santa little santa recurring character american animated television series simpsons pet simpson family dog introduced episode christmas special simpsons open fire owner finishing race son race track hope winning money christmas presents decide adopt dog santa appeared frequently simpsons plots episodes center course example fathered litters passed obedience school surgery replaced mascot trained police dog springfield episodes focus santa inspired popular culture real experiences staff members gone cartoon animals santa little generally exhibits behavior cast member currently provides dog sounds voice artist voiced santa popular character following appearances simpsons ranked 27th television special greatest animals based popularity recognition longevity shows featured merchandise relating simpsons video games board games comics role simpsons santa appears animated television series simpsons pet dog simpson family seen minor appearances episodes feature heavily including episode simpsons episode simpsons open fire season homer discovers money buy christmas presents family desperate miracle racing track christmas eve hopes earning money homer inside information dog likely win instead minute entry santa believing dog christmas inspired sign finishes homer leave track watch dog owner abandon losing race pleads homer dog pet agrees cheek homer return home santa assumed rest family christmas present episodes santa little seen newspapers objects simpsons household destroying furniture digging holes backyard dog gets season manages entire family destroying valued items home result homer want rid dog lisa convince trained obedience school santa unwilling use choke chain suggested instructor night final exam santa little play thinking hours bonding breaks communication barrier allowing dog understand commands consequently pass obedience school santa fathered dozen season runs away dog racing track mates female named fastest later gives birth simpsons care longer decide sell burns steals decides emotionally touched convinces wear fur instead raise world class racing dogs santa litter episode today clown season given away townspeople dog neglected treated family episodes dog death season nearly dies decide budget cuts order pay required operation dog life saved family begins feel strain sacrifices starts treating badly causing run away ends possession burns trains vicious attack dog days later trained santa attacked eventually recognizes old friend stops mutiny season uses fake charge card buy trained rough named mail order catalog learns tricks santa completely unable perform simpson family nearly old pet eventually gives santa away instead men purchased feeling guilty bored perfect new dog tries finally finds santa serving seeing eye dog blind man eventually decides return family stop dog shoot season santa little local hero finding lost homer simpsons decide new crime fighting job makes day home bites simpsons send dog away live officer gets return saving toxic smoke cloud school leaving police force window season santa broken leg nursing gets mad dog unable forgive simpsons away farm says goodbye explains bird gets fight angry remembering told wrong kill birds aid fight confused loyalty sake orders leaving death realizes help killing apologizes family goes home dog dog replaced mascot episode old belly season seen drinking beer balancing nose known sales making family fortunes explode prompts original owner racing trainer visit simpsons prove owner dog family later figures replace mascot dog plan turn hero beer sponsored beach event plan fails drunk shark discovered event new mascot instead santa little returns simpson family creation development santa initial appearance simpsons episode series simpsons open fire aired recurring character simpsons creator told staff painted corner christmas episode wrote dog stuck santa little chosen according writer guide article needed inspire homer bet christmas betting christmas eve point thinking long term weren considering happen years got use simpsons open fire episode series air eighth episode produced staff chosen air animation problems jean told houston_chronicle episode broadcast seven didn dog people wondered said staff enjoyed episodes centered particularly simpsons open fire reason episodes written writer noted staff members write character homer way write santa little loyal emotional range possibly snap try food animals cartoons behave semi human awareness said dvd audio commentary episode dozen prefers animals cartoons behave exactly way real life result santa depicted way exceptions gags time staff simpsons tries animals acting journalists commented lack intelligence article compared simpsons animated series family guy fort worth star telegram noted santa little simpson homer brian griffin member household described santa little sweet stupid dog morning wrote fans simpsons tell cartoon family dog dumb fans real life breed paint different picture dogs peaceful given ideas episodes featuring santa come reality plot dog death based experiences dog suffered unlike events episode dog receive treatment operation expensive dog old commented simpson family dilemma cost procedure realistic dilemma faced families dogs episode ideas come popular culture example santa little dozen parody disney film burns technique attack dog dog death parodies orange teaches theories animals literature culture wrote book dog remaining loyal unlikely boy father homer prompted contemporary dog culture authoritarian training methods dog gets flawless service status quo mutiny sounds cast member occasionally voiced santa little bit parts american voice artist provided sounds dog animals dog gets aired march home sweet aired october said official website liked portraying santa little dog sympathetic character praised staff members performances noted fits perfectly forget listening guy pleasure work commented good animal noises voiced santa little performed animal noises departure denied pay raise questions answers section website revealed reason stopped performing santa producers thought dan pretty good paying like dog thing need pay comes spends hour eats refuses come rehearsals let damn dog dan reception santa known dog appearances series writer wrote know homer lisa americans probably recognize pets santa wrote dog master famous 19th century popular years later santa television special greatest animals hosted aired dog ranked 27th dogs featured list eddie fifth sixth 13th 14th max 20th triumph insult comic dog 24th 29th 44th tiger 50th according writer rankings determined popularity recognition long lasted fans critics santa received ranked seventh poll dog determined best loved television dog time ranked poll addition voted tenth favorite simpsons character readers united_kingdom list favorite dogs cartoons comics animation writers listed santa number writing admire upbeat nature having legs broken burns abandoned dog ranked 75th author list greatest dogs pop culture history character attracted criticism reviewing episode dog gets wrote cartoon dogs realm aggressively anthropomorphic strong speech doesn talk engage abilities powers begin end regular know like real dog consequently episodes devoted tend little simpsons christmas special launched series influence appearance simpsons santa appeared merchandise relating board art simpsons clue board game based clue shown drinking floor board game published called based monopoly released dog featured playing pieces santa appeared issues simpsons comics film simpsons movie video games based simpsons night living horror simpsons game addition dog action figures action figures toys world springfield series toys santa impact real life based drink named award winning restaurant bar salt_lake_city hotel told popular holiday drinks addition dog walking pet sitting company new_york_city called santa little dog walking pet sitting named appeared cover october issue guide issue released different covers featuring different characters simpsons
Santa's Little Helper