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Hello friends, Do you ever just get small, seemingly random memories of little jingles or snippets from the old days? It happened to me just now, minutes before I wrote this newsletter, when Ubu popped into my head. Anyone who watched shows such as Family Ties back in the 80s all the way to the end of the credits was treated with a photo of a black Labrador retriever holding a Frisbee in its mouth. A man would then say, “Sit Ubu. Sit. Good dog.” The retriever then responded with a single bark, and the next show or commercial would play. Check out this video to jog your memory. Have you ever wondered what’s up with this mascot and why Ubu ended a number of TV show credits in the 80s and 90s? I’ll bet you do now. Glad to entice your wonder. Thanks for reading and have a great week… …Just kidding. Here are some factoids about Ubu the dog to feed your curiosity: Ubu belonged to Gary David Goldberg, who named his TV production company, Ubu Productions, after his beloved canine. Gary had Ubu since college and they travelled the world together. They really did travel the world together. That now famous photo of Ubu was taken in Paris, France near the Louvre Museum. Ubu was named after a controversial French play called “Ubu Roi” which premiered in 1896. The play was considered offensive and obscene by many at the time but now considered the precursor to 20th century modernism.
The dog died in 1984 but I don’t think Gary or anyone else could have known that this pooch would randomly pop up in the memories of millions who grew up watching television in the 80s. In that way, Ubu is immortal.
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