History WesternAnimation / DogCity

** In one episode, Bugsy hired a gangster who looked like a puppy named Puppyface Halfnelson to help with a bank heist.

* BadlyBatteredBabysitter: Inverted in "Adventures in Puppysitting" when Ace is left to care for a baby (really a grownup thief named Puppyface Halfnelson that only looks like a pup). Ace endures some slapstick to protect the "baby," but he gets out of it without major injuries and merely leaves some destruction in his wake. However, the overall experience terrifies Halfnelson, who condemns Ace as a BabysitterFromHell and confesses to his crimes just to get away from him.

* GooGooGetup: Puppy-Face Halfnelson from "Adventures in Puppy-Sitting" is a thief disguised as a baby hired by Bugsy to steal Zsa Zsa Gbark's Hope on a Rope diamond. When Ace is tasked with looking after Halfnelson, he believes him to be a real baby, enduring some slapstick trying to protect him.

* PunnyName: Puppyface Halfnelson was named after real life bank robber George "Babyface" Nelson. Terri Springer was named after... [[Series/TheJerrySpringerShow guess]].

* VillainTeamUp: One of the fan letters in "Out of the Mouths of Pups" suggests one, leading to Ace facing Meat, Halfnelson, and Screwy Louie for a few scenes.

-->'''[[TheNarrator Rowlf]]''': That's Ace Yu. Get it? Boy, if that isn't the setup for a gag, I don't know what is.
-->'''Ace''' (to the bartender): "I am Yu."
-->'''Bartender''': "You are me?"
-->'''Ace''': "No, Yu! Y-U." (The Bartender looks confused) "Look, it's simple: Yu is me!"
-->'''Bartender''': "Yu is you?"
-->'''Ace''': "Right."
-->'''Bartender''': "So who is me?"
-->'''Ace''': "Oh! Hu is you? Pleased to meet you, Hu!"
-->'''Bartender''': "Now I am confused..."
-->'''Ace''': "But you used to be Hu!"
-->'''Bartender''': "What?"
-->'''Ace''': "... Call me Ace."

--> Ace: "[[DeadpanSnarker You really know how to deflate a guy's alter ego, kid.]]"

* ScoobyDoobyDoors: "Comedy of Horrors", featuring blink-and-you'll-miss-them cameos of other characters, up until Ace and [[CardCarryingVillain Baron]] [[GratuitousGerman von Rottweiler]] crash.
--> Ace: "[[LeaningOnTheFourthWall This is getting silly...]]"
--> Baron Von Rottweiler: "Ja, it's not something I'd want mamma to see."

--> Ace: "[[AnimatedActor Eliot, please, not the ol' multi-door routine...]]"

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar
** Colleen Barker's musical number:
--->'''Colleen:''' ''(singing)''
--->''"Don't care if he's a big dog.''
--->''I don't care if he's rich.''
--->''He'll be my ever-lovin' puppy,''
--->''and I'll just be his—"''
--->'''Rowlf:''' [[CurseCutShort HEY!]] ({{beat}}) [[BreakingTheFourthWall Welcome to family programming, folks!]]
** Also Miss Belle says she's seen Colleen before:
--->'''Miss Belle''': Always lookin' down her snout at ya, like she's somethin' special! I've seen her doin' tricks on street corners! "Jump through a hoop for a quarter, sir? Catch a frisbee for a dime?"
** At the end of a car chase soon after, Ace's car almost drives off of a dock, coming to a halt just after the two front wheels go over the edge. Colleen remarks that they almost got wet, to which Ace replies, "What do you mean, ''[[ToiletHumour almost]]''?"

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: After falling head over heels for Terri, Eliot starts getting rather...excited with Rosie's characterization. As a result, she shifts between criticizing and trying to seduce Ace, much to the private eye's chagrin. Ace declares that Eliot needs "a little cooling off" and, by slamming a hammer in the cartoon world, knocks a glass of ice water onto Eliot's crotch. Works like a charm.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Are Ace and Eliot actually having fourth-wall breaking conversations, or is it entirely in Eliot's head? On one hand, Eliot is the only one Ace is ever shown talking to. On the other, you have cases like the GettingCrapPastTheRadar example above, where Ace is somehow able to shake the desk despite being a two-dimensional character outside the show's real world.

