Gemmy 2003 Dog & Cat Dance Club - Sappy Sheepdog - “Only You”

Happy Valentine’s Day! This kinda fits… right?
Yes, this is fully working and no, the head is not supposed to tilt side to side. This is a weird model lol, let me explain.
So in case you don’t know, there are literally dozens of versions of this sheepdog depending on what you count. I’m not going to go super in depth into the wild world of variants though, that’s not what this video is about. You’re probably at least familiar with the most common model, the classic grey and white sheepdog named “Shaggy the Luv Pup” that sings “Only You” and tilts the head side to side unlike this one. That model released before the Dog & Cat Dance Club existed, but it was actually re-released as part of that series later, making it the only non-original character of the Dog & Cat Dance Club. When Shaggy joined the club, he was given the alias “Sappy Sheepdog”, but he was still grey and white and still used all 3 mechanisms the original model did. At least, that was the case here in the US. I bought this guy off eBay for $30 on January 19th 2021, from Canada. I thought it was cool that he came in a box featuring 2 languages and all that, but I expected the dog itself to be exactly the same as the US models I was used to. As soon as I took him out of the single plastic bag the seller wrapped over him to ship him in, I noticed the tips of his ears and the bottom of his back were a solid black color rather than grey. This was my first clue that something was off, but I didn’t think much of it at this point. He didn’t move at all upon testing, and it wasn’t until I opened him up to fix him that I realized- he only has 2 motors! The entire head tilting mechanism is replaced by 2 little plastic brackets that hold the head straight. The space the mechanism would normally occupy is still there though, along with all the screw holes and whatnot. I think it’s safe to say this is a late model of Sappy created as a cheaper alternative to the original. But why did they make the fur on the back black? What was wrong with grey? I’m also very curious as to whether this specific model was distributed in the US at all, or if it was exclusive to Canada. And if it was exclusive to Canada, are all of Canada’s Sappy Sheepdogs like this one? Gemmy is a weird company.
Even with an entire mechanism removed, I still really like this guy, he’s kinda adorable. The recording is very well done, it makes the item what it is. Whoever did the voice acting for these sheepdogs really brought them to life in ways that wouldn’t have been possible using a normal cover of the song. The movement couldn’t fit the song more, and the programming is great. There’s not much to analyze design-wise though. It’s about as plain as it gets, which is never a bad thing, but it is unusual for the Dog & Cat Dance Club. I definitely still plan on getting the normal US Sappy Sheepdog with all 3 movements eventually, but I’m glad I bought this one too. Heck, it was worth it just for the old Walmart receipt I found in the box and showed at the end of the video. You’ll notice it was sold in Ontario on 10/11/03 for $11.44, or about $8.50 in US money, which sounds cheap until you realize that’d be about $15 USD today lol. I hope to learn more about this bizarre thing in the future, but until then I don’t have much else to say. Except that image on the side of the box is really something…
Thanks for checking out the video! Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think in the comments, and I hope to see you again soon!

[@Dier-Decor]

The Walmart receipt is cooler than the item itself…

[@toylover1793]

Ikr lol

[@spindleclown]

I swear, this little guy has always sounded like Dan Castellaneta to me.

[@toylover1793]

You’re not wrong 😂

[@rock-alonghamster3925]

This reminds of the time you opened your Electric Monster only to find the arms/hair weren't supposed to do anything..how does this keep happening to you? 🤣

[@Z-Man-lz]

I wasn't expecting you here lol, nice! I remember watching your channel, what happened?

[@masielamothe3641]

Wait does the one in this video have a mechanism, because I think he mentioned it being removed, unless if I mistaken.

[@ChristopherS768]

@@masielamothe3641This is a Canadian model which doesn’t have the third mechanism, and isn’t supposed to

[@masielamothe3641]

@@ChristopherS768 mine has a head up and down mechanism. I think that's the one, but there are so many other sheepdogs out there, maybe that's not the one. Mine just moves the head and the mouth.

[@toylover1793]

I totally did a double take when I first saw this comment, I had to check your channel to make sure it was really you! 😂 It’s great to see you again man! I’ve really missed having you around. But you make a good point, why does this keep happening lol? It was the same case with my Telco singing drummer boy; I opened him to find no arm/head mech inside. Well, it sure makes things easier to fix 🤣

[@VintageToycollecters595]

Happy Valentine’s Day!

[@BibiStuf_]

9 dollars is crazy

[@toylover1793]

Seriously! I mean, this was definitely supposed to be a budget version of the 3-motor model, but still! Imagine how much this would cost nowadays

[@Snowysanimatronicss]

Really nice item, but… wow, $9? Makes me wonder how much it was to make this in the factories back then, especially how it has so much movement, this would probably cost $30-$50 today…

[@toylover1793]

I know, right? Granted, this model was obviously made to be cheaper with the head tilting mech extracted and all, but still! If I remember correctly, I calculated that this would cost about $15 USD in today’s money… you can barely buy a cheap little waddler with that money nowadays lol

[@VintageToycollecters595]

Cool it still has the original Walmart receipt

[@kateyhuston5060]

I don’t think I saw this thing before

[@Gemmygod]

I was wondering why this one's head didn't tilt like all the others, but the description made it all make sense. Also, surprising to see the receipt is still with this guy. What are the odds?

[@ChristopherS768]

It was probably bought as a gift and whoever gifted it just shoved the receipt in the box so the recipient would have it if they wanted to return it. I’ve seen a few items that still have their receipts.

[@masielamothe3641]

It's really rare to find items with their receipts, but it does happen. Pretty cool though.

[@VintageToycollecters595]

I found a Bruce the spruce singing tree with the original Walmart receipt

[@VintageToycollecters595]

It’s from 2000

[@VintageToycollecters595]

@@libertyclaws4692what

[@masielamothe3641]

Well, knowing that I have two of these, and that I'm actually from Canada in Ontario, I've only bought mine in 2023 from a thrift store, which is probably known as savers in the US but it's known as value Village in Canada. Their heads move up and down, for all I know, and it is really long hair, it's actually fur for the dog but you know what I mean. Neither of them came with the box, and only one out of two were fully working I don't know what happened to the other one or why it's not working. It's probably fried. I won't be able to tell you much about the colour because I'm completely blind and I can't see, but they could've just made a gray one and maybe a black one? I don't know. What really struck me though, is the question you've asked about whether all of Canada's sappy sheepdogs were like that. I don't know, because both of their heads move up and down, at least the ones I have. I hope we can all learn about this bizarre thing in the future, as you said. Very strange and interesting, and I love the voice acting too.

[@mrhenry5488]

There are thrift stores with the name "Value Village" in the U.S. too.

[@toylover1793]

Wow, really? That’s very interesting, thanks for the info. I wonder if yours have grey or black hair on the back. And great finds by the way! I hope to dig deeper into this mystery in the future too

[@toylover1793]

@@mrhenry5488I didn’t even know that lol

[@masielamothe3641]

@@toylover1793 maybe it was another variant of another sheepdog I had, I don't know. very strange.

[@VIXERION]

sacrifice the weak

[@toylover1793]

?

[@Dier-Decor]

Top tier comment

[@VIXERON]

far cry 5

[@TKGIOIA]

i have him in my house

[@toylover1793]

Cool!

[@Strawberryshortcakefan2k10]

Cool