Ralph Wolf steals sheep for a living, and he treats it exactly like a job. Every morning he and Sam Sheepdog walk to work together, greet each other politely and punch the same time clock. Then Ralph spends the day trying to grab a lamb, and Sam spends it stopping him with a single, unhurried punch. When the whistle blows, they clock out and say good night. Chuck Jones turned the chase cartoon into an office comedy.
| Species: | Wolf |
|---|---|
| First appearance: | Don't Give Up the Sheep (released January 3, 1953) |
| Created by: | Chuck Jones (director) and Michael Maltese (writer) |
| Original voice: | Mel Blanc (1953 to 1963) |
| Signature lines: | "Mornin', Sam." |
| Frequent co-stars: | Sam Sheepdog |
The idea of a sheepdog and wolf as coworkers first appeared in Friz Freleng’s The Sheepish Wolf (1942), written by Michael Maltese. Jones and Maltese developed it into a series starting with Don’t Give Up the Sheep (1953). Ralph looks almost exactly like Wile E. Coyote, with brown fur and big ears; the main differences are his red nose and white eyes. Ralph was named after a Warner Bros. story man.
Ralph has the Coyote’s appetite and his taste for Acme products, but none of his ego. He is a working stiff. Jones designed the series as the reverse of the Road Runner: here the target never moves. As Jones put it, Sam “doesn’t move: he is there.”
“Ralph Wolf was a storyman at Warner Bros. cartoons, and he gave his name to the red-nosed version of Wile E. Coyote.”
“In pitting Ralph Wolf against Sam Sheepdog, I was trying to discover if I could do the opposite of the chase at the heart of the Road Runner cartoons. The Road Runner is moving all the time, and at great speed. I, therefore, wanted the wolf’s opponent not to move at all. And that is exactly what happens–or doesn’t. Sam just sits very solidly on the ground. He doesn’t move: he is there.”
– Chuck Jones, Chuck Reducks (1996)
Every piece in our Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog collection is certified by the Chuck Jones family. Browse originals, limited editions and prints below, or contact our art consultants with any questions.