* BadlyBatteredBabysitter: Inverted in "Adventures in Puppysitting" when Ace is left to care for a baby (really a grownup thief named Felson that only looks like a pup). Ace endures some slapstick to protect the "baby," but he gets out of it without major injuries and merely leaves some destruction in his wake. However, the overall experience terrifies Felson, who condemns Ace as a BabysitterFromHell and confesses to his crimes just to get away from him.

* DoggedNiceGuy: Pun not intended, but Eliot counts as he an never seem to hook up with the attractive GirlNextDoor.

* GooGooGetup: Puppy-Face Felson from "Adventures in Puppy-Sitting" is a thief disguised as a baby hired by Bugsy to steal Zsa Zsa Gbark's Hope on a Rope diamond. When Ace is tasked with looking after Felson, he believes him to be a real baby, enduring some slapstick trying to protect him.

%%* LimitedWardrobe

* VillainTeamUp: One of the fan letters in "Out of the Mouths of Pups" suggests one, leading to Ace facing Meat, Felson, and Screwy Louie for a few scenes.

In the series, Ace became private eye Ace Hart, and Bugsy became Bugsy Vile. They also became cartoon characters, with the original puppet versions becoming Eliot Shag, the cartoonist, and Bruno, the super of his apartment building. Other characters from the special were transplanted similarly; the character appeared in the cartoon, and the puppet appeared as someone in Eliot's building, supposedly inspiring him to create the animated version. Ace and Eliot would also have conversations with each other about the progress of the stories and how Eliot uses what he draws in the cartoon to solve problems in his real life.

* PoliticiansKissBabies: In an episode, Dogfather Bugsy Vile rigs a mayoral election and wins with just five votes. Among his duties are kissing babies and christening a ship with champagne bottle. Hilarity ensues when he gets the two just a little mixed up....

* LimitedWardrobe

* NotHyperbole: In "The Big Squeek", Bugsy works over Ace to get info on a specific squeaky toy needed to open a large safe.

'''''Dog City''''' was an animated/Muppet series on the [[Global Television Network]] based on a half-hour segment in ''Series/TheJimHensonHour''. The original "Dog City" was about an anthropomorphic German Shepherd named Ace Yu, facing bulldog gangster Bugsy Them (the Dogfather) in a ''film noir'' environment, and in 2010 was released on DVD from Lionsgate, excluding the ''Jim Henson Hour'' part. The episode was popular enough to become a full-fledged series on Creator/FoxKids with Creator/{{Nelvana}} providing the animation.

'''''Dog City''''' was an animated/Muppet series based on a half-hour segment in ''Series/TheJimHensonHour''. The original "Dog City" was about an anthropomorphic German Shepherd named Ace Yu, facing bulldog gangster Bugsy Them (the Dogfather) in a ''film noir'' environment, and in 2010 was released on DVD from Lionsgate, excluding the ''Jim Henson Hour'' part. The episode was popular enough to become a full-fledged series on Creator/FoxKids with Creator/{{Nelvana}} providing the animation.

* WritingYourselfIntoACorner: Invoked in the first episode, when Elliot gets so into the story he drops a safe on Ace and co. without thinking how they could conceivably get out.

* AndYouWereThere: Almost; the animated characters are counterparts to the Muppet characters, but have different voice actors)

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute (Terri Springer replaced Colleen as Eliot's love interest. Suprisingly, she was voiced by the same actress, the writers just thought she'd be a more interesting character)

* GooGooGetup: Puppy-Face Felson from "Adventures in Puppy-Sitting" is a thief disguised as a baby hired Bugsy to steal Zsa Zsa Gbark's Hope on a Rope diamond. When Ace is tasked with looking after Felson, he believes him to be a real baby, enduring some slapstick trying to protect him.

[[caption-width-right:350:The cast of ''Jim Henson’s Dog City''… or is that ''Eliot Shag's Dog City''?]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Or is that ''Eliot Shag's Dog City''?]]

