is a popular novelty song written by Bob Merrill and first registered on September 25, 1952, as "The Doggie in the Window".
Prior to the release of "Doggie", composer Bob Merrill penned "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake".
The song had school children "yipping", Mercury Records was besieged with requests for free puppies, and the American Kennel Club's annual registrations spiked by eight percent.
[5] Following the UK top ten debut of Lita Roza's cover version on March 19, 1953, the Patti Page version of the song was released in the UK on March 28, renamed "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window" (sans question mark), under Mercury's Oriole Records label.
Bob Merrill's lyrics were reworked by Iza Trapani into her 2004 children's book, How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?.
Upon Page's death in 2013, the Humane Society wrote in its online eulogy, "We remember her fondly for her compassion for animals.
"[11] The song, and Page's version in particular, gained some notoriety for its use in the infamous final scene of John Waters' 1972 film Pink Flamingos.
A season five episode of Cold Case, "Devil's Music", used Patti Page's recording in the opening.
[17] In 1951, Roza recorded "Allentown Jail" with the Heath Band, which led to her A&R man Dick Rowe asking her to sing "(How Much is) That Doggie in the Window".
This made Lita Roza both the first female vocalist to top the UK singles chart and the first artist from Liverpool to do so, long before the success of The Beatles or Cilla Black in the 1960s.
[7] Record sales in the UK were not a threat to the sheet music charts, broadcast on Radio Luxembourg, until around 1955.
It is thought that the last sheet music million sellers were in 1953, and it has been suggested that "(How Much is) That Doggie in the Window" was the final title to reach this figure.
No recordings were commercially available until after the song had entered the sheet music charts, with several versions issued in March 1953: these were by Lita Roza, Patti Page, Carole Carr with Children's Choir and Rustler the Dog, and British actor John Slater.
A parody version by American country music duo Homer and Jethro (titled "That Hound Dog in the Window") was released in November in the UK after the song had left the charts.
The company had taken over distribution of American Mercury's repertoire from Oriole, who had originally released the Page version in the UK.
[17] In 2001, Roza opened Liverpool's Wall of Hits on Mathew Street, home of The Cavern Club.