Who Let the Dogs Out? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Brian

Brian Griffin is an anthropomorphic, sarcastic Labrador who speaks, walks on his hind legs, smokes, drinks martinis and drives a car. He is also more rational and level-headed than any of the other characters on the show.

"The Family Guy" is an animated sitcom that first aired in 1999 and was almost cancelled after the third season. However, high ratings and the popularity of the show saved it, and a fourth season was filmed. The 19th season of the show aired in 2019. Created by Seth MacFarlane who voiced the characters of Peter and Stewie Griffin, and Brian, "The Family Guy" has earned several Primetime Emmy Award nominations for "Outstanding Comedy Series", spawned several spin-off series and in 2013 was voted by TV Guide as the ninth "Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time".

Answer: Lassie

Eric Knight's short story about Lassie was expanded into a full length novel called "Lassie Come-Home" and released in 1940. In 1943 MGM released the movie of the same name and Lassie was played by a collie called Pal. Several other movies, also featuring Pal as Lassie, followed. Pal become so synonymous with the character of Lassie, that the name and trademark were transferred from MGM to owner Rudd Weatherwax.

In 1954 the television series debuted and ran for 19 years, featuring Pal's descendants in the lead role. Knight's version of Lassie is very similar to Elizabeth Gaskell's 1859 Lassie depicted in her short story "The Half-Brothers".

Answer: Skip

Krypto was known on Krypton as toddler Kal-El's dog but was used to test rocket prototypes that would eventually reach Earth. However the rocket containing Krypto went off course but did reach earth after Superboy landed there. He was reunited with Superboy and was given the name of Skip when he was with the Kent family. To distinguish between Skip and Krypto, Skip always wore an eye patch as a "disguise" to cover his real identity. Krypto had similar (proportionate) superpowers to Superman and when on assignment he wore a red cape too.

While some thought he was a retriever, Krypto was meant to be a generic breed and no breed was ever attributed to him.

Answer: Muttley

The sidekick of Dick Dastardly, Muttley is a cross between a bloodhound, a pointer and hunting dog with a bit of Airedale thrown in for good measure. He is remembered for his trademark wheezing laugh, which is usually in response to a Dick Dastardly failure. In the "Wacky Races" he wore a collar, but in the later "Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machine" he wore a scarf and aviator cap.

In a later video game released in 2000, Muttley was voiced by Billy West.

"The Wacky Races" was a Hanna-Barbara production that screened in 1968-1969.

Answer: Corporal Rusty

Running over five seasons and 164 episodes from 1954 to 1959, "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin" rated extremely well for the ABC network. The popularity of the "boy and his dog" storyline struck a chord with the viewing public despite the very cheap nature of the production. Often many of the cast would play multiple roles including swapping from cavalry men to Apaches in the same episode. Lee Aaker player Corporal Rusty from "B Company" while James Brown was Lieutenant "Rip" Masters and Joe Sawyer was Sergeant "Biff" O'Hara. Rin Tin Tin was played by Rin Tin Tin IV and Flame Jr.

Answer: Shannon

When Henry Gross (founder of Sha-Na-Na) met Carl Wilson at his home they discovered they both had dogs called Shannon but Mr Wilson's Irish Setter had been killed by a car a month previously. Mr Gross then wrote about Mr Wilson's dog not his own. The lyrics never mention a dog but they have more context when you realise who Shannon is. "Shannon" was Henry Gross' biggest hit.

"My Sharona" by the Knack, "Sara" (Bob Dylan or Fleetwood Mac - different songs), and "Sandy" are all songs about girls.

Answer: Duchess

Pongo and Perdita are the Mum and Dad dogs of "101 Dalmatians"; they have a litter of 15 puppies and rescue a further 84 from the ghastly Cruella De Vil who wants to make fur coats out of them. Lucky is the runt of the litter and Rolly is rather rotund. There is another pup called Pepper as he has small spots. The movie, based on a 1956 book by Dodie Smith, was a commercial success.