** Amounts of time being translated into dog years
** Ace's plans for a halfway/quarterway/eighthway/fifteen-sixteenthsway house for orphans

* TheAce: Deconstructed in an episode where a sleepy Eliot dreamily inserts himself into the cartoon. The animated version of Eliot then promptly goes on to solve the case, beat the bad guys, and scores points with Rosie [[CanonSue without any effort]]. This ultimately just pisses Ace Hart off and drives a wedge between he and his friend and creator.

** The mysterious Vandalizer in "The Dog Days of Summer Vacation" is the last person Ace would've suspected: Eliot. He worked out the animated story because he didn't want to be alone while literally everyone he knows left for vacation. When it's pointed out Artie and Colleen invited him to join their vacation, Eliot says he also didn't want to leave Ace behind.

* JustFriends: Candace says she and Brusier are just friends who have fun together, and he doesn't disagree. Sensing an opportunity to become in-laws with a wealthy family, Bugsy asks if they're ''good'' friends.

* TokenGoodTeammate: Bruiser is an admitted criminal, but he's generally pleasant and kind to everyone.

* TheAce: Deconstructed in an episode where a sleepy Elliot dreamily inserts himself into the cartoon. The animated version of Elliot then promptly goes on to solve the case, beat the bad guys, and scores points with Rosie [[CanonSue without any effort]]. This ultimately just pisses Ace Hart off and drives a wedge between he and his friend and creator.
* ActuallyNotAVampire: "The Bloodhound" is a two-fer. Elliot gets spooked by a new neighbor in a cape that whisks Colleen away to a secluded spot. The ending reveals the guy is just an eccentric voice teacher. Over in the cartoon, someone is dressing up in a cape and going around biting dogs at night. Many (including Eddie) believe he's a real vampire, but Ace remains skeptical of that and only pursues the case as a matter of public safety. Ultimately, Ace figures out that the supposed vampire is actually the city's mailman; the guy wanted revenge for getting bitten by every dog every day.

* BadlyBatteredBabysitter: Inverted in "Adventures in Puppysitting" when Ace is left to care for a baby (really a grownup thief that looks like a pup). Ace endures some slapstick to protect the "baby," but he gets out of it without major injuries and merely leaves some destruction in his wake. However, the overall experience terrifies the supposed baby, who condemns Ace as a BabysitterFromHell and confesses to his crimes just to get away from him.

* CatsAreMean: The only cat character in Dog City is Kitty, Bugsy's gun moll. And in the real world, Elliot's landlord.

* DidNotGetTheGirl: Elliot insists that this has to be the case for all lone wolf FilmNoir detective characters, though it doesn't stop Ace from trying to avert this trope.

* DoggedNiceGuy: Pun not intended, but Elliot counts as he an never seem to hook up with the attractive GirlNextDoor.

* ExecutiveMeddling: Done in-universe, especially in "Ya Gotta Have Hart." First, Elliot's boss wants the show to be retooled from a FilmNoir detective series to a stylish "Beverly Hills cop" show. Later in that same episode, he tries making an Ace Hart film for a French director who turns it into a surreal fantasy, and then attempts a comic book, only for the execs to turn Ace into a superhero.

* NotMeThisTime: Bugsy and his gang are framed in "Is It Arf?" for stealing art. Bugsy professes his innocence (since it's not a senseless crime) and goes to Ace to prove his innocence.

* SelfInsert: Elliot did this once. He then made his character an even better detective than Ace who even attracted attention from Rosie. Ace was not amused.

* WriteWhoYouKnow: In-universe. All the various characters in the cartoon world appear to based on the dogs Elliot knows in real life. Rosie is the pretty GirlNextDoor he crushes on, Bugsy Vile is his obnoxious superintendent, Kitty is his landlady, and so on.

* BetterTheDevilYouKnow: When both Bugsy Vile and Meat fight for who is the city's top villain, Ace gladly roots for Bugsy (who is a handful but not a deranged lunatic).

* EvilerThanThou: Bugsy and Baron von Rotweiller.

'''Eliot:''' ''Well, sometimes it's just staring you in the face.''

'''Eliot:''' ''[[StealthInsult Well, sometimes it's just staring you in the face]].''

'''Eliot:''' ''Well, sometimes it's just staring you in the face.''