Deputy Dawg is a dim-witted Southern lawman, who, despite his own ineptitude, always manages to catch the bad guy. Deputy Dawg was first introduced on television in the fall of 1960. He became so popular in the South that these cartoons were released theatrically two years later. Many local stations ran Deputy Dawg from 6 to 7 p.m., directly competing with Hanna-Barbera cartoons. Ralph Bakshi has been credited with directing the last episodes.