Dorf was characterized by his diminutive height (he was performed by Conway standing in a hole with fake shoes attached to his knees), toupée, toothbrush mustache, pot belly, unusual accent (modeled by Conway on a Swedish accent, similar to that used by his Mr. Tudball character on The Carol Burnett Show), and frequent pratfalls.
[citation needed] The character was created by Conway for a sketch on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as a horse jockey.
Based on the popularity of the sketch, he produced a set of direct-to-video comedy films, each focusing on a different sport, most of which were released through J2 Communications, which later became known for its purchase of the National Lampoon franchise.
These included: In the first four entries, Dorf is "assisted" by Boom-Boom LaRue (Michele Smith), a mute dumb blonde, and by either the perpetually spaced-out Leonard (Vincent Schiavelli) or nerdy Waldo (Eddie Deezen), who each serve as comic foil.
"Dorf on Stalking" was humorously referred to by Norm MacDonald on "Saturday Night Live" "Weekend Update" as a satirical title.