Duchess was the female lead in the 1971 Disney animated movie. "The Aristocats".

Answer: Bron-Y-Aur Stomp

This song, commencing with Jimmy Page playing acoustic guitar, tells of Plant's love for his faithful companion, Strider: "Ain't but one thing to do, spend my natural life with you, You're the finest dog I knew". Bron-Yr-Aur (misspelled on the album) is a cottage in Wales where in 1969 and 1970 Plant and Page wrote many of the songs which appeared on "Led Zeppelin 3" and the unnamed fourth album (usually referred to as "Led Zeppelin IV") including "Stairway to Heaven".

The third album caused some consternation among Led Zeppelin fans as there was a decided shift to more acoustic material.

Answer: Snowy

In the first eight stories, Snowy would portray his thoughts through speech bubbles, understanding human speech perfectly well. This role diminished with the ninth and subsequent stories. Snowy was both a source of inspiration to Tintin as well as some comic relief as they battled problems set in the real world of the time. 'The Adventures of Tintin' have sold over 200 Million copies and been translated into more than 70 languages, also appearing in films, theater and radio.

Answer: Reservoir Dogs

The 1992 movie "Reservoir Dogs", written and produced by Tarantino, propelled him from virtual unknown to a major force in independent movie-making. This was strengthened with the release of "Pulp Fiction" two years later. With a cast including Harvey Keitel (also a co-producer), Steve Buscemi and Tim Roth, "Reservoir Dogs" looks at the lead up to, and aftermath of, a major diamond heist.

The heist is completed but the gang including Mr White, Mr Pink, Mr Blue, Mr Blonde and Mr Orange, split apart and mostly die amid greed and betrayal. 'Reservoir Dogs' has been labelled one of the best independent movies of all time.

Answer: The Hound of the Baskervilles

"The Hound of the Baskervilles" is the third of the four original Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The story was originally released as a serial over a period of eight months in 1901-1902 in The Strand Magazine. Without giving spoilers to any who want to read this outstanding tale, the plot revolves around the inheritance of the Baskerville estate in Dartmoor, England, and the ingenuous but ultimately futile attempt to pin the gruesome deaths of some people involved with this family on a large, fierce hound that belongs to the estate.

Needless to say, Holmes, with able assistance from Dr Watson, solves the case and exonerates the dog!

Answer: Paul McCartney

According to the Beatles' biographer, Hunter Davis in "The Beatles Lyrics" (2014), Mr McCartney was at his London home in 1967 with his fiancee, Jane Asher and his Old English Sheepdog where he was teaching himself to play the piano. He started to compose a song and with Martha at his feet, "Martha, My Dear" was created. However it was a year later when the song was recorded. By this time, Miss Asher had broken the engagement with Mr McCartney and Linda Eastman was his new companion. The lyrics are quite generic and Mr Hunter speculates the final song is about Mr McCartney asking Miss Asher never to forget him as the lyrics are quite different to the original, published in Mr Hunter's book. He further stated that if the recorded song was about Martha, the lyric, "Hold your hand out" should have been "Hold your paw out".

So while Martha was indeed a real dog belonging to Paul McCartney, the recorded song may be a fictional account of said pet.

Answer: John Cazale

"Dog Day Afternoon" is a bank heist movie based on an actual bank robbery. It starred Al Pacino and John Cazale as the two bank robbers. John Cazale died three years later after he filmed "The Deer Hunter" in 1978. He was only 42. The movie was a critical and commercial success.

The title refers to the summer time-frame of the movie. "Dog Days" are the hottest part of the summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The phrase originated in ancient Egyptian and early Roman times from the belief that the hottest days were caused by the Earth's proximity to the dog star Sirius during summer.

Answer: The Magic Roundabout

Using the stop motion animation from the French show "Le Manège enchanté", writer Eric Thompson completely altered the scripts and story lines. The five minute episodes preceded the BBC news and were popular with children and adults alike. The story lines were usually set in the park containing the center-piece, the Magic Roundabout, and focused on the interactions between the various characters, all of whom had their own personalities and quirks.

