Santa's Little Helper the show in minor appearances, although there have been some episodes that feature him heavily, including the first episode of "The Simpsons". In that episode, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" (season one, 1989), Homer discovers that he has no money to buy Christmas presents for the family. Desperate for a miracle, he and Bart go to the greyhound racing track on Christmas Eve in hopes of winning some money. Although Homer has inside information on which dog is the most likely to win, he instead bets on a last-minute entry, Santa's Little Helper (here despite being brown), believing the
Simpson Safari going on strike. Presumably and strangely having no ability to shop without bag boys to pack their bags, they are unable to buy more food. When the Simpsons run out of food in their home, the family follows Santa's Little Helper into the attic, where he finds a 30-year-old box of animal crackers. Homer bites into a solid-gold giraffe, which is the winning contest piece for a trip to Africa. The animal cracker company initially refuses to honor the prize because the contest ended a number of years ago. But when Homer is hit in the eye by a sharp