Cheeseface

Mr. Cheeseface
Cheeseface on the cover of National Lampoon
SpeciesDog
BreedMongrel
SexMale
Bornc. 1968 or 1969
Died1976 (aged 7-8)
East Charleston, Vermont, U.S.
Cause of deathShot by a hunter
Known forAppearing on a 1973 cover of National Lampoon magazine
OwnerJimmy De Pierro
Offspring8

Cheeseface (c. 1968 or 1969 – 1976) was a mixed-breed dog who featured on the famous "Death" issue of the National Lampoon magazine, released January 1973. The cover, photographed by Ronald G. Harris, showed the dog with a gun pointed to his head, and the caption "If You Don't Buy This Magazine, We'll Kill This Dog".

In early 1976, Cheeseface was shot and killed on the farm where he lived with his owner, Jimmy De Pierro, in East Charleston, Vermont, by a hunter whose name was unreleased.

In 2005, the cover was voted No. 7 in the Top 40 Magazine Covers of the Last 40 Years by the American Society of Magazine Editors.

Life and career

Cheeseface, originally named Chiisai (Japanese for "small"), was adopted as a puppy by Jimmy De Pierro in 1969. In 1972, De Pierro pitched a photo of Cheeseface to All Tame Animals, an animal talent agency. From there, Cheeseface was given the job of modeling for the cover of National Lampoon's "Death" issue.

While shooting the infamous cover, Cheeseface would not cooperate, refusing to look at the gun. According to one account, this was finally achieved when the model holding the gun pulled the trigger, causing Cheeseface to look in the direction of the clicking sound. However, De Pierro claimed that Cheeseface was distracted by a bulldog in the studio, and what finally diverted his attention to the gun was the model brushing his ear with the nose of the gun.

Cheeseface only appeared in one more ad, for Frigidaire. Cheeseface sired a litter of eight puppies in 1975, with the mother being a St. Bernard.

Death

Cheeseface was shot and killed in 1976. Despite rumors that he was tracked down and killed, De Pierro maintained that he was shot by a hunter who had already shot several dogs in the area for chasing and killing deer. Three of Cheesecake's puppies had also been killed in the weeks before, and a fourth was shot but survived.

Shortly after Cheeseface was killed, the National Lampoon received a phone call informing them of the event. Susan Devins, the copyeditor who answered the call, initially thought it was a joke due to the bizarre nature of the crime. According to the book A Futile and Stupid Gesture, upon realizing it was serious, "she burst into tears, thinking, 'Oh my God, what have I gotten myself into?'"

See also

References

  1. ↑ "National Lampoon Issue #34 - Death". Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "American Society of Magazine Editors Unveils Top 40 Magazine Covers of the Last 40 Years". Fajardo, Puerto Rico: American Society of Magazine Editors. 17 October 2005. Archived from the original on 23 January 2009.
  3. ↑ "ASME's Top 40 Magazine Covers of the Last 40 Years". American Society of Magazine Editors. Archived from the original on 4 November 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Bolles, Dan. "Who Shot Mr. Cheeseface? The Vermont Demise of a Famous Mutt". Seven Days. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  5. ↑ Bonanos, Christopher (26 January 2018). "The National Lampoon Baby Book, or Why You Should Care About 'A Futile and Stupid Gesture'". Vulture. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  6. 1 2 Karp, Josh (2006). A Futile and Stupid Gesture: How Doug Kenney and National Lampoon Changed Comedy Forever. Chicago Review Press. p. 264. ISBN 9781556526022.