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Triumph the Insult Comic Dog Information
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'Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog' is a puppet created and performed by Robert Smigel premiering in 1997 on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Triumph was identified in the early appearances as a Yugoslavian Mountain Hound and speaks with a thick Slavic accent. Triumph often puffs a cigar, which usually falls out of his mouth when he begins speaking. The crudeness of the puppetry behind Triumph-Smigel's arm is often clearly visible in the shot-has added to the character's popularity.
Triumph's debut was in a comedy skit about unusually talented dogs. In addition to other dog puppets who played banjos and performed magic, Triumph appeared in his trademark persona of an obnoxious and ribald insult comic in the vein of Don Rickles. The character rapidly grew in popularity, and became a recurring fixture on the show, often mocking the show's celebrity guests and leaving the studio to harass the general public in pre-taped remote segments.
In 1999, pets.com filed a lawsuit against Late Night and Robert Smigel claiming that Triumph constituted a trademark violation because of possible confusion with their sock puppet dog mascot (which first appeared two years after the first appearance of Triumph); however, the bankruptcy and closing of the company during the dot-com bust of 2000 terminated this lawsuit before opening arguments had even been heard. Triumph responded in his typical fashion in a skit where he humped the "pets.com" dog in a restroom.
In the fall of 2003, NBC's intellectual property division (the same group that protested David Letterman continuing to use the character Larry Bud Melman and the "Stupid Pet Tricks" skit when he moved from NBC to CBS) threatened legal action against a number of fan websites devoted to Triumph, resulting in them closing down.
Similarities have also been noted between Triumph and Ed the Sock, a Canadian TV personality who is also an insult-hurling, cigar-chomping sock-puppet (though in Ed's case, he is actually a sock).
Some of Triumph's best known skits involved him visiting the Westminster Dog Show, where he would often be found "humping" (attempting to mate with), and occasionally being humped by other dogs (O'Brien stated at one point that Triumph "swings both ways", i.e. is bisexual). Smigel and Triumph have been ejected from several events for Triumph's antics.
Triumph's longtime catch phrase is '"...for me to poop on!"' usually spoken to negate a compliment that precedes it, which normally appears at the end of a long diatribe or roast. Example "But seriously, you've been a great audience... for me to poop on!"
In addition to regular appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Triumph has appeared on the MTV Video Music Awards, including a confrontation with Eminem which MTV later removed from rebroadcast airings. Eminem later referred to and impersonated Triumph on the track "Ass Like That" from his 2004 album Encore, and subsequently appeared in the video, with Eminem playing Triumph. Other appearances include Hollywood Squares, The Osbournes (Christmas Special) and Smigel's TV Funhouse.
In 2003 Triumph released his first album, Come Poop With Me, featuring adult comedy and songs, plus a bonus DVD of live performances by Triumph. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. Appearing with Triumph on the album and the DVD were singer-actor Jack Black, comic actor Adam Sandler, Saturday Night Live cast members Maya Rudolph and Horatio Sanz, "Blackwolf the Dragonmaster" -- a real-life fantasy/gaming fan who had once been targeted by Triumph during an infamous encounter with Star Wars fans, and Conan O'Brien himself.
In February of 2004, there was controversy surrounding a skit where Triumph hurled insults at French Canadians in Quebec.
On August 10, 2004, NBC released a DVD featuring select Triumph appearances from Late Night.
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