's gang can get him.
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| 3 | 3 | "Meat the Butcher" | J.D. Smith | October 10, 1992 | |
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Eliot's boss wants a violent Ace Hart story. Eliot draws Ace being attacked by a hitman named Meat the Butcher.
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| 4 | 4 | "Disobedience School" | Jim Lewis & Peter Sauder | October 17, 1992 | |
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Bugsy takes over a school to teach young pups how to rob a bank. But most of his students are actually undercover cops!
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| 5 | 5 | "The Dog Pound" | Peter Sauder | October 31, 1992 | |
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Ace Hart is sent to jail for stealing a valuable slipper and has to prove he's innocent.
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| 6 | 6 | "Radio Dazed" | Marty Isenberg & Robert N. Skir | November 14, 1992 | |
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Strange accidents threaten to shut down Dog City's radio station.
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| 7 | 7 | "The Bloodhound" | Mark Saraceni & Peter Sauder | November 21, 1992 | |
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Eliot is suspicious of Colleen's new boyfriend. He draws an Ace Hart adventure where Ace hunts a "vampire" called the Bloodhound.
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| 8 | 8 | "Adventures in Puppysitting" | Marty Isenberg, Robert N. Skir, Michael Edens & Mark Edens | November 28, 1992 | |
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Colleen asks Eliot to babysit her baby nephew, Pomeroy, who is a lot of trouble. This inspires Eliot's cartoon about a master thief disguised as a baby.
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| 9 | 9 | "Ya Gotta Have Hart" | J.D. Smith | December 19, 1992 | |
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Eliot and Ace get fired after disagreeing with Eliot's boss. Eliot tries to make money by drawing Ace in commercials and other silly jobs.
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| 10 | 10 | "In Your Dreams" | Jim Lewis | January 9, 1993 | |
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Eliot falls asleep and dreams he is a cartoon character in Ace Hart's world.
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| 11 | 11 | "Rocketship K-9" | Robert N. Skir, Marty Isenberg & J.D. Smith | January 16, 1993 | |
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Bruno thinks aliens are invading. Eliot draws Ace saving the moon from Bugsy Vile, Baron von Rottweiler, and a Russian cat agent.
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| 12 | 12 | "Cats 'n' Dogs" | Kirk R. Thatcher | January 23, 1993 | |
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Eliot has fleas, and Bruno blames the cats, which gets him fired. Eliot then draws a cartoon where Bugsy Vile is in a gang war with the East Side Cats.
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| 13 | 13 | "Is It Arf?" | Vincent Grittani | January 30, 1993 | |
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Ace meets a rival detective, Sherlock Bones, while an art thief is on the loose.
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Season 2 (1993)
| No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Written by | Original air date | |
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| 14 | 1 | "Boss Bruiser" | Marty Isenberg & Robert N. Skir | September 18, 1993 | |
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Bruno gets fired, and Bowser takes over as superintendent. This inspires Eliot to draw Bruiser in charge of Bugsy Vile's gang.
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| 15 | 2 | "Springer Fever" | Jim Lewis | September 25, 1993 | |
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Bugsy Vile kidnaps the Mayor's secretary, causing chaos. Eliot's girlfriend Colleen leaves, and he finds a new love interest: Artie's mom, Terri.
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| 16 | 3 | "Much Ado About Mad Dog" | Marty Isenberg & Robert N. Skir | October 2, 1993 | |
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Ace gains a new friend after saving Mad Dog. Mad Dog starts quoting famous lines when he gets hit on the head!
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| 17 | 4 | "Of Mutts and Mayors" | David Finley | October 9, 1993 | |
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Bugsy cheats in the election and becomes mayor. Ace and Rosie are fired and declared outlaws.
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| 18 | 5 | "Who Watches the Watchdog?" | Marty Isenberg & Robert N. Skir | October 16, 1993 | |
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Eliot fixes Artie's Bite-Man toy. This inspires him to draw Ace at a comic convention where Bugsy Vile tries to steal rare comics.
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| 19 | 6 | "The Great Dane Curse" | Dale Schott | October 23, 1993 | |
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Ace Hart protects a rich heiress from assassins and her controlling father. Ace doesn't know her boyfriend is Bruiser!
