The creator of Wallace and Gromit has revealed that the world\u2019s most famous stop-motion animated dog was nearly a cat.<\/p>\n
As Aardman Animations marks its 50th anniversary, Nick Park, who joined the studio in 1985, told the BBC<\/a> he had originally modelled Gromit as a feline companion for Wallace.<\/p>\n \u201cI had this idea of an English guy who builds a rocket in the basement of his house,\u201d said Park. \u201cI was thinking he may have a pet, probably a cat. I started modelling the cat and it was just very difficult, so I thought I\u2019d do a dog instead.\u201d<\/p>\n Sean Clarke, Aardman\u2019s managing director, told the broadcaster another of its characters, Shaun the Sheep, nearly spoke. The Wallace and Gromit spinoff \u2013 in effect a silent comedy with little or no dialogue \u2013 has been another success for the studio.<\/p>\n The Wallace and Gromit specials are firmly embedded in British popular culture and have had a surge of Oscar and Bafta wins. The studio includes Chicken Run, Early Man and Flushed Away among its other successes.<\/p>\n Chicken Run was the highest-grossing stop-motion film of all time, while Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl became one of the BBC\u2019s most-watched scripted shows<\/a> in two decades after it aired on Christmas Day in 2024.<\/p>\n Peter Lord and David Sproxton launched Aardman\u2019s studio in Bristol in 1976 with another beloved British children\u2019s character: Morph.<\/p>\n Aardman puppets are among the 220 lots up for auction this month to celebrate the studio\u2019s 50th anniversary. Photograph: Andrew Matthews\/PA<\/p>\n A number of exhibitions have marked the 50th anniversary this year, at venues including M Shed in Bristol\u2019s harbourside and the Young V&A in east London. The Royal Mint released a collectible 50p coin.<\/p>\n