Last week, I decided to create a Twitter account for my dog Toby.** If Boo's fan page can garner over 6 million fans, then why can't my cute dog be famous, too?  I'm not the only one who feels this way. A quick search on Twitter yields literally hundreds of hits for pet profiles and pet  enthusiasts of all sorts. The advent of social media has opened the doors for everyone and their brother, or in my case pet, to try to become famous.

  
Almost famous Toby

If my dog is going to be the next Lassie, I figured I needed to brush up on my Hollywood animal knowledge, which this yenta has also decided to share with all of you! I'm not going to argue these famous animals are Jewish, though I think some are "Jew-ish."  We can all just agree they are cute.

Fievel Mousekewitz. No one can argue that Fievel is anything but a nice Jewish mouse. Even if he isn't real. In the Spielberg directed Fievel Goes West movie, The Russian-Jewish Mouskewitz family goes on a great adventure while emigrating to the Wild West.

Babe.  Ok, so Babe the pig is clearly traif. And…clearly adorable.  And since we don't eat pork, he'd also make the perfect pet for any Jewish household!

Charlotte. Charlotte is the only spider I will ever root for. She saves another friendly pig, Wilbur, from the slaughterhouse using her spider smarts and creativity. Got to give it to her even if she is a scary looking bug.

Benji. Benji is Toby's favorite celebrity, probably because they share so much in common. Like my pup, Benji was actually a shelter dog named Higgins. Also, like Toby, Benji is a small, super loveable mixed-breed dog who is always there to help someone overcome a problem. Everyone loves him and he loves everyone.

Lassie. While Benji is the epitome of man's best friend, Lassie is everyone's favorite hero dog. Lassie has been described as a dog with "intelligent, apprehensive eyes" that goes around saving people from danger. Clearly then, Lassie is Jewish. Also, did you know that the Lassie's descendants continue to play her today?

Mister Ed. Everyone knows Mister Ed can talk, just not to anyone besides Wilbur. But did you know that Mister Ed has a Jewish connection? Jewish rap group The Beastie Boys used a sample of Mister Ed's voice in their song "Time to Get III" from the album Licensed to III.

Garfield. Ok, another cartoon animal. But he earns a spot on this list for his personality traits: loud, likes to eat, especially Italian food, somewhat sarcastic and crotchety….sounds like anyone's Jewish grandfather? And we know Garfield isn't a fan of Christmas, "they say I have to get up early, be nice to people, skip breakfast...I wish it would never end." Clearly, this is a Jewish cat.

Famous cat Callie Cohen generously supports the Jewish United Fund with her earnings

Willy. Willy, the Orca whale, shatters the perception that all famous animals must be household pets. Willy aka Keiko had a long Hollywood career. Three movies. A famous Michael Jackson song written about him, "Will You Be There." Dozens of pop culture spoofs. Willy is one famous whale.

**And in case you were wondering, I'm not some stage mom. Toby is totally on board with pursuing stardom.  See what he has to say about it, here.

Who are your favorite famous animals?