If you tuned in to Animal Planet this Super Bowl Sunday, you probably saw the Puppy Bowl. This cute show features puppies that play in a model stadium. It is also accompanied by commentary on their actions — and usually turns out to be funny, wholesome entertainment for the whole family.
The very first Puppy Bowl was shown in 2005, on the same day as Super Bowl XXXIX. According to the producers of the show, it was an idea that spawned from an appreciation of the Yule Log program that shows up around Christmastime. Both the Puppy Bowl and the Yule Log are considered “counterprogramming” — that is, running a show at the same time as another one with the intent to piggyback off of the other shows popularity.
Not surprisingly, it takes quite a while to plan for the annual Puppy Bowl. It is generally filmed a while before the Super Bowl actually takes place and is usually completed sometime in October. One of the most time-consuming parts of production is assembling a team of puppies. Each puppy has been lent from a shelter, which can be a logistical nightmare at times.
It is important to note that the puppies are kept quite safe during the filming of this show. Not only is there a veterinarian on-site, but representatives from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) make sure that all pertinent animal welfare standards are maintained. They are also given plenty of access to water, rest, and food so that they can keep their energy levels at their peak.
This show lacked a competition aspect until 2015, when the two teams — Ruff and Fluff — were introduced. The points were tallied up on a scoreboard that was hamster-powered. That is, the hamster would run on a wheel that would create the electricity needed for the scoreboard. Team Ruff has won twice, but Team Fluff had a major victory as well.
Introduced in the second Puppy Bowl was another cool feature known as the Kitty Half-Time Show. This section introduces many kinds of kittens as they play with various toys, climb posts, and eat a bit of catnip here and there. The most kittens that have been a part of this show so far was twenty-one at once.
Another introduction, this time coming out in 2009, was a model blimp. This “blimp” floats over the Puppy Bowl, and features hamsters that are playing around, being the ‘crew’ of the blimp. After a four -year hiatus, this aspect of the Puppy Bowl returned in 2018.
There have been many more features added to Puppy Bowl over the years, from rabbit cheerleaders to tortoises to “Puppy Bowl Virtual Reality”. New features notwithstanding, the Puppy Bowl is a great counterprogramming feature to the Super Bowl. It has an excellent message of supporting humane societies and has often led to more dogs being adopted out of the shelters that sponsor the show.
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