View source for Nipper

{{Short description|Dog featured on the His Master's Voice trademark}}
{{about|the dog named Nipper|the entertainment trademark itself|His Master's Voice|other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox animal
| name = Nipper
| image = OriginalNipper.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = Photo of [[Francis Barraud]]'s original 1898 ''[[His Master's Voice]]'' painting depicting an Edison cylinder phonograph
| species = ''[[Dog|Canis familiaris]]''
| breed = [[Mongrel]] (part [[terrier]])
| gender = [[Male]]
| birth_date = {{birth date text|1884}}
| birth_place = [[Bristol]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|September 1895|1884}}
| death_place = England, United Kingdom
| resting_place = [[Kingston upon Thames]], United Kingdom
| resting_place_coordinates = {{Coord|51.410990|-0.302226|display=title}}
| known = Subject of the [[His Master's Voice]] trademark
| owner = Mark Henry Barraud
}}

'''Nipper''' ({{c.|1884}} – September 1895) was a [[dog]] from England. He is best known as the subject of ''[[His Master's Voice]]'' (1898), painted posthumously by his second owner, [[Francis Barraud]]. The painting became an international [[trademark|entertainment trademark]], with Nipper's likeness used across consumer electronics, record labels and entertainment retail.

==Life==
Nipper was born in 1884 in [[Bristol]], England, and died in September 1895.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.erikoest.dk/nipper.htm|title=The History of Nipper and His Master's Voice |website= erikoest.dk}}</ref> He was likely a [[mongrel|mixed-breed dog]], although most early sources suggest that he was a [[Smooth Fox Terrier]], or perhaps a [[Jack Russell Terrier]],<ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/440596.stm|title= HMV seeks budding Nipper| publisher= BBC |website= news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| last= Fudge |first= Erica| title= Animal| year=2002| publisher=Reaktion| location=London|isbn=978-1-86189-134-1| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=A6aic0kCzCsC&q=nipper+dog+breed&pg=PA67|page=67}}</ref><ref name= Wrong>{{cite magazine| url= https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-wrong-dog| magazine= [[The New Yorker]] | title= The Wrong Dog| first= Roger |last= Angell| date= November 30, 2011| access-date= January 17, 2020}}</ref> or possibly "part [[Bull Terrier]]".<ref>{{cite book|last=Cunliffe|first=Juliette|title=The Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds| year= 2000 |publisher= Parragon| location= Bath, England|isbn=978-0-7525-4161-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Adft4iqR4egC&q=nipper+dog+breed|page=122}}</ref> He was named Nipper because he would often "nip" at the backs of visitors' legs.<ref name="the nipper saga">{{cite web| title= the nipper saga| url= http://www.designboom.com/history/nipper.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150924073551/http://www.designboom.com/history/nipper.html| archive-date=24 September 2015| work= designboom.com |access-date=7 December 2011}}</ref>

Nipper originally lived with his owner, Mark Henry Barraud, in the Prince's Theatre where Barraud was a scenery designer.<ref>{{cite web|title=The History of the Department of Computer Science| url=https://www.cs.bris.ac.uk/history/|access-date=19 December 2012}}</ref> When Barraud died in 1887, his brothers Philip and [[Francis Barraud|Francis]] took care of the dog, then Francis took Nipper to Liverpool, and later to Mark's widow in [[Kingston upon Thames]], [[London]]. Nipper died of natural causes in 1895 and was buried in Kingston upon Thames at Clarence Street, in a small park surrounded by [[magnolia]] trees.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cross |first=Alan |date=2017-10-08 |title=The Story of Little Nipper, the Dog Who Was Fascinated by the Sound of a Gramophone {{!}} Alan Cross |url=https://www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com/story-little-nipper-dog-fascinated-sound-gramophone/ |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=Alan Cross' A Journal of Musical Things |language=en-ca}}</ref>

==His Master's Voice==
{{Further|His Master's Voice}}
In 1898, three years after Nipper's death, [[Francis Barraud]], the brother of Nipper's original owner, painted a picture of the dog listening intently to an [[Edison-Bell]] cylinder [[phonograph]]. Thinking the Edison-Bell Company located in New Jersey, United States, might be interested in the painting, he offered it to James E. Hough, Edison-Bell's British representative, who promptly replied, "Dogs don't listen to phonographs".<ref name="the nipper saga" />

