Santa's Little Helper real-life breed will paint a different picture — of dogs that are peaceful, affectionate, [and] not given to drooling, panting". Some ideas for episodes featuring Santa's Little Helper come from reality. The plot of "Dog of Death" was based on Swartzwelder's experiences with his own dog, which had also suffered from bloat. However, unlike the events in the episode, Swartzwelder's dog did not receive treatment as the operation was too expensive and the dog was too old. "The Gold Coast Bulletin"s Ryan Ellem commented in 2005 that the Simpson family's dilemma with the cost of the veterinary procedure is a
The Simpsons their original format. In July 2017, all episodes were made available for purchase on the iTunes Store, in the United States. The popularity of "The Simpsons" has made it a billion-dollar merchandising industry. The title family and supporting characters appear on everything from T-shirts to posters. "The Simpsons" has been used as a theme for special editions of well-known board games, including Clue, Scrabble, Monopoly, Operation, and The Game of Life, as well as the trivia games What Would Homer Do? and Simpsons "Jeopardy!". Several card games such as trump cards and The Simpsons Trading Card Game have also been