UBU Productions

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UBU Productions, Inc., is a production company founded by producer Gary David Goldberg. Its notable productions include Family Ties (1982-1989), Brooklyn Bridge (1991-1993), and Spin City (1996-2002).

UBU's "mascot" is Goldberg's dog Ubu Roi, a black labrador retriever. The closing tag for UBU's productions is a photograph of Ubu Roi with a flying disc in his mouth, with a male voice saying: "Sit, Ubu, sit! Good dog!" This is followed by a bark. The dog was named after Ubu Roi, an 1896 play by Alfred Jarry that is considered the defining classic of the Dada art movement in theater. Ubu died in 1984.

[edit] Cultural References

A 2005 episode of Family Guy pays homage to Ubu. When Peter and his friends attend an '80s TV Convention, a sign at the front door reads, "In Loving Memory of Ubu." The show also makes an oblique reference in the 2000 episode "Running Mates", where Peter ends a speech with the phrase "Sit Ubu, sit. Good dog." In the French audio track, Peter "explains" that Ubu is his dog--perhaps because French audiences would not have been familiar with Ubu Productions. The Robot Chicken episode " Easter Basket" has a similar logo at the end where an image shows an image similar to Ubu and the frisbee but no text whatsoever. While a man says " Sit Ubu, sit." The screen then cuts to black when he says " Bad dog." and the dog sounds like he's causing bad things.