What Kind of Dog Is Benji?

As with any movie star, Benji fans want to know as much as possible about him:

Benji’s real name is Higgins and he played in the television series Petticoat Junction before he did the Benji movies.
There wasn't just one "Benji." There have been four Benji dogs in all: Higgins; Benjean, one of his offspring; the third Benji was a distant relative; and the fourth was found after a nationwide search of shelters.
A shelter dog was chosen to draw attention to the plight of homeless animals all over the country and the need for better shelters.

Benji Movies

There have been ten Benji movies and one television show:

The original Benji movie came out on October 17, 1974.
The story tells of a lovable little stray dog who was liked by many townspeople.
These townspeople fed him when he visited.
His favorites are two children who play with him, and when they are kidnapped, he tracks them down.

Joe Camp, the creator and director of Benji, is one of the most successful independent filmmakers of all time.

When he came up with the idea for Benji, many experts in the industry said that it wouldn’t work, so he got private funding.
When every major film distributor turned him down, he formed his own distribution company.
People magazine named the original Benji movie as one of the top 20 must-see movies for families.
Over 74 million people watched Benji in the movie theaters and more than a billion have watched Benji on television.
Benji has been named the American Guild of Variety Artists' Animal Entertainer of the year two times.

Now you know about Benji, the movie and television star, as well as some facts about the production and success of the Benji movies.