I have to admit, I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that as a child, I had an ungodly amount of stuffed animals. At the peak of my stuffed animal collecting, I had over 250 furry friends! My favorite brand of stuffed animal was Pound Puppies, made by Tonka. The Pound Puppies craze led to a TV special, an animated TV series, a feature film, and other offshoots of the brand, including Pound Purries and Pound Ponies. But I never thought that any of the additional products measured up to the classic cuteness of the original Pound Puppies.
With their droopy eyes and floppy ears, what’s not to love? I still get warm fuzzies when I see Pound Puppies. The first one my parents bought me was a little wrinkly brown dog with round ears, as pictured below (first row, bottom left).
I used to drag him around by a shoestring, letting my cat chase him. Twisted, I know. When my mom got a real dog, I was crushed to find my precious puppy’s face chewed off! Luckily, my mom went out and bought an identical Pound Puppies toy so that I would have my pack of Pound Puppies back intact (I had all of the variations).
Retroland does a fantastic job of detailing the history of Pound Puppies. The Pound Puppies were discontinued but they re-emerged in 1996, winning the affection of fans yet again. They continue to fetch high prices on the collector market to this day – proving yet again that a dog, especially a cuddly stuffed version that doesn’t need food or a walk (and will let you drag it around your house all day by a shoestring), is truly man’s best friend. They even have the power to rescue someone from the monotony of daily adult life.
Check out the official Pound Puppies website. While you’re there, you can adopt virtual puppies and interact with them online for free.
