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Benji is the name of a fictitious dog who has been the focus of several movies from 1974 through the 2000s, and is also the title of the first film in the series. His character is a small, lovable mixed-breed dog with an uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time, usually helping a person overcome a problem. Joe Camp is the creator and director of the Benji films. ^[1]

Contents 1 Dog actors who have played Benji 1.1 Higgins 1.2 Benjean 1.3 Moochie 2 Benji in movies and television 3 Benji in popular culture 4 References 5 External links

Main article: Higgins

The real name of the dog who first played Benji was Higgins. He was trained by Frank Inn, who found him in an animal shelter in Burbank, California. He was a small dog with dark golden-brown fluffy hair, black ears, a black muzzle, and big brown eyes. Inn wrote that he believed Higgins to have been a cross between a miniature poodle, a miniature schnauzer, and a cocker spaniel.

Before playing Benji, Higgins had a recurring role in the popular TV show Petticoat Junction in the mid 1960s, as did Edgar Buchanan, who also starred in the first Benji movie. Higgins and Edgar Buchanan also guest-starred together as partners on The Green Acres television series. Higgins made his first movie, Mooch Goes to Hollywood, in 1971. He then retired, but came out of retirement to play Benji. He was 15 years old when he made the first Benji film in 1974 and he did all his own stunts. He retired again not long afterward, and his daughter replaced him in later movies.

From 1977 to 1987, the part of Benji was played by Benjean. a daughter of Higgins. Benjean looked quite a bit like her father, being of a similar size and dark golden-brown colour, with dark brown eyes, but her hair was softer and fluffier than his and she had a distinctive irregular patch of white fur around her nose on her muzzle. Her ears were dyed black on the tips to make her look more like the original Benji, and the amount and placement of the dye varied from movie to movie.

Benjean starred in three Benji feature films: For the Love of Benji (1977), Oh Heavenly Dog (1980), and Benji the Hunted (1987). She also starred in a children's television special, Benji's Very Own Christmas Story; a television documentary about how dog actors are trained and what they can do, Benji at Work (1980); a short film showing her performing an unusual underwater stunt, Benji Takes a Dive at Marineland (1981); and the children's science fiction television series Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince.

The most recent Benji movie, Benji: Off the Leash!, was released in 2004. The dog portraying Benji in this movie is a female named Moochie, and she is a different kind of dog than Higgins or Benjean, being part Tibetan Terrier, with very long, pale yellow, silky hair. Her ear tips are grey, not black. When not working in films, Moochie lives with Joe Camp and his wife Kathleen, as their pet. ^[2][3]

Moochie was found in 2001 during Joe Camp's nationwide search for a new Benji. A stray from the back streets of Pass Christian on Mississippi's Gulf Coast, she was picked up by Harrison County Animal Control, brought to the Humane Society of South Mississippi in Gulfport on September 29th, 2001, and adopted by the Camps on November 15th. A second Benji-type dog, adopted from a Chicago shelter, played Benji's side-kick Lizard Tongue. A third Benji-type dog, found in a Los Angeles shelter, became Moochie's "understudy" and then went to live with the film's co-producer, Margaret Loesch. ^[4].

• 1974, Benji (feature film)
• 1977, For the Love of Benji (feature film)
• 1978, Benji's Very Own Christmas Story (TV movie)
• 1980, Oh Heavenly Dog (feature film)
• 1980, Benji at Work (TV movie)
• 1981, Benji Takes a Dive at Marineland (TV movie)
• 1983, Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince (TV series)
• 1987, Benji the Hunted (feature film)
• 2004, Benji: Off the Leash! (feature film)

• A 1980s TV show titled Here's Boomer featured an acting dog that was very like Higgins, the original Benji.

• In the Family Guy episode North by North Quahog, Brian refers to himself as Benji.

• Official web site of Benji and Joe Camp
• Benji (1974) at imdb
• Higgins, the Dog Who Played Benji