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Why Do Bulldogs Make Us Crazy?

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mso489

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
Why are bulldogs so popular? Don't get me wrong, not everyone likes them, and some actively dislike them. However, when there is a line of pipes offered in different shapes, the bulldog, if offered, is frequently the first to sell out. Also, bulldogs often receive the most ardent and enthusiastic posts devoted to particular shapes. Here are a few of my ideas why bulldogs are so popular, and maybe others can add additional reasons. To avoid jabbering, I will list only three:
1. Bulldogs have both a settled form, characteristics that make them recognizable bulldogs, and an infinite variety of variations that keep them interesting.
2. Bulldogs have an unmistakably masculine look that is both rugged and dashing.
3. Bulldogs have an informality that makes them look offhanded without looking tacky or cheap.
Okay, you take it from there!

 
gloucesterman

gloucesterman

Lifer
Jan 4, 2015
1,858
11
Massachusetts
That's three excellent reasons. For me I just always loved the shape and to keep PAD attacks to a minimum I decided a number of years ago to limit my collecting to a specific kind of pipe. Rhodies and Dogs won out. I will on occasion stray but not often. It's a shape that has been both perfected and murdered but when it's done right it has a symmetry and balance that's hard to explain. It just speaks to me. A well done bent Bulldog with a tapered stem just flows.

 
F

frozenchurchwarden

Lifer
Mar 1, 2014
3,647
4,916
It has lots of angles when everything else is variations of round.

It's not too deep so cleaning is easier.

Thick walls make it heat up slower.
Everyone secretly wishes their nickname was Bulldog.

 
bungee

bungee

Can't Leave
Oct 31, 2015
372
5
Mso, I fully agree with your three reasons.
Also concur with Gloucesterman's remarks regarding symmetry, balance and flow.
I think they also remind us of a not very distant and a lot gentler past when every man just had a one pipe that was smoked everyday, and the imagery in our minds is usually associated with a bulldog or something similar to an Oom Paul.
Cheers,
J

 
mayfair70

mayfair70

Lifer
Sep 14, 2015
1,968
2
I like mine as it can serve as an impromptu weapon if necessary. Its quite a hunk of briar....

 
stvalentine

stvalentine

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 13, 2015
808
13
Northern Germany
They have that certain "englishness" to me. Can´t really pinpoint it but the pictures that come up in my head involve Englsih sportscars and Tweed flatcaps. :lol: Love those darn things...

 
cynicismandsugar

cynicismandsugar

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 17, 2015
773
4
Springfield, Mo
I'm feeling rather emasculated; I don't own a bulldog. Is this one of those things I need to keep hush—hush, for fear of losing my (Semi)Official Pipers Card?

 
didimauw

didimauw

Moderator
Staff member
Jul 28, 2013
9,964
31,880
34
Burlington WI
Yeah I don't own one either. Not on purpose, just haven't bought one yet I suppose. I do own the bulldogs red headed step brother the Rhodie though.

 
jpmcwjr

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,725
27,326
Carmel Valley, CA
Jeffrey-
The fact that you can publicly admit you don't have a 'dog means your masculinity is at least at the minimum acceptable level. So congratulations for that important first step. Now, go out and grow 'em larger by buying the heaviest bully you can find!

 
hiplainsdrifter

hiplainsdrifter

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 8, 2012
977
14
I think it is just because they are a classic shape. Seems like most people are leaning toward traditional shapes these days. I prefer the straight billiard or Canadian, but bulldogs are very cool too. I only have one but would like to have a few more. It can be hard to find a lighter weight bulldog though. I agree that they look relatively un-pretentious.

 
yalebullybriar

yalebullybriar

Lurker
Oct 28, 2015
7
0
I find the bulldog to be a beloved shape because it has an interesting aesthetic relation both inside and outside the pipe community. In the pipe community, it's "classic," "standard," and as such, smoking one becomes a way integrate within the whole history of pipe culture. Outside of the pipe community, the bulldog is different (read, "non-dublin") enough to elicit intrigue. I get more questions from the man-on-the-street about my bulldog than my freehands, normally along the lines of "that's a cool looking pipe. Not like my uncle's..."

Or, shoot, that's at least how I feel.

 
derfatdutchman

derfatdutchman

Lifer
Jun 4, 2014
1,134
1
The shape of a Bulldog pipe remind me of a wooden ship. They have a a keel that flows into a rounded hull then tapering back to deck.

 
drezz01

drezz01

Can't Leave
Dec 1, 2014
483
6
I think it is just because they are a classic shape
Click to expand...

the bulldog is different (read, "non-dublin") enough to elicit intrigue.
Click to expand...
I think these two comments mirror my point of view.
The bulldog is a robust but refined shape that has just enough embellishment to make it compelling - but not enough to take away from its disciplined utilitarian aesthetic. It's like the pipe version of a Norman Foster building.
There's also a surprising amount of variation achievable just from adjusting the angle from vertical of the heel and the angle from horizontal of the rim, and the distance between these two angles. It's a good platform for each carver to make their mark.
The inscribed lines that run around the diameter of the pipe at the intersection of these two angles are like a signature of the shape tying all of these renditions together under the same family.
... and then there's the rhodesian which is like a bastard cousin that doesn't get invited to thanksgiving

 
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