Back Rowlf German Rowlf el perro Spanish רולף הכלב HE Rowlf Italian ロルフ (マペット) Japanese Rowlf Dutch Rowlf Portuguese Rowlf the Dog SIMPLE
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2013) |
| Rowlf the Dog | |
|---|---|
| The Muppets character | |
 | |
| First appearance | Various Purina dog food commercials (1962)[1] |
| Created by | Jim Henson |
| Voiced by |
|
| Performed by | Jim Henson (1962–1990) Bill Barretta (1996–present) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Muppet Dog |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Pianist |
| Nationality | American |
Rowlf the Dog is a Muppet character created and originally performed by Jim Henson. Known most notably as the resident pianist on the sketch comedy television series The Muppet Show, Rowlf is a scruffy brown dog of indeterminate breed with a rounded black nose and long floppy ears. Laid-back and wisecracking, his humor is characterized as deadpan and as such, he is one of few Muppets who is rarely flustered by the show's prevalent mayhem. Henson's closest collaborators and family members have claimed Rowlf to be the Muppet character most similar to Henson's real-life personality.
Rowlf was introduced in 1962 as the spokesman of Purina Dog Chow television commercials aired in Canada, in which he appeared with Baskerville the Hound. Rowlf was designed and performed by Henson, and was built by Don Sahlin; it was Sahlin's first Muppet construction.[2] Rowlf subsequently appeared on The Jimmy Dean Show from 1963 to 1966, becoming the first Muppet to appear regularly on network television. In the 1970s and 1980s, Rowlf appeared as a regular character on The Muppet Show (1976–1982), as well as in The Muppet Movie (1979), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), and The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984). After a brief hiatus following Henson's death, Rowlf returned to the forefront in Muppet films and television series with Bill Barretta performing the character since Muppets Tonight (1996).
- ^ Shemin, Craig (2014). Disney's The Muppets Character Encyclopedia. New York: DK Publishing. p. 155. ISBN 9781465417480.
- ^ "2/–/1963 – 'Don Sahlin started to work regularly.' | Jim Henson's Red Book". Henson.com. 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2014-04-09.