On 31 May 1899, Barraud visited the Maiden Lane offices of [[Gramophone Company|The Gramophone Company]] to inquire about borrowing a brass horn to replace the original black horn in order to brighten up the painting. When Gramophone Company founder and manager William Barry Owen was shown the painting, he suggested that if the artist painted out the cylinder machine and replaced it with a [[Emile Berliner|Berliner]] disc [[phonograph|gramophone]], he would buy the painting. Barraud gladly obliged and the phrase "[[His Master's Voice]]", along with the painting, was sold to The Gramophone Company for £100 ({{inflation|UK|100|1900|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) – half for the copyright and half for the physical painting itself.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Petts |first=Leonard |date=1973 |title=The Story of "Nipper" and the "His Master's Voice" Francis Barraud's painting |journal=Talking Machine Review |isbn=0902338161}}</ref> The original oil painting hung in The Gramophone Company's headquarters, and then in EMI's boardroom in [[Hayes, Hillingdon|Hayes, Middlesex]] for many years. It appears that after the image was copyrighted, two employees of the Gramophone Company, William Sinkler Darby and Theodore Bernard Birnbaum, recorded a [[Mutoscope]] in 1900 entitled 'Nipper runs amok!'. A similar looking dog was used to act as Nipper.<ref>{{cite web |date=14 May 2019 |title=Secrets of the EMI Archive – 1 |url=https://www.emiarchivetrust.org/secrets-of-the-emi-archive-1/ |website=[[EMI Archive Trust]]}}</ref>
[[File:Exposition_du_MOEB.jpg|thumb|A large statue of Nipper in a glass presentation in the Musée des ondes Emile Berliner museum, in Montreal, Canada.]]

The [[Gramophone Company]] used Nipper's likeness on its sound equipment and began using the image on its record labels in 1909, as well as the [[HMV]] retail shop in 1921. [[Emile Berliner]], creator of the disc gramophone, registered the trademark in the United States on 10 July 1900 and Berliner's business partner [[Eldridge Johnson]] began using the image in advertising for the recently created Consolidated Talking Machine Company which was reorganized in 1901 as the [[Victor Talking Machine Company]] (later [[RCA Victor]]). Johnson used Nipper and the gramophone extensively on Victor's products and advertising.<ref>Vaclav Smil, ''Creating the Twentieth Century: Technical Innovations of 1867–1914 and Their Lasting Impact'' ([[Oxford University Press]], 2005), p240</ref> The trademark was also utilized by Victor's Japanese division and remains in use by [[JVC]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meador |first=Granger |date=2023-12-05 |title=Remembering His Master’s Voice |url=https://meador.org/2023/12/05/remembering-his-masters-voice/ |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=MEADOR.ORG |language=en}}</ref>{{quote box
| quote = "It is difficult to say how the idea came to me beyond the fact that it suddenly occurred to me that to have my dog listening to the phonograph, with an intelligent and rather puzzled expression, and call it 'His Master's Voice' would make an excellent subject. We had a phonograph and I often noticed how puzzled he was to make out where the voice came from. It certainly was the happiest thought I ever had."

—Francis Barraud<ref name="Rolfs">Rolfs, Joan & Robin. (2007). [http://my.athenet.net/~nipper/page1.html Nipper Collectibles, The RCA Victor Trademark Dog]. Audio Antique LLC, USA. {{ISBN|978-1-932433-82-1}}</ref>
| align = right
| width = 25%
| bgcolor = #CCDDFF
}}

== Legacy ==
[[File:RCANipperGlass.jpg|thumb|right|240px|One of four stained glass windows atop the "[[Nipper Building]]", the former RCA Victor Building 17 in Camden, New Jersey. This photo, taken from inside the tower, shows the 2003 replacement of the 1979 replacement of the original 1915 glass.]]
[[File:RCA Nipper.jpg|right|thumb|The statue of Nipper on the roof of the former RCA distribution building in Albany, New York, pictured in 2010.]]
As time progressed, Nipper's gravesite was built upon, and the Kingston upon Thames branch of [[Lloyds Bank]] now occupies the site. To commemorate Nipper's 100th birthday, Mr. D.F. Johnson, the then-chairman of the [[HMV]] retailer, placed a commemorative plaque to the rear of the bank on 15 August 1984, understood to be near to the resting place.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5eKkIrk1Pk |title=Final resting place of 'Nipper', the HMV dog. Hidden parts of Kingston. |date=2019-08-06 |last=Stuart George |access-date=2025-03-03 |via=YouTube}}</ref> An additional plaque was placed on the wall inside the entrance to the bank, referencing the one outside.<ref name="Surreycomet">{{cite web |date=1 January 2010 |title=Kingston's Toilet Gallery alley named after HMV dog Nipper |url=https://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/4826539.kingstons-toilet-gallery-alley-named-after-hmv-dog-nipper/ |website=Surrey Comet}}</ref>