In 1991, the BBC released 52 previously unscreened episodes, narrated by Nigel Planer.

Answer: Me and You

"Me and You and a Dog named Boo" was Lobo (Kent LaVoie)'s debut single which reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and top spot for two weeks on the Easy Listening chart. It fared extremely well in other countries including number one in New Zealand and number four in the UK. The song tells a simple story of a man and his partner traveling through Georgia with their dog Boo, living simply off the land picking up work where they could. Of the 15 singles released by Lobo, only "I'd Love You to Want Me" in 1972 was more successful.

Answer: Hooch

"Turner and Hooch" starring Tom Hanks and Beasley the dog was released in 1989 and directed by Roger Spottiswoode. The plot of the movie focuses on detective Turner (Hanks) who likes his life orderly and routine and Hooch who is a slobbering, noisy, destructive canine . After his friend Amos is murdered, Turner takes responsibility for Hooch and his life is turned upside down as they search for Amos's killer.

Despite mixed reviews from the critics and a dearth of awards, "Turner and Hooch" was a box office success and popular with the public.

Answer: Emily Elizabeth

Author Norman Bridwell's idea for a giant sized dog came to him as a child, when he wanted to have his own horse-sized dog to ride on. His idea was to write a story with illustrations, about a horse-sized dog who was really very friendly. In 1962, Bridwell tried to spruike a young girl and an oversized bloodhound to around fifteen publishers but were none interested. An editor of Harper & Row looked at his drawing and suggested making his concept into a story for children. Mr Bridwell planned to name the big red dog "Tiny", but his wife vetoed this name so she named the dog "Clifford" after her imaginary childhood friend. This turned into "Clifford the Big Red Dog", first published by Scholastic in 1963.
Clifford is a Vizla-like dog (though his breed is never verified) and can grow up to 30 feet tall though it appears he can grow and shrink at will. His constant companion is eight year old Emily Elizabeth who was given Clifford as a sixth birthday present.
There were 80 books in the first series. TV series and video games followed.

Answer: Gnasher and Ruff

The British Dennis is a character who is the "world's naughtiest boy" He is unkempt, has a characteristic red and black sweater and oversized shoes. Based on an observation by his father that dogs look like their owners, Dennis chose an Abyssinian wire-haired tripehound which did indeed look like him and was equally obnoxious. Gnasher did not appear until August 1968 but soon got top billing and the strip was re-named "Dennis and Gnasher".

The American Dennis is merely mischievous though he has a habit of rubbing his neighbour, George Wilson, the wrong way. He is five years old and live with his parents in Wichita, Kansas at 2251 Pine Street. His faithful companion is a large dog Ruff who dutifully follows him wherever he will go. A running gag is that Ruff will chase cats but is actually afraid of them.

All the other options are dogs from other literary sources. For bragging rights identify the six novels the other dogs are from.

Answer: Astro

George Jetson is the lead character in the Hanna-Barbara animated series "The Jetsons". George lives in Skypad Apartments with his wife Jane, children Judy and Elroy, robotic maid Rosie and their dog Astro. Before being adopted by the Jetsons, Astro was called Tralfaz when he was owned by a Mr J.P. Gottrockets. Astro can speak, in a gravelly voice that was provided by Hanna-Barbara voice actor Don Messick.

"The Jetsons", a space-age counterpart to the successful "Flintstones", aired from 1962 to 1963 and further episodes were added in 1985-1987.

Answer: Top Cat

Thirty episodes of the cartoon 'Top Cat' were created by Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1961-62. Although initially not rating well, the show's popularity increased dramatically due to syndication and Saturday morning TV. Written by Kin Platt, the major premise is that Top Cat leads a group of five Manhattan alley cats in a series of cunning plans to make them rich while avoiding the ever-present Officer Dibble.