Apart from a handful of episodes that gave a spotlight to beloved supporting characters, almost every episode of The Simpsons revolves around a member of the titular Simpson clan. But not every member of the Simpson family is human. While the majority of storylines revolve around Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, or Maggie, the show has also often delivered episodes focused on the family’s dog, Santa’s Little Helper.
Whereas cartoon dogs are usually humanized, The Simpsons has subverted this by portraying Santa’s Little Helper as a normal dog who can’t talk and acts exactly like a real canine, so his stories are unique.
Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire (Season 1, Episode 1)
The very first episode of The Simpsons revolved around Santa’s Little Helper. After the initial Tracey Ullman Show shorts amassed a fanbase, The Simpsons was expanded into a full half-hour show.
The series kicked off its decades-long run with the Christmas-themed episode “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” in which Homer can’t afford presents for the family, tries and fails to win some money at the dog track, and ends up coming home with the losing greyhound instead.
Old Yeller-Belly (Season 14, Episode 19)
After failing to save Homer from being trapped under an ice sculpture in the middle of a fire, Santa’s Little Helper is cast out of the Simpson house in season 14’s smartly titled “Old Yeller-Belly.”
He ends up becoming the new mascot of Duff Beer under the name “Suds McDuff.” The episode gets a lot of comedic mileage out of an unemployed Duffman trying to make a living.
Stop! Or My Dog Will Shoot (Season 18, Episode 20)
Santa’s Little Helper is recruited by Chief Wiggum to work as a police dog for Springfield P.D. after successfully saving Homer from the middle of a corn maze in season 18’s “Stop! Or My Dog Will Shoot.”
Partnered with Lou, throughout the episode, Santa’s Little Helper becomes a grizzled veteran detective. He catches Snake, but he’s let off on a technicality, so the dog grows bitter about the laws he upholds.
The Canine Mutiny (Season 8, Episode 20)
Bart gets a credit card in season 8’s “The Canine Mutiny” and promptly makes a series of reckless purchases he can’t afford, including an expensive dog named Laddie. When the repossession agents arrive to take away all the things Bart bought with the card, he gives up Santa’s Little Helper instead of his exciting new dog.
Of course, Bart comes to regret his decision and desperately searches Springfield for Santa’s Little Helper’s new owner. They stand on opposite sides of the room and give Santa’s Little Helper a choice to walk to the owner he wants to stay with — and he chooses Bart.
Sweet Seymour Skinner’s Baadasssss Song (Season 5, Episode 19)
Ultimately, season 5’s “Sweet Seymour Skinner’s Baadasssss Song” is a Principal Skinner episode. After Bart gets him fired from his job, he unexpectedly befriends his old arch-nemesis. However, the first act explaining how Skinner gets fired focuses on Santa’s Little Helper.
Bart brings in his dog for show-and-tell and he ends up getting lost in the vents. In the vents, Santa’s Little Helper has an unforgettable standoff with a greased-up Groundskeeper Willie, complete with a hysterical Alien parody.
Two Dozen And One Greyhounds (Season 6, Episode 20)
When the Simpsons take a trip to the dog track in season 6’s “Two Dozen and One Greyhounds,” Santa’s Little Helper rushes onto the track and impregnates the female dog in the lead.
The resulting litter of puppies is abducted by Mr. Burns, who wants to turn them into a coat, so Bart and Lisa break into the nuclear power magnate’s mansion to save them.
Dog Of Death (Season 3, Episode 19)
Lottery fever sweeps across Springfield in the opening act of season 3’s “Dog of Death,” so the Simpsons don’t notice the crisis that will become the episode’s main conflict: Santa’s Little Helper is sick. The family all have to cut back to pay for his life-saving operation, which only turns them against him once he pulls through.
Feeling he’s not welcome, Santa’s Little Helper runs away and gets picked up by Mr. Burns. Burns conditions him to become an attack dog using the Ludovico technique from A Clockwork Orange, but when Bart arrives at the mansion, Santa’s Little Helper recalls all his fond memories of Bart and protects him from Burns’ hounds.
Bart’s Dog Gets An F (Season 2, Episode 16)
Santa’s Little Helper gets out of control in season 2’s “Bart’s Dog Gets an F,” and destroying Homer’s new sneakers is the last straw. Homer tells Bart to get the dog’s behavior under control or he’ll have to give him away. Bart ends up sending his beloved pet to obedience school.
Throughout the episode, Bart is reluctant to use firm discipline on his dog, and the ending affirms that he was right. When Santa’s Little Helper finally learns to obey Bart’s commands (allowing Bart to keep him), it’s not because he uses tough love — it’s because of regular love.