North America The toys were created by Mike Bowling in 1984. In 1987,
Hardee's and
Pizza Hut restaurants also offered a series of Pound Puppies with their Children's Meals. Other products besides stuffed toys were made such as
Little Golden Books, coloring books and miniature figurines. Pound Puppies continued to be popular in the early 1990s. The toys were produced again in the early 2000s by Jakks Pacific and included specific breeds of dog (as opposed to a generic model), along with barking sounds and movements. The toyline was discontinued in 2003. In 2014, Funrise launched a new Pound Puppies toyline, under license from Hasbro. In 2019, the brand was reintroduced again by Basic Fun, featuring normal sizes and baby sizes. They previously sold jumbo sizes as well. This time, the stuffed animals contain a little slip that kids can bring to pounds and animal shelters to receive free puppies.
Other regions In South America, in the 1980s, the toys went by the name
Snif Snif (an onomatopoeic brand). Makers under license included
Brazil's Estrela,
Argentina's Antex, and
Peru's BASA. In France, they were known as
Les Pitous (individual dolls going simply by the singular
Pitou). The toys were made by Vulli under license. In Germany, they were known as
Wauzi (Pound Purries were also sold as
Miauzi). In Italy, they were known as
Cercafamiglia, and were made by
Harbert. In the
United Kingdom, Pound Puppies was distributed by
Hornby Hobbies. In 2012, Hasbro launched a toyline, inspired by the 2010 TV series of the same name, which was exclusive to the UK market. In Spain, it was marketed by Panava under the name "Triston" (Sad). In this version, the character "Triston" (who played Cooler in the TV series) is a dog abandoned by his owner looking for a home. The line also featured "Laly," Triston's girlfriend (who played Violet). Later, in the 1990s, it would be marketed under the original lines, but distributed by Ideal. ==TV special==