French Bulldog - Cultural References

Cultural References

While no French Bulldogs have been Best in Show at either Crufts or the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, there was one dominant Bulldog during the 1950s at Westminster. Ch. Bouquet Nouvelle Ami won Best of Breed for eight years in a row; the run only ended with the dog's retirement after the 1960 show. The dog's owner, Mrs. Amanda West, went on to win Best of Breed with other French Bulldogs for a further ten years. In 2010, a Canadian French Bulldog named Ch. Im On Fire became the first of her breed to win the Non-Sporting Group and make it through for consideration at the Best in Show round, eventually losing to Scottish Terrier Ch. Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot.

Jason Schwartzman's French Bulldog made a cameo in his detective comedy Bored to Death in October 2010. In January 2011, media personality Martha Stewart was injured by her French Bulldog, Francesca, when she woke the dog. While later that year in May, David and Victoria Beckham adopted a French Bulldog puppy named Scarlet from BigBulldogs.com in San Diego as company to their existing Bulldog, Coco. In August, the Tampa Bay Rays gave under-14s an action figure of starting pitcher David Price and his French Bulldog, Astro, as a promotional item when they attended a game against the Seattle Mariners. Other well known owners of French Bulldogs include Hugh Jackman and Jeremy Renner. French Bulldogs have also featured in the 2010 movie Due Date.

Five time Best Restaurant in the World in S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants, and three Michelin Star restaurant elBulli was named after the French Bulldog; the restaurant's name is the Catalan term for the breed. One of the versions of the Nintendo 3DS game Nintendogs + Cats is called "French Bulldog and Friends". Yuko Shimizu, the creator of Hello Kitty, launched her new character, a French Bulldog named Rebecca Bonbon, in July 2011. As part of the design, the dog will adorn clothing, bags and a variety of accessories. On the ABC sitcom Modern Family, Jay and Gloria's dog Stella is a French bulldog. In recent volumes of Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware mystery series, Delaware and his girlfriend own a French bulldog named Blanche.