Rin Tin Tin

The original Rin Tin Tin was found as a puppy in a bombed-out German kennel in Lorraine, France, in September 1918 by American soldier Lee Duncan. Duncan named the male German Shepherd puppy after a small French cloth puppet called 'Rintintin' that French children gave to soldiers as a good-luck charm during World War I.

Rin Tin Tin became the star of Warner Bros. Studios, where he appeared in numerous silent films throughout the 1920s. His popularity was so immense that there is a widely circulated story that he received the most votes for Best Actor at the first Academy Awards in 1929, though the studio reportedly ensured only human actors were considered.

The original Rin Tin Tin appeared in over two dozen films during the silent film era, primarily for Warner Bros. After his death in 1932, several of his descendants continued the Rin Tin Tin legacy in films, radio, and eventually the 1950s ABC television series 'The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin.'

After the original Rin Tin Tin died in 1932, Lee Duncan continued the line through the dog's offspring, with successive generations named Rin Tin Tin Jr., Rin Tin Tin III, and so on. The name became a franchise spanning radio shows, the 1950s ABC television series 'The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin,' and merchandise, making it one of the longest-running animal entertainment brands in history.