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Sock Dogma

Brandweek, June 5, 2000 by Adrienne Mand

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I haven't really done anything for myself. But I did buy my friend Uncle Wiggles the Parakeet a hang glider, a Jacuzzi and some glassware.

Uncle Wiggles is a good buddy of yours. Is there a special sock puppet in your life, doggy or otherwise? How do you feel about inter-species relationships?

Are you flirting with me?

Would that be a problem?

(Awkward silence)

Um. Okay[ldots] What's better: stuffed things or squeaky toys?

This is one of those trick questions, isn't it?

Your role In the Pets.com outdoor ad campaign has put you in some pretty "interesting" situations. In New York alone, you're pictured on Sixth Avenue interviewing fish in an aquarium, while on 23rd Street you're taking a bath with a shaggy dog. What has been your most challenging assignment so far?

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My biggest challenge is working with humans. They can't act nearly as sad as a bloodhound.

Your best friends include Uncle Wiggles the Parakeet and Coco the Himalayan cat, both friendships that would have been scorned by society just a few years ago. Do you see yourself as an emissary between dogs and cats, birds and fish, and other traditionally adversarial species?

I'm not that smart, but if an emissary is a good thing, then yes, I think of myself as one.

Now that you're a celebrity, I'm sure you must mingle with other famous pet-slash imaginary characters. What's It like getting to know other television canines such as Lassie, Eddie from Frasier and Santa's Little Helper from The Simpsons? Do you ever get together after work and throw back some Frescas?

I'll throw back Frescas with anyone, anytime, anywhere.

What was the best celebrity interview you've done?

It's a toss-up between the big brother from The Wonder Years and Chachi.

The Walt Disney Company owns less than 5 percent of Pets.com. Growing up, did you ever dream you'd be in the same league as canine icons Pluto and Goofy? Are there any projects in the works, such as Pluto, Goofy and the Sock Puppet Go Parasailing?

I'll do anything with Pluto. But someone has to explain what the heck Goofy is before I'll work with him.

The Pets.com site has begun selling your image on hats, T-shirts, placemats and other items, and beginning this summer these items will be available in dirt-world stores. Licensing agency Hakan & Associates, which is handling your merchandise, also created products featuring the Taco Bell Chihuahua. How does it feel to see your face on children's shirts? Have you gotten any tips on fame from the chihuahua?

He told me not to do press-on decal shirts. But I'm doing it anyway. What can I say, I like the way they smell.

The lawsuit between Pets.com and Late Night with Conan O'Brien has been well publicized in recent weeks. Have you and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog tried to sort things out, puppet to puppet? Is there room for both of you in Hollywood?

If there's enough room in Hollywood for all of those Baldwins, there should be room for us.

Since you've come on board, traffic to the Pets.com site has increased and revenue grew 12-fold, from $0.6 million in Q3 1999 to $7.7 million in Q1 2000. What do you attribute this to?

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Sock Dogma

Brandweek, June 5, 2000 by Adrienne Mand

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