One of the more subtle items in Shelly and Leo Johnson’s extensive collection of dog-themed kitsch is a black poodle figure that spends most of Twin Peaks’ first two seasons in their kitchen.
IDENTIFYING THE BREYER MOLDING COMPANY POODLE
The plastic dog was made by Breyer Molding Company. Though Breyer is better known for their horse figures, the poodle model (#67) was introduced around 1955 and variations were produced into the 1970s.
According to IdentifyYourBreyer.com, the mold for this figure was sculpted by Chris Hess who based his work on an almost identical Theodor Kärner design distributed by Rosenthal China.
The website breaks down all of the color combinations Breyer produced, indicating that the glossy black (as seen in the photo of my replica above) was the first finish offered. A rarer matte black variant was introduced a decade later, which appears to be the version seen in Twin Peaks.
APPEARANCES OF THE POODLE IN TWIN PEAKS
We first see the poodle figure on the kitchen counter in episode 1001 as Shelly arrives home with a slice of pie for Leo.
It remains on the counter for the entire season, and we see it from virtually every angle.
A few episodes pass before we get a clear shot of this figure in season two, but when we do in episode 2.006, it is joined on the counter by two more poodles!
Episode 2.013 sees the figure move from the counter to the wooden banister behind it.
By its final appearance in episode 2.014, it has moved all the way into the living room. We see the poodle’s silhouette in front of the window as Shelly tries to escape from Leo in the dark.
Of all Twin Peaks‘ sets, the Johnson residence may have the most interesting juxtaposition of decorations to characters. One day I’ll have a complete catalog of Leo’s poodles because these funny details deserve to be admired. You can read more about some of the poodles already identified in this article on 25YearsLaterSite.com.
So I’ve been using this site to research for my collection. When my partner and I move to our next apartment we are planning a David lynch living room. the research you’ve done is so amazing. I was really lucky I recently found the matte black one on eBay someone didn’t realize that it was a breyer so I got really lucky.
Hey Alex! I’m just now seeing this comment because I happened to revisit this article for another that I’m working on, but just wanted to say I’m glad you found one! It makes me really happy whenever I hear something we’ve identified and archived here has come in handy for a fellow fan. I hope your collection is coming along nicely!