Djibouti Dog Names

Our pop culture spotlight for today is Frank, and he shares his name with many in Djibouti, where this name is among some of the newer and more popular ones utilized in the past several decades.  A diminutive of the Latin name of Francis, the name Frank is a term applied to Frenchman or freemen, one of many that, except for the French influence in the culture, may seem unlikely for use in an African nation.  

Frank is a Pug dog character (the role played by Mushu) who starred in the “Men in Black” movie and cartoon series.  He is unique as a canine character because he talks, and quite literally, tells it like it is!  Frank is an extraterrestrial in “Pug” disguise, who is living on Earth in the Big Apple (New York City). His real species being  “Remoolian,” he is the only known such alien on planet Earth, able to breathe our atmosphere without any respiratory equipment, those aliens said to be so small that they appear as small dogs, green in color with antenna and a three-pointed tail. 

In the “Men in Black” movies, Frank’s role is one of an informant partner to the various agents, adding his own “Pug-presence” to each of his adorable scenes.  He was so good in the first movie that the director included more scenes for him in the sequel in which he starred.  The suit-clad Pug added an interesting depth to the interactions between the agents in the first and second films, being given an increased number of scenes in the second one.  But alas, though he was such a good scene-stealer in "Men in Black" and "Men in Black II," Frank was not seen in person in the third sequel but was noted in a picture found in Agent J’s room.  In that film, Frank is also seen on a billboard denoting him as “The Incredible Speaking Pug” shown in the film when Agent J is pulled over by a police officer in Coney Island.  The lack of Frank’s physical presence was the result of the death of Mushu, the trained dog actor who was assigned his role.  The media has not forgotten Frank as he still graces the front cover art for “MiB: Alien Crisis,” and is Agent F in the “Men in Black III App game, still serving as a partner for the players.