Full House is one of the most popular shows of its time, and it still exists today in reruns and its Netflix reboot, Fuller House. In the original show, the “full house” in question had three daughters, a dad, dad’s best friend, an aunt, an uncle, and two cousins. Talk about a lot of people!
Not only was the house flooded with people, but the series had its share of animals that made their way onto the screen as well. Some were ordinary pets, while others were a bit more unusual and exotic. Here are ten critters that crawled, swam, and flew onto the Full House set.
Dog
Perhaps the most ordinary and expected animal to appear on any show is a dog. The Tanners have a lovable golden retriever named Comet who came about in season 3 episode 7, “And They Call It Puppy Love,” after a pregnant stray named Minnie wound up in their backyard. Comet lived in the house for the rest of the series and was a prominent member of the household. He wasn’t the only dog to appear on the show. He had some other doggy friends over once for his birthday party and another time for a canine talent show!
Parrot
Michelle is starting preschool in season 3 episode 16, “Bye Bye Birdie,” and she’s a bit nervous. On her first day, she meets some new kids as well as the classroom pet Dave, a small bird who lives in a cage. When it’s storytime, Michelle opens the birdcage so that Dave can join, but he, unfortunately, flies out of the window.
Michelle is very upset and feels terrible about the mistake. (It wasn’t entirely her fault. How did the teacher not see this as a possibility?) The episode is not all sad though. Michelle and Danny go to get a new bird named Sammy who will live at the preschool as the new pet.
Turtle
The first animal toappear on Full House was Bubba the turtle in season 1 episode 4, “Return of Grandma.” While coming home from a gig with his band, Jesse stops at a red light on his motorcycle. When the light turns green, he can’t move forward because something is under his tire. All of a sudden, another vehicle comes speeding through the intersection where Jesse would have been. Under his tire was Bubba, the hero who saved his life! Jesse brings the turtle home, much to Danny’s dismay, and he chills at the Tanner house for the rest of the episode.
Chimpanzee
Danny’s sister is in town, and that can only mean one thing - she’s bringing her ape with her. Neat freak Danny is perfectly okay with this for some reason, so primate researcher Wendy and her pet chimp Ginger come for a visit in season 5 episode 18, “Too Much Monkey Business.” The chimp quickly becomes attached to Jesse and even sneaks into bed with him for a cuddle (and an interesting series of spankings for Jesse). Ginger gets into more trouble when she climbs out a window into a tree and then proceeds to lock Joey and Danny out when they go out the window to get her. That’s a lot of monkeying around!
Elephant
Michelle is turning three years old in season 3 episode 10, “The Greatest Birthday on Earth,” and she couldn’t be more excited! She’s having a circus party that Mr. Barnum would be envious of, with clowns, balloons, and even a lion tamer (or a golden retriever tamer). Michelle and Stephanie are just going to make a quick stop at a local garage with Uncle Jesse, and then it’s party time!
Unfortunately, they get locked in and can’t get out in time for the party! Uncle Jesse and Stephanie throw her a mini circus party right there, and luckily, there’s a surprise saved at the house when Michelle comes home: a real live circus elephant that she gets to ride on! What a happy birthday!
Horse
What child doesn’t dream of having their very own horse that they can groom and ride whenever they want? That’s precisely what DJ wants in season 2, episode 4, “DJ’s Very First Horse,” and she already has the horse picked out. His name is Rocket, and she rides him frequently at the nearby stables. Rocket’s owner is selling him, and this is the perfect opportunity for DJ, if only she can convince her dad. She decides to buy Rocket and bring him home until she can figure out what to do about stable fees. DJ was hoping to hide the pet from her father, but a horse is a bit hard to miss!
Ostrich
Season 8 episode 22, “All Stood Up,” brought one of the strangest animals into the mix. Jesse found out from his doctor that he has high blood pressure, and has to rest. After building a hammock and preparing to relax in the backyard, he and Kimmy Gibbler get into a battle of annoying each other that results in Kimmy getting an ostrich named Oscar from her Uncle Yohan’s budget safari. To make matters worse, it’s ostrich mating season, and Oscar thinks Jesse is his mate. From the looks of it, producers didn’t even use a real ostrich, which makes the incident even weirder.
Fish
Poor Michelle does not have the best luck with animals. After winning a fish at the fair in season 4 episode 17, “A Fish Called Martin,” she brings him home and prepares for owning her first pet. Joey explains all of the tasks involved in taking care of a fish, including keeping it clean.
Little Michelle misunderstands and puts Martin the fish in the bathtub to give him a bubble bath. Poor Martin does not make it, but Danny gets her a new fish (or several dozen in case the first dies) who ends up having babies!
Donkey
If you had 200 bucks to spare what would you buy? New clothes? Something to expand your favorite hobby? How about a donkey? That’s what Michelle buys with her cold hard cash in season 8 episode 6, “You Pet It, You Bought It.” and the donkey can’t be returned due to the fact that it came from a traveling petting zoo. He’ll have to stay the night as Danny thinks up a solution. The only problem is that the Donkey, whom Michelle names Shorty, makes horrible noises all night unless Uncle Jesse sings the theme from Three’s Company to him. What a pain in the ass!
Pig
This little piggy cried wee wee wee all the way to the Tanner’s home in season 6 episode 21, “Room for One More.” Stephanie and Michelle want to babysit Scruffy, the neighbor’s pet, and unbeknownst to Danny, he’s not a dog. Scruffy is a potbelly pig, and with a hog in the house, things can get a little hectic. Jesse stays home to do his radio show and take care of the boys in their attempts to prove to Becky that they should have another baby. When the pig gets loose, all organization goes out the window as a chaotic chase ensues. Looks like the only baby Jesse will be feeding is the piglet.
