Need Confirmation on this title: Happy Dan the Cynical Dog

tyberia
Lost Media Beginner

Posts: 7

Need Confirmation on this title: Happy Dan the Cynical Dog Mar 1, 2023 14:01:26 GMT

Quote

Post by tyberia on Mar 1, 2023 14:01:26 GMT

I was watching through a recap playlist of Disney villains (and still am as I write this), and the title of Happy Dan came up with the channel saying they were not able to find the book. While I have only done a brief look into, I cannot say if it is truly lost and figured I should take it to these forums for confirmation before going on a search that may be pointless if it is found.
As I know, the book surrounds either being the inspiration to the movie The Lady and the Tramp or was inspired by the movie. I do know that it focuses on the film.

tyberia
Lost Media Beginner

Posts: 7

Need Confirmation on this title: Happy Dan the Cynical Dog Mar 1, 2023 14:15:53 GMT

Quote

Post by tyberia on Mar 1, 2023 14:15:53 GMT

Should post this brief update here on it. The Happy Dan book can be seen as part of the inspiration towards Lady and the Tramp, which is written by Ward Green. He has written a Lady and the Tramp book as well, but as I understand it is at Walt Disney's request so the audience will be familiar with the story by the time of the film's release.

carrot
Lost Media Beginner

Posts: 1

Need Confirmation on this title: Happy Dan the Cynical Dog Jul 16, 2024 8:52:34 GMT nectaria likes this

Quote

Post by carrot on Jul 16, 2024 8:52:34 GMT

Mar 1, 2023 14:01:26 GMT tyberia said:

I was watching through a recap playlist of Disney villains (and still am as I write this), and the title of Happy Dan came up with the channel saying they were not able to find the book. While I have only done a brief look into, I cannot say if it is truly lost and figured I should take it to these forums for confirmation before going on a search that may be pointless if it is found.
As I know, the book surrounds either being the inspiration to the movie The Lady and the Tramp or was inspired by the movie. I do know that it focuses on the film.

Was a Cosmo article not a full book, likely why you're having issues finding. Posted here.

HAPPY DAN, a spaniel, was not like other dogs. Most dogs believe men are good, cats are evil and birds can be caught by chasing them; they have illusions. Happy Dan was born with prac tically none, and by the time he was six months had lost those. He be- lieved in nothing, not even his master's voice. He was a cynic.

While still a puppy Happy Dan learned that men have illusions about dogs. For example, the one about the dog being man's best friend. Happy Dan was quick to take advantage of his discovery. It made his life softer and jollier and he was absolutely conscienceless about using his knowledge. Happy Dan wagged when he didn't mean it, he fawned on people he loathed, he barked simply to found a legend that he was a good watchdog, and once he chased and bit a tramp snooping around the perambulator when, in cold fact, he hoped the tramp was about to kidnap the baby, a brat. The tramp got the baby's candy bar and Happy Dan a medal from the Boy Scouts. Happy Dan belonged to a family living near Westwood, New Jersey. They made a great pet of him and fed him well and let him run loose. He would be gone for hours, often days. "Don't worry," the family would say. "Happy Dan loves his home; he will always come back." And he always did, panting with joy which was all put on.

What Happy Dan did on his rambles was to look over other fami- lies. You never can tell, was the way he put it, what with the war and the draft and meat rationing and all, a dog with one family is not sitting pretty. So he pretended to be homeless and gradually got himself adopted by three other families and, in no time, petted and well fed by them and allowed to run loose. He picked his families carefully-one in Hillsdale, one in Hohokus and one in Park Ridge. They were far enough apart to be unacquainted, yet close enough for a daily dogtrot, and all were well fixed. The different families had different names for Happy Dan and he answered to all the names.

Once one of the families bought Happy Dan a collar. This dis- mayed him. But he picked a fight with a lady dog he really adored and she tore the telltale thing the hell off. "That Skipper!" moaned his collar family. "We ought to punish him." Happy Dan groveled, looked sweet and got away with it. He made up with the lady dog, too. There is no moral to Happy Dan's story. There won't be as long as he thrives-and that he does. Sometimes he wakes shivering when he dreams of all four families meeting. But that happened only once, and then, thanks to Happy Dan's fast thinking, everything was jake.

He was with his Hohokus master when he ran into his Hillsdale master in Westwood. "Why, Spot, where did you drop from?" asked Hillsdale when Happy Dan jumped and barked around him.

"Here, Rex, here!" called Hohokus, and Happy Dan ran back to him and jumped and barked around him. Then he deliberately bounded over to a woman he had never seen in his life and licked her hand.

"Great dog," said Hohokus, passing Hillsdale. "Loves everybody." "Everybody loves him, too," said Hillsdale, passing Hohokus. "Well, I'll be dogged," Happy Dan said to himself. "But who wouldn't be when men are that simple?"

Need Confirmation on this title: Happy Dan the Cynical Dog

Post by tyberia on Mar 1, 2023 14:01:26 GMT

Post by tyberia on Mar 1, 2023 14:15:53 GMT

Post by carrot on Jul 16, 2024 8:52:34 GMT

Discord