Talk:Spot (franchise)

Vandalism note
Currently this guide is under attack by anonymous users from the following IP:75.36.110.104, 75.33.87.185. The latter is thought to be a sockpuppet of the former (same kind of vandalism - sneaky nonsensical vandalism). This article will be locked until further notice. RAM 00:54, 19 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Well, that didn't work. I put the Sprotected lock on, and they still managed to make another vandalization to it. User tagged tho, will bring it up to get the user banned. RAM 01:34, 21 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Vandalism is now happening with several IP addresses. Sparrohawc (talk) 21:09, 18 May 2011 (UTC)
 * The vandalism referencing Hemingway is making its way around the interwebz. Air (talk) 05:26, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

I don't want to encourage vandalism but that is freaking hilarious and brilliant. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.136.93.102 (talk) 00:59, 4 January 2014 (UTC)

Does Spot Have a Sex?
I checked all the Spot books in our house, and Spot is never referred to as male or female. Can anyone point to a Spot book where his/her gender is made explicit. If not, gendered pronouns should not be used to refer to spot in the Wikipedia article. Not having a sex may be noteworthy enough to be mentioned in the article.

--184.76.109.196 (talk) 03:10, 30 November 2012 (UTC)
 * It would be interesting if they had managed to avoid gender through that many publications. The author uses "him" and "his" on the official site, however.  See here.  Kuru   (talk)  12:36, 30 November 2012 (UTC)


 * You're right. At first I thought it might be gender bias of the copy editor for the site, but in the posted interview, Eric Hill says this:


 * Eric: When I first drew Spot I realised that when I came to draw the spot on his body and the tip of his tail I was copying the markings on an aircraft. I grew up drawing aircraft - that is how I learned to draw.


 * --184.76.109.196 (talk) 17:39, 1 December 2012 (UTC)

In praise of Spot the Dog
I believe this article is as comprehensive about the venerable institution that is Spot as is possible. I want to spread the magic.

Lost Number 01:09, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Should Spot be called a dog?
Spot isn't a dog; according to the books, he is a lovable puppy and is never once referred to as a dog. I know that Spot is widely known as 'Spot the Dog' but this is incorrect. I think this article needs to be amended to include this information. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.4.131.140 (talk) 17:46, 11 February 2010 (UTC)


 * I think that's true, and the author seems to just refer to him as "Spot", not "Spot the Dog". I also notice that the Telegraph article uses "Spot the dog", not "Spot the Dog", at least primarily, so when "dog" is used, it may be just as a descriptive identifier, not as part of the name of the character. He seems to generally be referred to just as "Spot", and the author mostly calls him a puppy, not a dog.
 * The article says that the book series is called Spot the Dog. I don't know whether that's really true or not. In any case, the character is better known than the book series. I think the article should be about the character. When I look for books by searching for "Spot the Dog", I never find that phrase in the title of any book. That phrase is also not found in any of the television series titles, episode titles, home video titles, or music album titles.
 * I wonder whether we should rename the article to "Spot the dog" or "Spot (puppy)".
 * In fact, this Wikipedia article was originally named "Spot the dog" before an undiscussed move at 09:32, 17 July 2005‎ (UTC) without any adequate explanation. The person who moved it just said "Capitalisation" without explaining why they thought the other capitalisation was better.
 * —BarrelProof (talk) 14:36, 1 July 2017 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Spots first walk.jpg
Image:Spots first walk.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot (talk) 05:25, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:WheresSpotBookCover.jpg
Image:WheresSpotBookCover.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot (talk) 03:20, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

Deletion nomination of File:Spotride-aug05.jpg
Hello, just a heads up to inform you that I have nominated File:Spotride-aug05.jpg for deletion at PUF. You can find the relevant nomination and add your input. Thanks, Acather96 (talk) 20:12, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

Actual broadcast dates for series 1 of The Adventures of Spot in 1986.
According to BBC Genome it says that the first 11 episodes of The Adventures of Spot in 1986 got transmitted on BBC1 throughout 9th April - 18th June 1987 on Thursday afternoons at 4.10pm.


 * 1- Spot's Surprise Parcel (First debuted on 9th April 1987) - http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1987-04-09#at-16.10
 * 2- Spot's Lost Bone (First debuted on 16th April 1987) - http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1987-04-16#at-16.10
 * 3- Spot's First Walk (First debuted on 23rd April 1987) - http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1987-04-23#at-16.10
 * 4- Spot in the Woods (First debuted on 30th April 1987) - http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1987-04-30#at-16.10
 * 5- Spot's Birthday Party (First debuted on 7th May 1987) - http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1987-05-07#at-16.10
 * 6- Where's Spot? (First debuted on 14th May 1987) - http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1987-05-14#at-16.10
 * 7- Sweet Dreams Spot (First debuted on 21st May 1987) - http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1987-05-21#at-16.10
 * 8- Spot Goes to School (First debuted on 28th May 1987) - http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1987-05-28#at-16.10
 * 9- Spot Goes to the Circus (First debuted on 4th June 1987) - http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1987-06-04#at-16.10
 * 10- Spot Follows His Nose (First debuted on 11th June 1987) - http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1987-06-11#at-16.10
 * 11- Spot Goes Splash (First debuted on 18th June 1987) - http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1987-06-18#at-16.10
 * 12- Spot's Windy Day (First debuted on 16th July 1987) - http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1987-07-16#at-10.25
 * 13- Spot Goes on Holiday (First debuted on 17th July 1987) - http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1987-07-17#at-10.25

Copyright Gag: All 13 episodes of The Adventures of Spot were copyrighted in 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) when it actually got broadcasted in 1987.

