Purina Dog Chow

In late 1962, Jim Henson was hired to produce a series of Purina Dog Chow commercials for the Canadian market.

Henson created Rowlf the Dog and Baskerville the Hound especially for the ads, and they were the first Muppets built by Don Sahlin. Seven spots were produced -- three 60-second ads, and four product IDs.

According to Jim Henson: The Biography, “Bernie Brillstein later recalled - though he was never certain if the offer came from Purina or another client - that Jim was offered $100,000 for the company to own Rowlf outright. Brillstein nearly lept at the offer, but Jim immediately squashed the deal. "Bernie", warned Jim, "never sell anything I own."”

Four commercials were included as bonus features in The Muppet Show: Season Three DVD set.

Commercials

Picture	Description
	Rowlf challenges Baskerville's preference for tender, succulent "as-paree-gus" by listing the healthy benefits of Purina Dog Chow.
	Rowlf recommends Purina over other flat dog foods, which have already affected Baskerville.
	Rowlf claims Purina will "make a hit" with your dog, and he proves it by hitting Baskerville with the package.
	Rowlf directs a Purina commercial starring Baskerville, who is instructed to leap from the package when he yells "chowtime!" However, Baskerville gets distracted eating the flavor-charged dog food inside.
	Reusing footage from the above commercial, an announcer introduces "an important message from Purina Dog Chow." Baskerville bursts from the package and simply asks, "Please buy some. Thank you."
	When Rowlf learns that Baskerville hasn't heard of Purina's money-back delicious guarantee, he shoots him with a gun and retorts, "Now he'll never know!"

References

• In the Sesame Street movie Follow That Bird, Big Bird stops his trek from Oceanview, Illinois at a Purina Chows plant, where he persuades a turkey truck driver (played by Waylon Jennings) to give him a lift.

Big Bird stops by a Purina Chows plant in Follow That Bird.