Editing Santa's Little Helper (section)

==Creation and development==
[[File:Matt Groening by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg|left|thumb|upright|''The Simpsons'' creator [[Matt Groening]] prefers that animals in cartoons act realistically.]]
Santa's Little Helper's initial appearance on ''The Simpsons'' was in the first episode of the series, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", which aired on December 17, 1989.<ref name=tvguide/> Since then, he has become a recurring character. ''The Simpsons'' creator [[Matt Groening]] told ''[[TV Guide]]'' in 2000 that "we [the staff] painted ourselves into a corner with our Christmas episode. Once we wrote the dog into the show, we were stuck with him."<ref name=tvguide>{{cite magazine |title=Flash! 24 Simpsons stars reveal themselves |date=2000-10-21 |magazine=[[TV Guide]] |author=Rhodes, Joe}}</ref> The name "Santa's Little Helper" was chosen because, according to writer [[Al Jean]] in the same ''TV Guide'' article, "we needed a name that would inspire Homer to bet on him, an omen, a Christmas name since he was betting on Christmas Eve. But, at that point, nobody was thinking long-term. We weren't considering what might happen in ten years, when we've got to use this name."<ref name=tvguide/> Although "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" was the first episode of the series to air on TV, it was the eighth episode produced by the staff. It was chosen to air first because there were animation problems with the others. Jean told the ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'' in 2001 that after the first episode was broadcast and "the next seven didn't have the dog, people wondered why."<ref>{{cite news |last=Westbrook |first=Bruce |title=Animated icons After a dozen seasons, Fox's 'The Simpsons' still has strange appeal |newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]] |date=2001-11-04 |page=11}}</ref> He also said in 2003 that the staff enjoyed the first episodes that centered on him, particularly "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", which is the reason that more episodes about him were written.<ref name="Jean-dogofdeath"/>

Writer [[John Swartzwelder]] has noted that the staff members of the show write the character Homer in the same way that they write Santa's Little Helper: "Both are loyal. Both have the same emotional range. And both will growl and possibly snap if you try to take their food."<ref name=tvguide/> Although animals in cartoons often behave with "semi-human awareness", Groening said on the DVD audio commentary for the episode "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds" that he prefers animals in cartoons to behave exactly the way they do in real life. As a result, Santa's Little Helper is depicted in this way on the show.<ref name="Groening">{{cite video |people=Groening, Matt |date=2005 |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Sixth Season ''DVD commentary for the episode "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds"'' |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> There have, however, been some exceptions for gags, but most of the time the staff of ''The Simpsons'' tries to keep animals acting realistically.<ref name="Mirkin"/><ref name="Reardon-dogofdeath">{{cite video |people=Reardon, Jim |date=2003 |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season ''DVD commentary for the episode "Dog of Death"'' |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Several journalists have commented on the greyhound's lack of intelligence. In an article that compared ''The Simpsons'' to the animated series ''[[Family Guy]]'', Todd Camp of the ''[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]]'' noted that "though Santa's Little Helper may be the only Simpson who's dumber than Homer, [[Griffin family|the Griffins]]' pooch <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Brian Griffin]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> is the brainiest member of the household".<ref name=Camp>{{cite news |last=Camp |first=Todd |title=What a 'Guy' – New Fox cartoon mocks TV, 'The Simpsons' |newspaper=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |date=1999-04-11 |page=2}}</ref> In 1991, [[Copley News Service]]'s Alison Ashton described Santa's Little Helper as a "sweet and stupid dog".<ref>{{cite news |last=Ashton |first=Alison |title=Questions that yule like – See how much you know about this time of year |newspaper=[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]] |date=1991-11-26 |page=NC-6}}</ref> Tom Coombe of ''[[The Morning Call]]'' wrote in 2002 that "fans of ''The Simpsons'' will tell you that the cartoon family's dog [...] is often dumb, disobedient and skittish. Fans of the real-life breed will paint a different picture — of dogs that are peaceful, affectionate, [and] not given to drooling, panting".<ref>{{cite news |last=Coombe |first=Tom |title=Furry friend raises cash for greyhounds – Group selling stuffed animals to help pay for adoption program |newspaper=[[The Morning Call]] |date=2002-01-21 |page=B5}}</ref>