Lots of Love from CBBCClassicsFan1991 xxx lol xxx — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.17.101.236 (talk) 17:19, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Requested move 11 August 2017

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review. No further edits should be made to this section. 

The result of the move request was: Not Moved: No Consensus after three redirects there is still not enough consensus to close as moved or not moved therefore there is no consesus (non-admin closure) TheDoctorWho (talk) 00:47, 19 September 2017 (UTC)

Spot the Dog → Spot (puppy) – or Spot the dog. The character seems to generally be referred to just as "Spot", and the author calls Spot a puppy, not a dog. Please also see prior discussion on the Talk page. An editor commented in 2010 that "according to the books, he is a lovable puppy and is never once referred to as a dog". The Telegraph article uses "Spot the dog" (lowercase "d"), not "Spot the Dog", at least primarily, so when "dog" is used, it may be just as a descriptive identifier, not as part of the name of the character. Although the article says that the book series is called Spot the Dog (presumably by its publisher), I don't know whether that's really true or not, and I see no clear evidence of it (and don't think it necessarily matters). In any case, the character is better known than the book series and is found outside of the book series in television shows, etc., so I think the article should be more broadly about the character rather than just about the book series. When I look for books by searching for "Spot the Dog", I never find that phrase in the title of any book. That phrase is also not found in any of the television series titles, episode titles, home video titles, or music album titles. This Wikipedia article was originally named "Spot the dog" before an undiscussed move at 09:32, 17 July 2005‎ (UTC) without any adequate explanation. The person who moved it just said "Capitalisation" without explaining why they thought the other capitalisation was better. (Note that there is also a potential disambiguation issue with the Spot character in the Dick and Jane series, although I suspect readers are more focused on this Spot than that one.) —BarrelProof (talk) 19:06, 11 August 2017 (UTC) --Relisting.   Dr Strauss   talk   13:49, 19 August 2017 (UTC)  --Relisting. TheSandDoctor (talk) 17:06, 28 August 2017 (UTC)  --Relisting.   Dr Strauss   talk   19:38, 11 September 2017 (UTC)
 * I could see Spot (puppy) implying that the article is about a real life animal so I don't think that will work. For example the fictional character Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) is not titled Leonardo (turtle).--76.65.42.75 (talk) 05:39, 13 August 2017 (UTC)
 * Spot (puppy character)? —BarrelProof (talk) 21:53, 13 August 2017 (UTC)


 * Are there any uses where in "spot the dog" or "spot the puppy", "spot" is a verb? ("vide canem" rather than "canis [nominatus] "Macula")"? Anthony Appleyard (talk) 04:46, 14 August 2017 (UTC)
 * Not as far as I know (on Wikipedia). I did find another dog named Spot though, Spot Fetcher. This one seems much more well known. I'm surprised to see that Spot Fetcher gets about 25 views per day, but this one gets about seven times that number. There was also a Moondog named Moondog Spot, but that doesn't seem as relevant (although his article gets 77 hits a day). —BarrelProof (talk) 15:02, 14 August 2017 (UTC)
 * Oppose. The scope of the article is about the book series, not the character. Steel1943  (talk) 17:35, 19 August 2017 (UTC)
 * Even if we accept that limitation of scope (which might mean we should delete some of the article content), I don't think we have clear evidence that the current title should be used for that topic. —BarrelProof (talk) 04:12, 20 August 2017 (UTC)
 * Support; there's no evidence that "Spot the Dog" is a franchise name, so it should not be capitalized (or italicized, and probably not used at all). As noted before, neither the author nor other sources use "Spot the Dog" in reference to the character or series. If the article is not considered dual-scoped (about both the works and the character), then Spot (book series) would work.  — SMcCandlish ☺ ☏ ¢ ≽ʌⱷ҅ᴥⱷʌ≼  00:26, 23 August 2017 (UTC)
 * To be fair, "Spot the Dog" does appear in two of the cited sources (in one headline and three photo captions), but it is not in the article body of any of them, and is not used consistently in any of them. —BarrelProof (talk) 01:27, 23 August 2017 (UTC)


 * Support a move current title is just wrong. Spot (children's book series), Spot (Eric Hill books). Why not just move to Where's Spot?; Everything else is a sequel or spin-off. In ictu oculi (talk) 20:44, 11 September 2017 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 2 external links on Spot the Dog. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20140201202520/http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/eric+hill/dilwen+m-+evans/smot+ar+y+fferm/4601402/ to http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/eric+hill/dilwen+m-+evans/smot+ar+y+fferm/4601402/
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20140201185520/http://www.funwithspot.com/mainGu.asp?menuCode=INF&subMenuCode=SPB to http://www.funwithspot.com/mainGu.asp?menuCode=INF&subMenuCode=SPB

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Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 20:03, 4 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Both of those archive links fail to contain the intended content. —BarrelProof (talk) 20:41, 15 October 2017 (UTC)

Requested move 15 October 2017

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review. No further edits should be made to this section. 

