20 Things You Didn't Know About Friends

By Jack Morrell /

18. Pat The Dog Wasn€™t Just A Prop

Remember the huge white ceramic dog that Joey purchases when he moves into his own place in season two? Well, it seems that €˜Pat€™ wasn€™t just some random flea market purchase made by the props department to have the goofball seem even goofier. When Jennifer Aniston landed the role on Friends, she€™d already been cast in four failed TV comedies in four years: the last, Muddling Through, had literally just been cancelled. She€™d even gotten to the point where, bumping into NBC€™s head of entertainment while filling up her car, she€™d asked for validation for her choice of career. Fifth time was the charm, but it could easily have been the straw that broke the camel€™s back. Upon beginning work on the set of Friends, one of Aniston€™s friends gave her a rather familiar-looking huge white ceramic dog as a good luck gift. It certainly panned out well: and when Joey took his own chance and struck out alone after hitting the big time, she donated €˜Pat€™ to the props department. Who would have thought, though, that the animal would have so much staying power? Pat The Dog features prominently in six episodes throughout the series.