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| 20 | 7 | "Out of the Mouths of Pups" | Rich Fogel & Mark Seidenberg | October 30, 1993 | |
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Eliot's fans send him ideas for new Ace Hart episodes, and he tries to use them in his latest cartoon.
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| 21 | 8 | "Farewell, My Rosie" | Jim Lewis | November 6, 1993 | |
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Rosie disappears on the day of Ace's party. Ace finds out she was Bugsy Vile's prom date and almost married Baron Von Rottweiler.
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| 22 | 9 | "Old Dogs, New Tricks" | Julia Jane Lewald | November 13, 1993 | |
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Eliot teams up with his old animation teacher to create an Ace Hart cartoon where Ace works with Sam Spayed.
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| 23 | 10 | "Sick as a Dog" | J.D. Smith | November 20, 1993 | |
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Eliot is sick and can't draw. His neighbors help him make an Ace Hart cartoon by taking turns animating.
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Season 3 (1994)
| No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Written by | Original air date | |
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| 24 | 1 | "The New Litter" | J.D. Smith | September 17, 1994 | |
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Ace and Eddie visit Jurassic Park, and Bugsy steals a secret chemical to clone dinosaurs. Artie creates his own cartoon about his squeaky toy, Mr. Mookie.
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| 25 | 2 | "Doggy See, Doggy Do" | David Finley | September 24, 1994 | |
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Ace chases Bugsy, who is pretending to be a children's TV star. Artie gets bad grades and is grounded.
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| 26 | 3 | "Comedy of Horrors" | Craig Shemin & J.D. Smith | October 1, 1994 | |
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Baron Von Rottweiler steals Eddie's brain and tries to force Rosie to marry his monster. A crazy person who looks like Bowser scares Eliot, Artie, and Bruno. This episode makes fun of classic horror movies like Frankenstein and The Shining.
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| 27 | 4 | "Howl the Conquering Hero" | Cliff MacGillivray | October 8, 1994 | |
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Eliot helps Artie understand that heroes aren't always superheroes. This inspires Eliot to draw Ace and Bugsy Vile competing for a "Hero of the Year" award.
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| 28 | 5 | "Reduce, Re-Use, Retrieve" | John Ludin | November 5, 1994 | |
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Artie tries to get his neighbors to recycle. This inspires Eliot to draw Ace uncovering Baron von Rottweiler's plan to steal all the world's trees.
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| 29 | 6 | "Future Schlock" | David Finley | November 12, 1994 | |
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Baron Rottweiler builds a time machine and travels back to the 1600s. He tries to buy America from the Native American wolves using squeaky toys.
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| 30 | 7 | "No Pain, No Brain" | Marty Isenberg & Robert N. Skir | November 19, 1994 | |
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Bugsy and Ace compete in the Olympic games. Artie, Bruno, and Bowser help Eliot get in shape for a Marathon.
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| 31 | 8 | "Dog Days of Summer Vacation" | David Finley & J.D. Smith | November 26, 1994 | |
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Eliot, Artie, and Terri plan a vacation. This inspires an episode where Ace has to stop the Vandalizer, a crooked dog who ruins vacations.
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Who's in the Cast?
Muppet Performers
- Fran Brill as Terri Springer, Colleen Barker
- Lisa Buckley as Ms. Fluffé (Seasons 2 and 3)
- Kevin Clash as Eliot Shag
- Joey Mazzarino as Artie Springer
- Brian Muehl as Bruno
- David Rudman as Bowser
Voice Actors
- Ron White as Ace Hart
- Elizabeth Hanna as Rosie O'Gravy
- Stuart Stone as Eddie
- John Stocker as Bugsy Vile, Spunky the Flunky
- James Rankin as Frisky, Screwy Louie
- Stephen Ouimette as Mad Dog, Mayor Kickbark
- Howard Jerome as Bruiser
- Paulina Gillis as Kitty
- Dan Hennessey as Baron Von Rottweiler, Meat the Butcher
- George Buza as Steven
- Rino Romano as Yves
- Tara Strong as Dot
Where Can You Watch It?
Two VHS tapes with two episodes each were released by Sony Wonder. You can also find most episodes of all three seasons available to watch online from Amazon Video on Demand. The original Dog City: The Movie is also available on DVD.
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Dog City Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.