Some ideas for episodes featuring Santa's Little Helper come from reality. The plot of "Dog of Death" was based on Swartzwelder's experiences with his own dog, which had also suffered from [[gastric dilatation volvulus|bloat]]. However, unlike the events in the episode, Swartzwelder's dog did not receive treatment as the operation was too expensive and the dog was too old.<ref name="Jean-dogofdeath">{{cite video |people=Jean, Al |date=2003 |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season ''DVD commentary for the episode "Dog of Death"'' |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> ''[[The Gold Coast Bulletin]]''{{'}}s Ryan Ellem commented in 2005 that the Simpson family's dilemma with the cost of the veterinary procedure is a realistic dilemma faced by many families who own dogs.<ref>{{cite news |title=All creatures great and small – Purr-fect cover for vet bills |last=Ellem |first=Ryan |date=2005-10-29 |work=[[The Gold Coast Bulletin]] |page=060}}</ref> Other episode ideas come from [[popular culture]]. For example, Santa's Little Helper fathering 25 puppies in "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds" is a parody of the [[Disney]] film ''[[One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]'',<ref name="Scully">{{cite video |people=Scully, Mike |date=2005 |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Sixth Season ''DVD commentary for the episode "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds"'' |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> and Mr. Burns' technique of brainwashing him into an attack dog in "Dog of Death" parodies ''[[A Clockwork Orange (film)|A Clockwork Orange]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/jul/16/stanleykubrick2 |title=Stanley and Bart... another Kubrick legend |date=1999-07-16 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=2011-03-01}}</ref> Susan McHugh, who teaches theories of animals, literature, and culture at the [[University of New England (United States)|University of New England]], wrote in her 2004 book ''Dog'' that, "remaining loyal to his unlikely saviours, the boy Bart and his father Homer, this greyhound has prompted satires of contemporary dog culture, from [[Barbara Woodhouse]]'s authoritarian training methods [in "Bart's Dog Gets an 'F{{' "}}] to [[Lassie]]'s flawless service to the status quo [in "The Canine Mutiny"]."<ref name=McHugh>{{cite book |last=McHugh |first=Susan |title=Dog |url=https://archive.org/details/doganimal00mchu |url-access=limited |year=2004 |publisher=[[Reaktion Books]] |isbn=978-1-86189-203-4 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/doganimal00mchu/page/n78 77]–78}}</ref>

===Sounds===
[[File:Dan Castellaneta cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Dan Castellaneta]] currently voices Santa's Little Helper.]]
Although cast member [[Dan Castellaneta]] occasionally voiced Santa's Little Helper for [[bit part]]s,<ref name="Jean-dogofdeath"/> American voice artist [[Frank Welker]] most often provided the sounds of the dog and other animals on the show from "Bart's Dog Gets an 'F{{' "}}, which aired on March 7, 1991, to "[[Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily]]", which aired on October 1, 1995.<ref name="Vitti-doggetsF">{{cite video |people=Vitti, Jon |date=2002 |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season ''DVD commentary for the episode "Bart's Dog Gets an 'F{{' "}}'' |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> He said on his official website in 2007 that he liked portraying Santa's Little Helper because the dog was a "sympathetic" character.<ref name=welker/> Welker has been praised by staff members for his performances on the show. [[David Mirkin]] has noted that "he can do anything, and it fits perfectly. You forget you're listening to a guy, and he's a pleasure to work with."<ref name="Mirkin">{{cite video |people=Mirkin, David |date=2005 |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Sixth Season ''DVD commentary for the episode "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds"'' |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Groening has commented that he was "unbelievably good" at doing animal noises.<ref name="Groening"/> After 1995, Castellaneta voiced Santa's Little Helper on his own while Welker performed other animal noises until his full departure in 2002, when he was denied a pay raise.<ref name=welker/> In the "questions and answers" section on his website, Welker revealed that the reason he stopped performing as Santa's Little Helper was because "The producers thought... 'Hmmm, Dan barks pretty good, and we are already paying him and he seems to like doing the dog thing... why do we need to pay Welker who comes in here, spends less than an hour, eats all the doughnuts, refuses to come to rehearsals... let's just give the damn dog to Dan!'"<ref name=welker>{{cite web |last=Welker |first=Frank |title=Ask Frank |url=http://www.mkbmemorial.com/FWHp/ask_frank.html#05 |publisher=The Frank Welker Homepage (official website) |access-date=2011-08-14}}</ref>