Nipper's likeness has been reproduced into [[pocket watches]], [[salt and pepper shakers]], [[paperweights]], [[Lighter|cigar lighters]], [[stuffed toys]], [[Piggy bank|coin banks]], [[Mugs|coffee mugs]], [[T-shirts]], [[neckties]] and [[clocks]].<ref name="Devoted: 38 Extraordinary Tales">{{cite book |last1=Ascher-Walsh |first1=Rebecca |url=https://archive.org/details/devoted38extraor0000asch/page/72/mode/2up?q=%22rca+dog%22 |title=Devoted: 38 Extraordinary Tales of Love, Loyalty, and Life With Dogs |date=8 October 2013 |publisher=[[National Geographic]] Books |isbn=978-1-4262-1263-5 |page=72 |language=en}}</ref> These advertising items have long been popular [[collectables]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.delaware.gov/museums/jvm/nipper.shtml |title=Johnson Victrola Museum, Dover, Delaware |access-date=2012-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231153054/http://www.history.delaware.gov/museums/jvm/nipper.shtml |archive-date=2016-12-31 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 

In 1984, ''New York Times'' writer Hans Fantel described his early childhood impression of Nipper:{{sfn|Fantel|1984}}
<blockquote>
"For some who were to discover music through the phonograph in later years, Nipper's image became almost synonymous with music itself. It certainly was that way for me: I remember how, as a child, I used to keep my eyes fixed on Nipper as he spun on the turntable, and I would grow dizzy with the effort to keep the dog upright in my mind. It took me a long time to discover that, by not looking at the dog, I could hear the music without growing dizzy. But it wasn't as much fun that way. For an enchanted 3-year-old, it was Nipper - not [[Enrico Caruso]] - who addressed me in those magic tones that first opened for me the realm of music."
</blockquote>

A depiction of Nipper appeared in RCA [[Television advertisement|television advertisements]], and later versions with his "son", a puppy named Chipper who was added to the RCA family in 1991.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010825085124/http://www.rca.com/content/viewdetail/1,2811,EI268-CI263,00.html Chipper]</ref> Real dogs played the roles of Nipper and Chipper, but Chipper had to be replaced much more frequently, since his character is a puppy.<ref name="How Dogs Love Us">{{cite book |last1=Berns |first1=Gregory |author1-link=Gregory Berns |title=How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain |date=2013 |publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]] |isbn=978-0-544-11451-7 |page=7 |url=https://archive.org/details/howdogsloveusneu0000bern/page/6/mode/2up?q=%22rca+dog%22+%22pit+bull%22 |language=en}}</ref>

A Baltimore street leading to a development of town-houses is named Nipper Way, where a statue of Nipper resided for a brief time before being relocated.<ref>{{cite web |title=Google Maps |url=https://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode&time&date&ttype&q=nipper+way,+fairfax,+VA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=54.357317,114.257813&ie=UTF8&ll=38.874296,-77.24719&spn=0.006599,0.013947&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=0 |website=Google Maps}}</ref>

On 10 March 2010, a small road near to the dog's final resting place in Kingston upon Thames was officially named Nipper Alley.<ref name="Surreycomet" />

