The Sprawling History of McGruff: The Crime Dog – Take a Bite Out of Crime
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A story that starts all the way back in World War II and was born out of Nixon’s “War on Crime”, McGruff: The Crime Dog was created not as a way to scare the citizens but to bring attention to some of the social troubles facing kids and adults alike.
McGruff: The Crime Dog dealt with crime, sure, but also stranger danger, drugs and the dangers of counterfeit goods with his signature catch phrase “Take a Bite Out of Crime!”
SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McGruff_the_Crime_Dog
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_Council
https://archive.org/details/howmcgruffcrying0000meli
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnibus_Crime_Control_and_Safe_Streets_Act_of_1968
https://www.newspapers.com/image/452369871/?match=1&terms=%22the%20war%20on%20crime%22
https://www.newspapers.com/image/893804471/?match=1&terms=%22the%20war%20on%20crime%22
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1202200820/?match=1&terms=%22crime%20statistics%22
https://www.newspapers.com/image/991734037/?match=1&terms=%22crime%20statistics%22
https://www.newspapers.com/image/972999929/?match=1&terms=%22crime%20statistics%22
https://www.newspapers.com/image/205842064/?match=1&terms=%22crime%20statistics%22
https://www.ncpc.org/about-ncpc/mcgruff/
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/08/g-s1-81074/mcgruff-crime-dog-fentanyl-campaign-cuts
https://mcgruff.org/
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@daxbashir6232
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
🚔 🐶
@XopheAdethri
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
* Smokey Bear * It's not Smokey the Bear. First Name: Smokey, Last Name: Bear.
@davidmarkowski630
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Please keep the politics out of these videos
@1Romell
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
16:48 is one of the realest statements ever !
@krisstarring
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Forget the 1940's. Did Congress look at the 1920's, when Prohibition actually created MORE crime? Rumrunners, bootleggers, and brewers in Western Pennsylvania were living the big time until then President George Washington told all of New York's settlements to stop.
@ruthgoldbergives6945
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Thank You 🙏 This is exactly what I am looking for 😊
@bell3021
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Do you have the history of the incredible crushed tomatoes please😵💫
@tonygazso9027
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Including a clip featuring Baseball Hall of Famer Fred "The Crime Dog" McGriff in a video about McGruff the Crime Dog is genius.
@Polygonlin
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Holy Crap… im 42… about to be 43 "in a couple days as of October 2025" and i never thought about that im in my 5th Decade on Earth… im not 50 yet, but im for sure in my 5th Decade… that is… Terrifying… half a Century… Damn dude…
@Davethe3rd
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
"Using crack and cocaine… to get high…"
@infernalcatfish
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Great vid, and love the bit of commentary. And, judging by the comments, you're trimming the "notsee" fat!
@jonathanwalker4937
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
I remember the bullying video-game one.
@trinity3r
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Ive been a big fan of your channel for years, has been one of my favorite channels on youtube, i watch it to get away from the barrage of political trash that we are constantly hit with on every form of media and from both sides, it was a gut punch to hear you politicize this channel, i know this is your channel and you can say whatever you want, i just needed to tell you i dont know if i can stomach anymore, i know you loosing one viewer doesnt mean much, but i think you have a great product here and i hate to see it go down the political toilet, thanks for the years of entertainment.
@BigBadBirdDog
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Communism is a threat.
@enigma6482
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Okay, we get it. You hate America, you hate Trump, and you hate conservatives. Go back to doing what you were good at and stop trying to be a political commentator.
@samzimmerman
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
There was an audio animatronic McGruff that came to my grade school in the 80s
@prophet924
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
I was and still remain vigilant in locking doors. I’m not sure if McGriff ingrained that message into me like Knowing is half the battle. But I know I always had a positive reaction to the messages presented by that pooch. Sherlock Bones? Heh.
@user-j6n1n
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
I see a little Tatyana Ali in the commercial. Just before her Fresh Prince of Belair days! 😂
@ardyer3
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
16:34 the Patent and Trademark Office isn't funded by the government, it's funded by fees from patent applicants. The President or Congress can't really cut funding to it like that.
@mosheparanov
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Thank you for interspersing some rare common sense jabs at the times we live in !
@MR-co2ti
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Thank you for qualifying that Nazi and Hitler are BAD. We have walking idiots that reflect the wrong people in our society.
@samael2112
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Unsubscribing.
@justincarawan-carawanco.pu1639
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
The only McGruff commercial I remember is one about bullying. A kid calls McGruff about another kid being ganged up on, and McGruff instructs him to put his arm around the bully victim and walk away from the bullies with him. A "strength in numbers" message.
@SimpHomerson
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Smokey the Bear been real quiet since this came out.
@mnhunterjr
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
❤
@MezTZO
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
So, Dan, were you in Orem, Utah on September 10th around high noon? Because it sure sounds like it.
@ManiacalMoogle
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
16:46 💯
@DjBoggLEMaN
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
I say Captain N last week. I thought this was a new episode. I’ve watched all your videos for year and this one I wasn’t notified for and this was really good😢😊
@ufclasvegas2011
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
SCRUFF Mcgruff
@metalliphil
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Barky McBarkenstein is the ultimate cartoon dog character name👌👏👏🤣🤣
@TheStagAndArrow
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Great video! And thank you for reminding people about the bad guys in Indiana Jones also being bad guys in real life
@vaushfan9200
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Less than 13% of the population commits over 50% of the crime McGruff was worried about. Glad you reminded us nazis are bad though, don’t sit in front of one on a subway!
@jphilb
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
LBJ was an abomination of a president.
@darthmcgee2216
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Great video until you had to go full MSNBC at the end for no reason whatsoever. Do better.
@GaryLShawIII
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Trump is giving McGruff full military authority
@JarrodKarimi
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Gruff stuff
@memeslich
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Scruff McGriff Chicago Illinois 60652
@MrBeardsley
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
“President Lyndon Johnson took action by ordering some Haggar pants cut so his knife wouldn’t fall out of the pocket and there was extra room around the bunghole.”
@goranisacson2502
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
If anything I'm most interested in a PSA campaign doing something SUCCESFUL. Feels like we mostly get stories of them being out of touch and being remembered for becoming mockeries- but if McGruff actually worked, I guess I gotta give ad executives SOME kudos on a job well done.
@seanbean3826
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Boy, we really need to this crime under control. Hopefully a big, strong man can help steer the country and remove this crime we are held captive by.
@ThootenTootinTabootin
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Scruff McGruff Chicago, Il 60652
And take a bite out of crime
@YisroelSimcha
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Do Sparky the fire dog 🙂
@Chris-g9g8d
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
I appreciate the content of this channel. I REALLY appreciate the common sense social commentary on this episode!
@CountOrlok22
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Scruff McGruff died on his way back to his home planet?! He died? The McGruffs were from a different planet?! You can't just breeze by these important facts, Dan. My world has been shaken to its core.
@JustinSevenTwo
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
YES! 'Users Are Losers' by Regina! Some assumed she was just a Madonna clone, but she actually started out in the early New Wave scene in the 70s… apparently her band actually used to play at CBGC!
@excaliber2010
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Don't forget the time Marge Simpson became a cop, she showed Lisa a dog puppet that looks like McGruff
@seditiousxero
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 pm
This was really great.🥲
Comments are closed.