Mr. Winkle
Mr. Winkle (1996 to December, 2019[1]) was a very small dog of uncertain breed (possibly Pomeranian/Chihuahua) whose cute and comical appearance made him a small marketing phenomenon and an international cult figure representing the beauty, charm and potential of homeless animals.[2][3][4]
He was rescued as a stray in Bakersfield, California by his current owner, Lara Jo Regan, a magazine photographer, who has had numerous calendars, books and cards published featuring photos of Mr. Winkle in various settings, costumes and poses.[5]
Mr. Winkle was the subject of many national and international newspaper and magazine articles, and appeared on various television shows, including an episode of Sex and the City (Sept. 1, 2002). The Mr. Winkle phenomenon was the most visible during Regan's book tours with Mr. Winkle from 2001 - 2005 which often drew over 500 fans at each location,[6] inspiring the producer of Sex and the City to incorporate the unusual phenomenon into an episode where Mr. Winkle upstages the character Carrie Bradshaw at her first book signing.
Mr. Winkle appeared on the cover of many magazines including Pet Life, Animal Wellness[7] and Time for Kids.[8] Time also named Mr. Winkle "Best Internet Celebrity of 2002" in their online supplement,"On."[9] By 2006, mrwinkle.com had garnered over 65 million hits[10] and came to be known as the first animal celebrity meme, and one of the first celebrities in general, whose fame was sparked by viral internet culture.[11][12] By 2009, Regan had created over 150 "What is Mr. Winkle" photographic characters as well as an extensive fine art series of her muse, collected in the form of published works and art prints. A major museum retrospective of Regan's Mr. Winkle photographs took place July 7, 2012 to October 7, 2012 at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art in Salt Lake City.[12]
Mr. Winkle died of Kidney failure in December, 2019 at the age of 161 dog years.
Bibliography
- What is Mr. Winkle? (2001-2009)
- Winkle's World (2002-2005)
- A Winkle in Time (2004-2007)
- Mr. Winkle: The Complete Character Collection" (2012)
References
- ^ Lara Jo, Regan (December 23, 2019). "Mr. Winkle Facebook Page". Facebook. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Hubert, Cynthia (July 13, 2001). The Sacramento Bee.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ della Cava, Marco (December 3, 2011). USA Today.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Wilson, Terry (March–April 2001). "The Amazing Mr. WInkle". PetLife. 7: 36–39.
- ^ Levine, Bettijane. [Template:http://articles.latimes.com/2003/jul/12/entertainment/et-levine12 "Bow wowed"]. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ Levine, Bettijane (July 12, 2003). "Bow wowed". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "The Child of a Cloud, on Loan from Heaven". Animal Wellness. 7 (2): 38–40. March 2005.
- ^ "Doggone Cute". Time for Kids. 6 (12): 4. 15 December 2000.
- ^ "Best Internet Celebrity". On. Jan–Feb 2002.
- ^ Tiegreen, Mary (2006). 1,001 Reasons to Love Dogs. New York, NY: Stewart, Tabori & Cheng. pp. 90–91. ISBN 1584795263.
- ^ Schonauer, David. "Spotlight: Lara Jo Regan's Mr. Winkle Still a Star". Pro Photo Daily. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
- ^ a b UMOCA web site. "Mr. Winkle: Object of Projection – Photographs by Lara Jo Regan". Retrieved November 16, 2012.