The result of the move request was: moved to Spot (franchise). Jenks24 (talk) 14:34, 31 October 2017 (UTC)

Spot the dog → Spot (puppy character) – Although "Spot the dog" (the outcome of the recent move review) is an improvement over the old title (Spot the Dog), the proposed title would be superior for disambiguating among the other topics listed at Spot and would describe the common element of the topics discussed in the article (books, television series, home video productions, albums, and CD-ROM titles). —BarrelProof (talk) 21:35, 15 October 2017 (UTC) Relisted. Jenks24 (talk) 14:48, 23 October 2017 (UTC)
 * Oppose - as state above, this article is not about the dog himself, it's about the book series. I wouldn't mind a move to Spot (book series) or similar, but the current title does have the advantage of WP:NATURALDIS at least, and is not unheard of. &mdash; Amakuru (talk) 17:29, 17 October 2017 (UTC)
 * I don't believe the current title is achieving adequate disambiguation, whether natural or otherwise, since there are at least three other dogs discussed on Wikipedia that would fit the description of being "Spot the dog". In fact, the basically equivalent title Spot (dog) was redirecting to one of those other topics until just a couple of days ago. —BarrelProof (talk) 05:46, 18 October 2017 (UTC)
 * Support Spot (book series) I thought this would have been the best outcome of the move review, but its fine to discuss it here again. I agree with Amakuru's reasoning, this article is about the series, which makes a move clarifying that beneficial even if it is not a natural disambiguation. TonyBallioni (talk) 17:33, 17 October 2017 (UTC)
 * The article certainly discusses other appearances of the puppy character that are not the book series, but if that is what other people think the article is primarily about, then I think Spot (book series) is better than the current title. —BarrelProof (talk) 05:46, 18 October 2017 (UTC)
 * I'd be open to Spot (series) as well to keep it generic. TonyBallioni (talk) 19:24, 18 October 2017 (UTC)
 * I have no problem with the franchise option either. TonyBallioni (talk) 05:01, 31 October 2017 (UTC)
 * Suggest and support Spot (franchise) - This article is about more than one character, more than a single book, more than a book series - its about all content (print, TV, music, etc.) based upon this author's work related to Spot.  This is the gold standard for what we use (franchise) for.  I find several sources which refer to the "Spot franchise" in one way or another      .  If at some future date the book series, main character, etc. are split off into separate articles, we can revisit proper naming of those.  Until then, with the breadth of the subject as currently presented in this article, (franchise) is the only appropriate disambiguation. -- Netoholic @  12:55, 21 October 2017 (UTC)
 * Oppose The proposed title will obscure the subject. TOTALLY.  So no one will find it!  7&amp;6=thirteen (☎) 14:51, 23 October 2017 (UTC)
 * Redirects from other forms may help. —BarrelProof (talk) 21:58, 23 October 2017 (UTC)
 * I followed this saga from the sidelines, and I was going to propose Spot (franchise) as an all-encompassing and most apt disambiguator, and Netoholic beat me to it... however, I refrained, because as far as I researched, no source has used words "Spot" and "franchise" in the same article (his findings seem to contradict mine though). However, I'm inclined to agree with spirit expressed by User:7&amp;6=thirteen and leave this puppy at the current title, most easily located by its target audience :). No such user (talk) 21:05, 23 October 2017 (UTC)
 * Support Spot (franchise), which better matches the scope, now far beyond a book series; WP:CONSISTENT with a zillion other articles .  — SMcCandlish ☏ ¢ &gt;ʌⱷ҅ᴥⱷʌ&lt;  08:22, 27 October 2017 (UTC)
 * That works for me too. —BarrelProof (talk) 09:18, 27 October 2017 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

Where's Spot? article split off
Now that this article has been renamed to match its content which covers the entire franchise (characters, books, TV, audio, etc), I think WP would benefit from an article dedicated to Where's Spot? book itself. There seems to be plenty of information about Eric Hill's initial development of that original book, as well as critical reaction and impact on the children's book genre. -- Netoholic @ 03:42, 1 November 2017 (UTC)
 * I suggest not. Adding a bit more background information into this article would improve it, and I don't think the first book is that distinct from the other books and all the other stuff that it really justifies fragmenting the topic's coverage on Wikipedia. —BarrelProof (talk) 17:31, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

Miss Bear
First Appearance: Spot goes to school 82.38.86.251 (talk) 06:35, 6 May 2024 (UTC)