Good bye to a dear friend and his great company. We will miss you Mr. Sock Puppet you where the forerunner of Pet E commerce. You commercials made us laugh .... Your company cared about pets. They where willing to have their ad's removed from objectionable sites. Most people are never affected by a company close out except those employed there but the closing of Pets.Com and the loss of our beloved Sock Puppet has affected pet owners around the world . It was a pleasure doing business with you Pets.com ,. and as we all scurry to buy up
remembrances of the Sock Puppet we will always have a little part of you in our hearts. 
Pets.com auctions off its mascot, a singing sock puppet-pooch, raising some serious cash for charity.
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By Lydia Lee
Feb. 14, 2000 | What's a singing dog worth? Well, $20,100 if an auction held last week on Amazon.com is any measure. Pets.com put its mascot, a sock puppet masquerading as a pooch, on the block to raise money for its charity, Pets.commitment. The allure of the furless critter attracted dozens of bidders, including at least one member of the pet supply site's staff.

The winning bid belonged to Randall Smith, a computer contractor for the Environmental Protection Agency in San Francisco. "It's not the type of thing I'd normally do, but I thought, let me buy a ticket on this ride and see where it goes," says Smith. He says he's no dot-com millionaire, just a "regular working guy" willing to give some spare cash to the charity that supports animal-loving organizations. "I'm single. I have nothing else to spend it on."

The Pets.com sock puppet was born at TBWA Chiat Day, the same ad agency that dreamed up the Taco Bell chihuahua. The nameless sock puppet made its debut in August, lip-synching to the Blood, Sweat and Tears classic "Spinning Wheel." Since then, it's starred in nine commercials and appeared as a 36-foot-tall balloon at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. According to his official bio, "He is a mixed breed, very mixed. Rumors about his formative years include escaping from a washing machine, traveling with the professional arm wrestling circuit, and being dismissed from a doggy manners school."

Hundreds of fans have sent e-mail to Pets.com about the puppet -- many want to buy one. But aside from Smith's puppet, there are only a couple of TV doubles. Other fans will have to settle for a line of sock puppet-inspired products -- like fleece pullovers and pet food bowls. (Five percent of the profits from these sales go to the Pets.commitment charity.)
salon.com | Feb. 14, 2000
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