This is a 1984 Sheepdog, a dog-shaped van owned by dog groomer Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) of Mutt Cutts. He used "all of his life savings" to turn it into, well, this. There is an alarm system in the van which costs $200.
Affectionately nicknamed the Shaggin' Wagon, Dunne drives the vehicle around to cart some dogs around which ultimately gets him fired from his job, although he keeps the van, which he and his friend Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) take around the United States on their mortal travails. The van runs out of gas in Nebraska; with no money or gas they sell the van to purchase minibikes to get to Aspen, Colorado. Some 20 years later on their way to El Paso, Texas, Christmas and Dunne find the van and try to use it; it too has lived its life like a good dog and eventually breaks down and is abandoned again.
Two vans were built for the film, one from a Ford E-450 Econoline and another from a Chevrolet Van. The Ford van was used predominantly throughout the movie, with the Chevrolet used if the Ford "didn't make it". The vans were built by Grant Garrison "and two other guys", with the idea for the van coming from Sydney Bartholomew Jr. who conceived the characters and concept of Pee-wee's Playhouse.
1,700 square feet of shag carpet was used for the build, held down on the vans by liquid nails with some things bolted on. The van's nose was a fiberglass tube frame and the tongue was a speed bag. This van was apparently "very illegal" to drive on roads. A replica of the van using some of the original parts was constructed for Dumb and Dumber To; Carrey and Daniels reprise their roles as Christmas and Dunne in that film.
Now this casting was designed by Mark Jones and introduced in 2024 in the Pop Culture series. This is currently its only release.