===Statues===

A four-ton Nipper can be seen on the roof of the former RCA distribution building now owned by Arnoff Moving & Storage.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Us |url=http://www.arnoff.com/about-us.aspx |access-date=14 June 2011 |work=Arnoff Moving & Storage - New York's Hudson Valley Mover of Choice}}</ref> The site is located at 991 Broadway in [[Albany, New York]].<ref name="Rolfs" /> A statue of Nipper was purchased by Jim Wells from RCA in Baltimore for $1, where it originally graced the former RCA Building on Russell Street. After spending many years on private property in Nipper Park in [[Merrifield, Virginia]], perched over [[Lee Highway]] (U.S. Route 29), it has now been returned to [[Baltimore, Maryland]]. Nipper now sits atop the [[Maryland Historical Society]] building at Park Avenue and West Centre Street in Baltimore, and the statue now includes a [[phonograph|gramophone]]. A small statue of Nipper in the United Kingdom can be seen perched above a doorway in the Merchant Venturers Building on the corner of Park Row and Woodland Road in Bristol; this building, part of the [[University of Bristol]], stands near the site of the old Prince's Theatre.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/nipper-the-listening-dog-statue|title=Nipper, the Listening Dog|website=Atlas Obscura|access-date=9 November 2025}}</ref>

At [[Walt Disney World]] in Florida, a replication of Nipper with a gramophone appeared inside of a spaceship on the [[Space Mountain]] rollercoaster, and remained until the sponsorship from RCA to Walt Disney ended, upon which he was made into a robot dog and moved elsewhere within the queue.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ace |first1=Shannen |date=3 February 2023 |title=New Stitch & RCA Dog Space Mountain Pin Lands at Walt Disney World - WDW News Today |url=https://wdwnt.com/2023/02/new-stitch-space-mountain-pin-at-walt-disney-world/ |work=wdwnt.com |publisher=WDW NEWS TODAY}}</ref>{{sfn|Ace|2025}}

Various reproductions of Nipper can be found in the permanent exhibition of the {{lang|fr-ca|italic=no|Musée des ondes Emile Berliner}} in Montreal, Quebec,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mon cher Nipper c'est à ton tour : une exposition qui a du chien... depuis 100 ans |url=https://moeb.ca/expositions/mon-cher-nipper-cest-a-ton-tour-une-exposition-qui-a-du-chien-depuis-100-ans/ |access-date=2022-08-16 |website=Musée des ondes Emile Berliner |language=fr-FR}}</ref> a museum dedicated to the work of Emile Berliner and his companies that Nipper was the face of.

In 1984, a life-sized ornament of Nipper appears in the music video of [[Cyndi Lauper]]'s song "[[Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper song)|Time After Time]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time (Official HD Video) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdQY7BusJNU |access-date=7 January 2023 |website=YouTube| date=25 October 2009 }}</ref>

In May 2017, the City of Albany held a contest for various groups or artists to submit designs for creative, painted Nipper statues which were placed throughout the city. Ten of the contestants were chosen to create ten Nipper statues – which were displayed for one year and then auctioned off for charity.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Barnes|first1=Steve|title=Albany summer street exhibit features Nipper statues|url=http://www.timesunion.com/entertainment/article/Albany-summer-street-exhibit-features-Nipper-11218939.php|access-date=3 September 2017|work=Times Union|date=13 July 2017}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of individual dogs]]

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}

===Works cited===
*{{cite news|last=Fantel|first=Hans|date=December 23, 1984|title=Sound; Nipper — He's Still All Ears at the Age of 100|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/23/arts/sound-nipper-he-s-still-all-ears-at-the-age-of-100.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 20, 2025}}
*{{cite news|last=Ace|first=Shannon|date=February 20, 2025|title=Movement Restored to RCA Dog Animatronic for 50th Anniversary of Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom|url=https://wdwnt.com/2025/02/movement-restored-to-rca-dog-animatronic-for-50th-anniversary-of-space-mountain-at-magic-kingdom/|work=Walt Disney World News Today|access-date=August 20, 2025}}

== External links ==
{{Commons and category|Nipper}}
* [https://www.rca.com/brand/nipper-chipper "Little Nipper" background] at RCA Global Communications, New York City
* [http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tips/getAttraction.php3?tip_AttractionNo==1910 RCA Building, Albany, NY]
* Koenigsberg, Allen (June 2022). [https://www.academia.edu/79315512/Nippers_Arrival_in_the_New_World "Nipper's Arrival in the New World"]. Academia.
* [https://moeb.ca Musée des ondes Emile Berliner]

[[Category:1884 animal births]]
[[Category:1895 animal deaths]]
[[Category:Advertising characters]]
[[Category:Dog mascots]]
[[Category:English artists' models]]
[[Category:Individual animals in England]]
[[Category:Individual dogs in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Music mascots]]
[[Category:Mascots introduced in 1899]]
[[Category:RCA brands]]
[[Category:Technicolor SA]]