McGruff the Crime Dog
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McGruff the Crime Dog is an anthropomorphic cartoon dog, created for use by American police in building crime awareness among children. He debuted in February 1980, and was invented by Jack Keil, who also did McGruff's voice. Keil just needed a name for the crime dog after he thought of his motto, so a nationwide contest was opened. The most common entry was 'Shure-lock Bones'. Other entries included 'J. Edgar Dog', 'Sarg-dog', and 'Keystone Kop Dog'. The winner, McGruff the Crime Dog, was submitted by a New Orleans police officer.
McGruff reaches kids through commercials, songs and booklets from the National Crime Prevention Council, talking about drugs, bullying, safety and the importance of staying in school. The character is often used with his motto "Take a bite out of crime!"
Sportscaster Chris Berman, in a play on McGruff's name, gave baseball star Fred McGriff the nickname "Crime Dog." Berman is noted for his idiosyncratic player nicknames; however, his nickname for McGriff has entered into mainstream usage.
External links
- McGruff.org (http://mcgruff.org/)