Santa's Little Helper the dog was a "sympathetic" character. Welker has been praised by staff members for his performances on the show. David Mirkin has noted that "he can do anything, and it fits perfectly. You forget you're listening to a guy, and he's a pleasure to work with." Groening has commented that he was "unbelievably good" at doing animal noises. After 1995, Castellaneta voiced Santa's Little Helper on his own while Welker performed other animal noises until his full departure in 2002, when he was denied a pay raise. In the "questions and answers" section on his website, Welker revealed that the
Santa's Little Helper (film) Santa’s Little Helper, but Eleanor, using an obscure North Pole law, challenges him to the position with the winner being decided through a rigorous obstacle course. Dax loses and Eleanor is named Santa’s Little Helper. Dax returns home, having stolen a magic bell that can make wishes come true and plans to use it to save the Youth Center. Santa intercedes and halts his attempts at using magic, so Dax gives a rousing speech to rally the community and save the Youth Center from a wrecking ball and capture the director who really stole the money from it. Santa places