Krypto the Superdog might just be the breakout star of Superman, effortlessly stealing every scene he appears in. This mischievous yet heroic super-powered pup gives Superman as much trouble as he does help. Could Krypto now be more talked-about than Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, or even Superman himself? After leaving the theater this weekend, my kids only wanted to discuss one character: Krypto.
It appears Krypto is resonating with audiences more than anticipated. A report from The Wrap, citing data from the dog training app Woofz, reveals that Google searches for "adopt a dog near me" surged by 513% following Superman's release last weekend. Concurrently, searches for "rescue dog adoption near me" increased by 163%.
Other related Google searches saw a smaller, yet still significant, rise. "Adopt a puppy" went up 31%, and, as The Wrap noted, viewers were curious if they could adopt Krypto's specific breed—searches for "adopt a schnauzer" jumped 299%. (Krypto's exact breed remains a mystery since he's a CGI alien character. Has no one asked writer and director James Gunn for clarification yet?!)
What is well-known, however, is the real-life inspiration for Krypto: Gunn's own adopted dog, Ozu. Gunn shares that after rescuing the one-year-old Ozu, who had little prior human interaction, the dog proceeded to wreak havoc—chewing furniture and even nipping at his feet. It was then that a thought struck him: how chaotic would it be if Ozu had superpowers? This idea gave birth to Krypto and ultimately shaped Gunn's creative direction for Superman.
Responding to the news of the internet's Krypto-inspired spike in dog adoption interest, Gunn posted on social media: "This film has been a cascade of blessings for me, and this might be the greatest one."
Warning! Spoilers for Superman ahead:
