Iconic director Tim Burton is taking his love of dogs to a new level by creating designs for PETA merch featuring his dog, Levi.
Dogs, of course, have been frequently featured throughout Burton’s film work, dating back to his classic stop-motion animated short Vincent, featuring Abercrombie, and the live-action short film version of Frankenweenie — featuring Sparky.
The dog characters Zero, Scraps and Sparky are also prevalent characters in the filmmaker’s stop-motion films Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride and the feature-length version of Frankenweenie, respectively.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have informed me exclusively that Burton has teamed up with the nonprofit animal advocacy organization to design one-of-a-kind custom illustrations featuring Levi for a limited-edition line of T-shirts, tote bags and bandanas. The merchandise will be available online at the PETA shop.
The illustrations that Burton designed for the PETA merchandise encourages prospective pet owners to alway “Adopt, Don’t Shop” and have their four-legged companions spayed or neutered. The items range in price from $6.99 to $54.99 and all proceeds from the sales of Burton’s line go to aid PETA’s animal advocacy efforts.
“This unique collection is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for fans, film buffs, and fashionistas to own an original piece of Tim Burton’s art and help homeless animals at the same time,” PETA’s Director of Communications Lauren Thomasson said in a statement. “PETA encourages everyone to pop into the PETA shop and snag this marvelous merch before it runs out.”
PETA Recently Honored Tim Burton With An Oscat Award
PETA noted that Tim Burton is the latest celebrity to team with PETA to promote pet adoption following acclaimed actors Ron Perlman, Tom Hardy, John Stamos, Dylan McDermott, Theo Rossi and Cristin Milioti.
In February, PETA awarded Burton with its 2024 Best Director Oscat award “for portraying animals through cutting-edge technology — including CGI, props, animatronics, and figurines — and casting his own dog” in his blockbuster Beetlejuice sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which was released in 2024.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, of course, featured the return of Michael Keaton as the Ghost with the Most, while Winona Ryder reprised her role as Lydia Deetz and Jenna Ortega — of Burton’s smash Netflix series Wednesday — joined the sequel as Lydia’s daughter, Astrid.
“With other nods to animal rights — like Astrid’s ‘Boycott Animal Testing backpack and a ‘Protect the Animals’ poster hanging in her dorm (yes, we noticed!) — Burton shows us that no decision is too small when it comes to creating animal-friendly cinema,” PETA noted on its Oscat honors page.
Burton’s love for dogs is chronicled in director Tara Wood’s Untitled Tim Burton Docuseries, which covers the director and artist’s life and work all the way from his childhood through the production of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Featuring interviews with several of Burton’s collaborators, including actors Keaton, Ryder, Ortega, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito, composer Danny Elfman and producers Denise Di Novi and Derek Frey, Wood’s Untitled Tim Burton Docuseries is still seeking a distributor.
The PETA merchandise with Tim Burton’s designs featuring his dog, Levi, is available on the PETA Shop website.