Last updated 7/23/2002
Introduction:
"THE DOG" is a new phenomenon in Japan right now, and if you aren't already a dog lover, THE DOG may change that. It all started with series' of photographs, produced by a company called Artlist International. They'd take an adorable puppy, place it in a white room with no furniture or background, and photograph it with an extremely wide angle lens, also known as a "fish-eye" lens. When using such wide angle lenses, the closer the subject gets to the camera, the more distorted the image becomes. Close objects will look larger and disproportionate to something even just a few inches back from the camera. The results look amazing. Real, live puppies look superdeformed, with large heads and small bodies.
(Check out some examples by clicking on the thumbnails.)
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| Welsh Corgi | Miniature Daschund | Shiba |
It took off from there, with a number of products featuring many breeds of puppies shot in the inimitable Artlist style. Mugs, collectible Zippo lighters, stationary goods, calendars and more. Even a line of videos! Much like San-X did a few years earlier with Tare Panda and others, Artlist began producing their own line of plush UFO catcher goods, which can only be obtained by winning them in crane games.
Want to see examples of the videos? Click on the following links for 1 minute samples:
Welsh Corgi / Pug / Chihuahua
** Please note that although my words may seem familiar, I am not currently, nor have I ever sold any THE DOG products on the eBay Auction Web. Some uncreative, unscrupulous sellers have opted to steal my words and even my pictures to sell their official and bootleg items on eBay. No permission was requested, and it certainly wasn't given.
OK, enough with the introduction to the wonderful world of "THE DOG." Let's talk about the plushes...
The plushes are produced by a company called Fans, and there have already been quite a few sets, made in many different sizes, including 4", 5", 8" and 12". The plushes are designed to look like the photographs. The heads are larger than the bodies, and on many of the plushes, the noses are huge, as if the pup is right in your face. The quality of the plushes is excellent. Soft "fur", plastic eyes and pleather noses. Each plush has a cloth "tush tag" and all but the 5" series have a heavy paper stock hang tag. The 8" and 12" pups also wear a paper collar which tells the breed of the dog.
I believe the first THE DOG plushes were the 8 inch series. (Measured from nose to tail.) Two series of the 8 inch plushes are shown below.
Additionally, there have been:
5" Plush Mascots: These plush mascots measure 5 inches each. These plushes are encased in small cardboard boxes which feature the bodies of the plush dog on each side of the box. The boxes actually enhance the superdeformed look of the plush dogs, as the body pictured is smaller than the actual plush body. I'll be adding some pics that illustrate this. Each plush has a cord attached to the top of the head. There were 12 in the first series. A second lineup has been released, but I'm not sure if there are 12 new dogs in the 2nd set.
12" Big Plush Series: Yep, giant versions! Nearly identical to the smaller 8" plushes. They have hang tags, and they have the paper collars like the 8" plushes. There were five in the first set. Welsh Corgi, Papillon, Poodle, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Black Lab. I've got 'em, just need to get some pictures of them.
