Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Toy Chest Tuesday! Pound Puppies!

Toy Chest Tuesday is full of lovable huggable goodness! Click on to find out what I'm fondly recalling this week.


Everything had a personality back in the 80's. I mean everything. Whether you were adopting plush kids from the cabbage patch or befriending colorful bears that lived in the sky, every creature, hero, and cute little bugaboo had some unique personality attached to it so you could either find your favorite one to relate to, or find them all so cute that every single item needed to be a part of your collection.

Even stuffed dogs that needed to be rescued from the pound ended up with personalities and wardrobes to boot. Pound Puppies were everything to me growing up. Having begged my parents for a real puppy and failing that responsibility miserably, Pound Puppies became my surrogate experience at owning the real thing. (We only had the real puppy for six days. She got sick and had diarrhea non-stop. It looked like a crime scene. In my defense, I don't think it was my fault.)

The original plush Pound Puppies looked like a craft project gone wrong from Home Economics class. There was really nothing to them, but damn did they look cute!

They were cute, but also slightly depressing looking. They just look so sad! As if they were trying to say, "If you don't take me home with you I will be put down in my own filth!" I mean Pound Puppies taught me the scary lesson of what eventually happens to the animals that no one wants from the pound.

"Sup?"

This was my favorite plush Pound Puppy. I couldn't tell you what his name was, I have since forgotten, but I loved him like he was a real dog. He was actually the best dog a girl could have unlike that diarrhea dog we gave away. I mean my maternal clock has been ticking since I was two, but it has ticked for odd things. Like I was never big into caring for baby dolls and the ilk, I was more interested in caring for stuffed dogs and She-Ra dolls. And yes, when my husband does come home he will find Pound Puppies on the dining room table. Ya gotta keep the element of surprise going strong to make a marriage work.
 
Of course Tonka (the creators of Pound Puppies) didn't just stop with plush puppies in need of a good home. They actually created a show about a group of pups that could talk and everything! They even had cute outfits! (Is it any surprise that real animals now get their own clothing lines?) Anyways, these character Pound Pups were everything to me. As luck would have it they also had a little line of cute miniatures.

So this item was not from my collection growing up, but I did acquire it recently for very little. I always love finding items for very little. Anyways, this is Louie, the French chef. I love how human these animals are. It isn't the slightest bit creepy. Louie stands at about two inches tall and comes on a card that features sad puppies looking for a home with a chain length fence in the background to remind kids that these pups are longing to be set free.

Here is a side view of Louie. His chef skills only amount to placing a bone on a plate. Bon appetit! Ba-dum-bum.

The back of the card is where things really get interesting! There is a brief bio about just who these fun-loving puppies are. They help stray pups find new homes. Their animated series was short lived. Cooler is the leader of the group, and he is, well, cool. Violet proves that you can be pretty and smart. She was also uppity from what I recall. Barkerville is a high-class dog. If he was so high-class than where are the rest of his clothes? The Nose was my favorite. She was also involved in a crush with Cooler and liked the other male dogs too. Scrounger just looks like he is ready to have those Frontline green ninja things fight off his fleas. He also enjoys dumpster diving. Howler is the funny pup with clown hair. Bright Eyes was one of the younger characters and also really energetic. Of course there was also Louie, the French chef dog. Just a lovable group, right?
 
There were also other characters too, but these were the set from the first series of toys. I think there may have been more added later on. I remember there also being an evil dog or something. I also have a board game that shows off more of these characters, but I will share that another day. For now enjoy the coolness of Pound Puppies!
 
Toy Chest Tuesday may be over, but the week is just getting started. Here are some fun things coming up, I go on a Summer Vacation with the League of Extraordinary Bloggers. April O'Neil interviews the Bodacious Baddie. And things take a turn for the tragic when I interview the Woman of Wonderosity! Keep it here!   

6 comments:

  1. My sister had at lest two Pound Puppies from what I can remember.

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    1. Hi John! I had liked the plush ones, but when the characters came along that changed everything. Thanks for the comment, hope all is well.

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  2. Hi Miss M!
    Such a long time. I came to comment on this entry. My sister also got one of these (the light brown one with dark brown ears) for Christmas around 1990.

    I remember the toy commercial... that was hard! you had to be quite a psychopath, not to feel bad for those poor dogs. I have some trauma ever since, and I can still remember the words for the melody:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPYsDGMHQWQ

    It says something like this(I use "he" for the dog, since in Spain it had a male name: Tristón, literally: "very sad").

    He's been abandoned /
    They don't love him /
    Poor dog! What is he going to do (now)? /
    He searchs for somebody who takes care of him /
    and can understand him. /
    Tristón only wants a little friend /
    A home /
    and much love

    Narrator: Tristón needs you / love him! / Tristón by Pound Puppies.

    Thanks for this entry, brings me good memories.

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    1. Hey Gog! It is nice to hear from you! Pound Puppies certainly tugged at your heart strings for sure! I am glad that they have been able to come back every now and then in stores. Hope you are doing well!

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  3. I had that dark pound puppie. His name is Fruckle but when I was little all the adults thought I was trying to say Freckle. I think my mom still has him put away somewhere. And then my girlfriend found a stash of two or three in her house. She was gonna give them to the dog to rip up but I forbid her!

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    1. Wow thank you for this! I had no idea of their names! Fruckle. How interesting! I'm glad you prevented the Pound Puppies from becoming a chew toy! Coming from someone who knows by accident, nothing is worse than having a dog find a nice vintage item for a chew toy. lol

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