The
Puppy Bowl consists of a number of
puppies playing in a model stadium (the stadium changes names each year depending on the sponsorship) with no audience (but with canned audience cheering), commentary, and
instant replay shots. A "bowl cam" provides shots upwards through the transparent bottom of a special water bowl built into the stadium floor, with a wide-angle lens that allows viewers to watch the puppies drink water (and walk through it) up close. who has hosted the show ever since. He auditioned by submitting a tape showing him trying to organize a dog football game among unwitting dog-owners at a public park.
Team Ruff vs. Team Fluff 2015's
Puppy Bowl XI introduced team-based competition to Puppy Bowl for the first time. Puppies were divided into two teams, Teams "Ruff" and "Fluff,” each identifiable by a different colored
bandana worn throughout the event. Points were tallied on a scoreboard powered by a hamster running on a wheel. The team with the most points was declared the victor. In
Puppy Bowl XII, Team Ruff won again by a score of 70–44. In
Puppy Bowl XIII, Team Fluff upset the heavily favored Team Ruff by a score of 93–38. In
Puppy Bowl XIV, Team Fluff won again in a close margin of 52–47. In
Puppy Bowl XV, Team Ruff overturned Team Fluff's winning streak by a score of 59–51. In
Puppy Bowl XVI, Team Fluff returned to winning by a score of 63–59. In
Puppy Bowl XVII, Team Ruff's incredible fourth quarter comeback gave them the win by a score of 73–69. Most Valuable Puppy Marshall scored a double touchdown. In
Puppy Bowl XVIII, Team Fluff won on a game-winning touchdown when time expired, which gave Team Fluff a 73–69 win. In
Puppy Bowl XIX, Team Fluff won with a score of 87–83. the game winning touchdown was scored by Vivianne the Siberian Husky/Rottweiler/Neapolitan Mastiff mix. In
Puppy Bowl XX, Team Ruff won with a score of 72–69. The winning field goal was by Cookie. In
Puppy Bowl XXI, Team Ruff was winning for most of the end until a last second turnaround made Team Fluff the champion winning 68-66. Team Fluff currently leads the series 6-5. Like the Super Bowl itself, one can
bet on which team they think will win. On top of that, there are many other fun prop bets designed to be low
risk, as sportsbooks limit bets to a few hundred dollars at most. The airing of the show is not live, though, so bettors must get their action in before it starts on Super Bowl Sunday.
Kitty Half-Time Show Starting with
Puppy Bowl II, at the 1 hour, 15 minute mark, the puppies leave the field and a large scratching post is brought out with a wide variety of kittens for the Kitty Half-Time Show. This features kittens playing for 30 minutes with
lights,
laser pointers, balls of
yarn, a
scratching post, flint sweepers, and a wide variety of other toys. The grand finale of the
Puppy Bowl II Half-Time Show was a
confetti blast that sent most of the cats running away scared.
Puppy Bowl III did not show the cats' departure from the field. The halftime show of
Puppy Bowl IV in 2008 was only 15 minutes in length. In 2012, Animal Planet said that 20 kittens would be part of the Kitty Half-Time Show. The "blimp" mimics the appearance of the
Goodyear Blimp over many outdoor football events. Shots of the puppies at play were
green-screened into the windows to make it appear as if the "blimp" was actually hovering over the field. Inside the model of the blimp's control room,
hamsters are allowed to play (as if they were the crew of the blimp). A veterinarian was shown giving each puppy a physical prior to participation, provided care to any animal which might appear injured, and provided tips to viewers about proper animal care. Dr. Elisa Mazzaferro, Director of Emergency Services at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital in Denver, Colorado, provided the official on-camera care for the puppies and other animals. A new element for 2011 was a parody of the popular "
Kiss Cam" used at sporting events. The "Kiss Cam" returned from 2012 through 2020. Owners of hedgehogs volunteered the use of their animals for the show. The tutus, however, did not stay on the animals.
Police dogs appeared on the field when the
national anthem was played.
Entertainment Weekly reporter James Hibbered commented on the changes by noting, "Animal Planet is simply embracing viral-video favorites and ratcheting up the sports-spoof silliness to a new level this year."
Puppy Bowl XI featured five
Nigerian dwarf goats as cheerleaders. "Katty Furry,” a cat depicted playing
Katy Perry songs in
YouTube videos, was the "half-time performer. An hour-long "pre-game show,” scheduled to air an hour prior to the Puppy Bowl, and a "Puppy Bowl Virtual Reality" feature (the game seen through the eyes of a puppy), were also added. Halftime entertainment featured "Kitty Gaga" and the Chicago Rock Cats.
Guinea pigs and rabbits were the 2017 cheerleaders, and famous pets of Instagram returned. In
Puppy Bowl XVII, there were puppy “cheerleaders” for both teams on their respective sidelines. In Puppy Bowl XVI, the cheerleaders were armadillos for Ruff and goats for Fluff. ==
Puppy Bowl results==