puppy bowl

480i SDTV Original run February 6, 2005 – February 3, 2008 External links Official website

Puppy Bowl is an annual three-hour television show on Animal Planet[1]. Shown the afternoon of the Super Bowl, it attracts over 8 million viewers.[2] The broadcast usually consists of footage of a batch of puppies at play inside a model stadium with commentary on their actions by Harry Kalas - a narrator for NFL Films and a commentator for Philadelphia Phillies radio broadcasts. The first Puppy Bowl was shown on February 6, 2005. The puppies featured in Puppy Bowl are from shelters, and the show contains information on how viewers can adopt rescued puppies and help their local shelter. The bowl seems to have an age limit of four months, so there have been no recurring players.

According to the show's producers, the inspiration for Puppy Bowl as counter-programming for the Super Bowl came from the popular Yule Log Christmas program.[3]

Puppy Bowl II averaged 690,000 viewers for its broadcast on February 5, 2006 (a 23 percent increase over Puppy Bowl I). Five million people in total watched Puppy Bowl II throughout its three airings. Puppy Bowl III on February 4, 2007 increased on that record by 12 percent to 7.5 million viewers. A total increase of 36 percent from its insertion back in 2005.

Puppy Bowl IV aired on Animal Planet on February 3, 2008. It was the first Puppy Bowl broadcast in HD. Puppy Bowl V is scheduled to air on Animal Planet on February 1, 2009, in parallel with the leadup to Super Bowl XLIII. Contents [hide] 1 Format 1.1 Bissell Kitty Half-Time Show 2 Puppy Games 3 References 4 See also 5 External links //

Format

The Puppy Bowl consists of a number of puppies playing in a model stadium ("Animal Planet Stadium") with no audience, minimal commentary by Harry Kalas and instant replay shots. A "bowl cam" provides shots upwards through the transparent bottom of a special water bowl built into the stadium floor, with a wide-angle lens that allows viewers to watch the puppies drink water up close. The puppies are given a wide variety of chew-toys and bones to play with, and they are free to tackle, bite, and do as they wish. Jazz music is added in to the clips in post-production.

Football terminology is often used to illustrate their behavior and actions. When a puppy drags one of the football-shaped toys into the end zone, a "puppy touchdown" is declared. "Penalties" are issued for puppies relieving themselves on the field. Timeouts are called if the water bowl needs to be refilled, or if the puppies begin to fight. Puppy Bowl III also featured a tailgate party outside the stadium with several other dogs watching the event on televisions with cuts to their reactions throughout.

Bissell Kitty Half-Time