‘Wheel of Fortune’: Did You Know the Story Behind the Dalmatian Mascot?
After 41 seasons on the air, Wheel of Fortune has a ton of history to unpack…and that’s not even counting the daytime years, early iterations or spinoff like Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and more. We’ve actually already sorted through most of Fortune‘s big historical moments for you already, but there’s one particular howl-arious bit of behind-the-scenes game show lore that we wanted to highlight as the series goes on summer break: Sheldon, the ceramic Dalmatian.
Back when Fortune had a shopping element to its gameplay (which recently retired host Pat Sajak has gone on record to say he disliked for slowing down the overall game), contestants could put the money they earned towards showpieces like, washer-drier sets, kitchen appliances, new mattresses, and even, this pretty goofy dog statue. As one of the cheaper prizes available, ringing in at $146, and later $154, the dog statue wound up going home with many contestants in the 1980s. And though the shopping element was eventually axed in 1987 to speed up the gameplay and to help contestants with their taxes post-show, this pup stayed put. (What a good boy!)
Now, Sheldon the Dalmatian is a fixture on the Wheel of Fortune set. Wheel Watchers have spotted the fake fido with its chain collar — known as Fortune‘s unofficial mascot — onscreen for a number of episodes throughout the run, including a week in 2023 where the dog was hidden in a different spot every night. Sajak and his letter-turning cohost Vanna White even had their own Sheldon statues, standing guard in their respective offices.
And children of the ’80s were obsessed with the ceramic canine — really, they still are!
Please post pics of your dog, but only if it’s a ceramic dalmatian that you had to buy in your Wheel of Fortune shopping round before they’d let you put the rest on a gift certificate.
— Joni Baloni (@kielbasanova) January 27, 2023
reminiscing with @SteveGrollOG about how we both always wanted the ceramic dalmatian during the Wheel of Fortune shopping round pic.twitter.com/FwGhabhXQV
— Shane Bettenhausen (@ShaneWatch) March 7, 2023
I lost interest in Wheel of Fortune when they started letting contestants keep monetary winnings rather than spend the money on prizes. I would have bought a ceramic Dalmatian just to be able to show it off: My Genuine Wheel of Fortune Ceramic Dalmatian. pic.twitter.com/s4IyAydK0q
— Franklin Harris (@FranklinH3000) June 12, 2023
@RyanSeacrest wield your negotiating power. You alone can achieve greatness that reaches the heart of every 80s kid.
Bring back the Wheel of Fortune shopping with the Dalmatian!! pic.twitter.com/2F0OSJBqVJ
— Shawna Presley Vercher (@shawnavercher) July 8, 2023
That only leaves us with only one question: Will someone be gifting new host Ryan Seacrest his own Sheldon before he takes the reins from Sajak in September? Seems only fair.
Wheel of Fortune, syndicated, CBS
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