PERFORMER | various |
DEBUT | 1977 |

Doglion becomes the first Muppet to grace the silver screen in the first few seconds of The Muppet Movie.

Concept sketch.

Doglion at The Muppets Take the Bowl.
Doglion is a full-bodied Muppet monster who was featured on The Muppet Show and more sporadically thereafter. Notable sketches include an interpretation of "Beauty and the Beast" with Lesley Ann Warren, singing with Sweetums and Cloris Leachman, and filling the role of destructive monster in the Happy Girl Meets a Monster sketch with Madeline Kahn.
He holds the distinction of being the first Muppet to ever grace the silver screen as evidenced in the opening shot of The Muppet Movie, walking through the backlot as the camera pans down from the World Wide Studios statue. Shortly later, he "takes" a seat Miss Piggy had saved for Kermit.
He also appeared in the 1990 The Cosby Show episode "Cliff's Nightmare," alongside a number of other Muppets (mostly from The Jim Henson Hour).
He appeared in three episodes of Muppets Tonight. The most notable was in episode 107. As the punchline to a riff on the famous Mah Na Mah Na sketch, with Kermit and Sandra Bullock, Doglion manifests when Sandra says "Shave and a haircut" (to add "Two bits").
Doglion made his first appearance in nearly two decades at The Muppets Take the Bowl in 2017, participating in "The Muppet Show Theme."
Doglion has never had a consistent performer. Known puppeteers have included Jerry Nelson (episode 209), Frank Oz (episode 211), Jim Henson (episode 224), Dave Goelz (The Muppet Movie), Kevin Clash (episode 112 of The Jim Henson Hour), Jim Martin (The Cosby Show), and Bill Barretta (Royal Variety Performance and Muppets Tonight).
The name "Dog-lion" was previously used in a storyboard for a Wilkins Coffee commercial, drawn by Jim Henson in the late 1950s. This storyboard features Wontkins being eaten by a Wilkins-drinking creature, who is described in Henson's notes as a "monstrous dog-lion-beast."
Filmography
- The Muppet Show
- Episode 209: Madeline Kahn ("Beautiful Day" sketch)
- Episode 211: Dom DeLuise ("Sheppard's Institute of Animal Protection" sketch)
- Episode 217: Julie Andrews ("I Whistle a Happy Tune")
- Episode 224: Cloris Leachman ("Just in Time")
- Episode 307: Alice Cooper ("School's Out")
- Episode 315: Lesley Ann Warren ("Beasty and the Beaut")
- Episode 318: Leslie Uggams ("Hey There, Good Times")
- Episode 411: Lola Falana ("He's the Greatest Dancer")
- Episode 421: Doug Henning
- Hello, Here Is Berlin
- The Muppet Movie
- The Muppets Go Hollywood
- The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
- The Jim Henson Hour
- The Cosby Show
- Royal Variety Performance
- Muppets Tonight
- Episode 107: Sandra Bullock ("Phenomena" sketch)
- Episode 206: Paula Abdul ("Opposites Attract")
- Episode 208: The Cameo Show
- The Muppets Take the Bowl
- The Muppets Take the O2
Book Appearances
- The Comic Muppet Book
- Fozzie's Big Book of Sidesplitting Jokes
- Bo Saves the Show (1982)
- Muppet Snow White (2010)
- The Muppets Character Encyclopedia (2014)