Noodle (December2, 2022) was a

pug The Pug is a breed of dog with the physically distinctive features of a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. An ancient breed, with roots dating back to 400 B.C., they have a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, most ...

who gained popularity in 2021 after appearing in a series of

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

videos titled "Bones or No Bones". Noodle was honored by the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

in November 2021 for his positive impact on society and was the subject of a children's book published the following year. After making multiple public appearances, Noodle died on December 2, 2022, at the age of 14.

Bones or No Bones

Jonathan Graziano began posting the "Bones or No Bones" series on

in October 2021. He described it as "the game where we find out if my 13-year-old pug woke up with bones and, as a result, we find out what kind of day we're going to have". In each installment, Graziano lifts Noodle by his front legs to determine whether he will stand up or flop back down. He declares the day a "bones day" if Noodle stands, or a "no bones day" if he does not. A bones day is characterized by high ambition, productivity, and motivation, while a no-bones day places an emphasis on

self-care Self-care has been defined as the process of establishing behaviors to ensure holistic well-being of oneself, to promote health, and actively manage illness when it occurs. Individuals engage in some form of self-care daily with food choices, ...

, relaxation, and comfort. Graziano established the rules of the game after adopting Noodle at age 7. Once the series gained popularity on TikTok, it became widely discussed in pop culture. Several public figures referenced the series, including the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

football team, rock band

The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The ...

, and Louisiana Governor

John Bel Edwards John Bel Edwards (born September 16, 1966) is an American politician, attorney, and Army veteran who served as the 56th governor of Louisiana from 2016 to 2024. A Southern Democrat, he previously served in the Louisiana House of Representatives ...

. Noodle has been called a "pet influencer" for his ability to sway many viewers' mental health and impact their day-to-day plans.

Children's book

In Summer 2022, a

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The ima ...

titled ''Noodle and the No Bones Day'' was published by

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

. The story was written by Graziano and illustrated by Dan Tavis. It follows Graziano and Noodle on a particular no-bones day, with the stated goal of teaching children that it is "OK not to feel 100 percent all of the time". Graziano and Noodle appeared on ''

The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'') is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television ...

'' in June 2022 to promote the book and perform the ritual for a live audience. The pair also appeared for a reading of the book at the annual Walk for the Animals at Barktober Fest in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

New York Senate recognition

On November24, 2021, in observance of Senior Pet Month, Noodle was honored by the

in an official proclamation recognizing his service to the "community, State and Nation". It commended Noodle for "bring ngjoy and hope to New Yorkers during uncertain and challenging times". The proclamation was issued by New York Senator Samra Brouk in a ceremony at Lollypop Farm in

upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...

References

{{reflist 2022 animal deaths Animals on the Internet Male mammals Individual dogs in the United States 2008 animal births 2021 in Internet culture 2022 in Internet culture