Try to talk the parental units into a canine companion and you’re libel to find yourself battered with lectures on responsibility. And God forbid someone in the household should be harboring a dander allergy. Your hopes of bonding with man’s best friend come to a grinding halt before you even have a chance to pet the little guy.

That is, until along came Digger in 1974, that loveable plastic canine that would never become infested with fleas, wouldn’t think of chasing the neighborhood cat, and required no food or water. You didn’t even need to lay newspaper down. For the guilty parent, still reeling over the frown they had placed on your cherubic face, Digger was an easy sell.

 

A little over a foot long, Digger was a bloodhound of sorts who loved nothing more than to go investigating the neighborhood alongside his loving owner. Pull the attached string and Digger would roll along, thanks to four wheels on his underside, and dutifully sniff the ground. His posture hunched forward, it was clear to anyone who knows dogs that Digger was using his refined sense of smell to find clues along his path. Clues? Well, of course! Digger wasn’t just a dog; he was a detective of sorts - a fact made apparent by the gumshoe-esque hat that sat atop his drooping (yet, decidedly unfloppy) ears. Regardless of what caper you were trying to solve, Digger followed closely alongside, ever faithful to his master and determined to take a bite out of crime.

Over the years, Digger has evolved a bit. Besides finally getting softer, and decidedly more floppy ears, he also found his voice. Thanks to the new-improved Walk ‘N Sounds Digger, little tykes are now treated to a variety of sound effects while taking the plastic pooch out for a roll, er, stroll around town. No more walks in quiet solitude, Digger can now produce an array of sounds including sniffing, barking and even an occasional whimper, helping to take the guesswork out of the investigation - “What’s that, Digger? Little Timmy fell in the well? Let’s go investigate!”

Hard to say how many crimes Digger has actually solved in his storied career but one thing is for certain; he has brought many a smile to the faces of young kids who might never have had a canine companion otherwise. His legacy is assured.