MUNCLE MIKES · CASTING GUIDE
Mutt MobileThe dogs are part of the interior
Mutt Mobile gets its name from the dogs molded into the rear kennel area. The white top is the obvious removable piece, but a complete example needs the correct interior underneath it too.
Look beneath the lettered top
The 1971 Hong Kong Mutt Mobile has a black interior with dogs in the rear and a white plastic top with raised lettering. Both the top and interior are removable.
Check the top’s edges and attachment points for cracks or glue. View the dog detail without pulling firmly on old plastic; a better angle is preferable to breaking a clip for a photograph.
Odd Job leaves out more than the name
The related 1973 Odd Job omits the roof lettering and the dogs. Its base was adapted for through-hole wheels and gained protective details around the axles.
A blank top is therefore not always a worn Mutt Mobile top, and an interior without dogs is not automatically broken. Read the base and compare the full assembly. Adding a compatible top to a later car does not establish an original 1971 combination.
Describe the separate pieces separately
Record whether the top and interior are present, replaced or of uncertain origin. A clean replacement top can make a display look complete without answering the originality question.
Keep discoloration of the white plastic separate from chips in the painted body. Also check the exposed engine, front projections and wheel alignment; the kennel should not distract from damage elsewhere.
The Ice ’T’ guide covers another novelty vehicle whose removable parts matter to completeness.
Mutt Mobile and Odd Job side by side
Use the roof, interior and wheel-area details together. A changed top can hide the distinction in a side photograph. Ask for the assembly history before treating a compatible replacement as an original combination.
