Cruella de Vil him that the purchaser of a house in Piccadilly, London is "a foreign nobleman, Count De Ville". Count De Ville, however, proves to be an alias for Count Dracula himself. It is also believed that the inspiration for the name began in 1939 when Dodie Smith purchased a new Rolls-Royce 25/30 "Sedanca de Ville" motorcar in which she and her pet Dalmatian "Pongo" frequently travelled, which also formed the basis of the cartoon imagery of Cruella's own motorcar. In the original story, Cruella is depicted as a pampered and glamorous London heiress who knows the owner of the Dalmatian puppies
Cruella de Vil later, two thieves named Jasper and Horace successfully steal the puppies when the Radcliffes are out. While Cruella is questioned about the theft, the police are unable to find anything against her, and Anita does not want to charge her, despite Roger's doubts. However, as the days go by, the police still suspect her, so she goes into hiding at her old mansion, Hell Hall at Suffolk, where Jasper and Horace and the puppies reside, proving that she was the mastermind behind the theft. She demands that the henchmen kill and skin the puppies for her that very night before