Did Marilyn Monroe really name her dog after the mob?
Yes. Frank Sinatra gave Marilyn Monroe a white Maltese in 1960, his associates delivered the dog, and she named him Maf, short for Mafia, as a joke. In this episode of Our Next Collar, Maf explains the woman behind the famous version: the studio contract that tried to own her, the Actors Studio that finally took her seriously, and the president she sang to in a dress sewn directly onto her.
History remembers the famous. Their pets remember the person. On Our Next Collar, a brown tabby cat named Prince MoRee reaches the pets of history. One of them tells what they really saw. This episode is part of the Older Kids tier, for families ready to go a little deeper: same show, same honesty, told up a band and never grown-up. Tonight, a small, brisk Maltese who was there for the version of Marilyn Monroe the world rarely saw.
This episode is fully scripted and has passed the Talking With Pets accuracy review. The recording is in production. The audio player and the full transcript will appear right here the day the episode goes live. Join the founding list below and we will write to you when it does.
From the episode
Moose: Were you being fed enough? Because I want to establish that first.
Maf: I was a Maltese in Marilyn Monroe's apartment. I was fed very well.
Moose: (writing, relieved) Good. Now. The delivery situation.
Maf: Frank Sinatra gave me to her as a gift. His associates brought me. She named me Maf. Short for Mafia. As a joke about Frank's associates.
Moose: (a beat) She named you after the people who delivered you?
Maf: She thought it was funny. She was right. It was very funny.
Maf, the gift from Frank Sinatra in 1960, the Fox contract, the Actors Studio, and the Happy Birthday at Madison Square Garden are all real. His voice is ours.
Sources and further reading
- Maf the Maltese: gift from Frank Sinatra, 1960; name origin as a joke about the delivery. Documented biographical accounts of Monroe's later life.
- Marilyn Monroe Productions, founded 1954; study at the Actors Studio under Lee Strasberg. Documented studio and Actors Studio history.
- âHappy Birthday, Mr. President,â Madison Square Garden, May 19, 1962; the Jean Louis gown, documented with 2,500 rhinestones. Julien's Auctions catalog; Guinness World Records.
- Monroe's documented statement on Method acting; her death in the summer of 1962. Documented biographical record.
All historical claims above were checked in the Talking With Pets accuracy review, most recently the full editorial pass of July 2026.
Did Marilyn Monroe really have a dog named Maf?
Yes. Maf was a white Maltese given to Monroe by Frank Sinatra in 1960. His associates delivered the dog, and Monroe named him Maf, short for Mafia, as a joke about the delivery. Source: documented biographical accounts of Monroe's life from 1960 to 1962.
Did Marilyn Monroe really fight her own movie studio?
Yes. Twentieth Century-Fox held a contract that controlled her wardrobe, her interviews, and her roles. Monroe founded her own production company in 1954 and studied seriously at the Actors Studio under Lee Strasberg, who considered her one of his most talented students, in order to be taken seriously as an actress rather than sold as a product. Source: documented studio contract history; Actors Studio records.
What happened when Marilyn Monroe sang Happy Birthday to President Kennedy?
On May 19, 1962, at Madison Square Garden, Monroe sang for President Kennedy's forty-fifth birthday in a flesh-colored gown sewn directly onto her and covered in about 2,500 rhinestones. Kennedy joked afterward that he could now retire from politics having had Happy Birthday sung to him in such a sweet, wholesome way. Source: documented accounts of the 1962 Madison Square Garden gala.
Does this episode talk about Marilyn Monroe's death?
Briefly, gently, and near the very end. The episode spends nearly all of its time on her life, her work, and the quiet morning version of herself that few people saw. Her death in the summer of 1962 is acknowledged plainly, without dwelling on it, because the record should be honest, and then the episode returns to what it wants a listener to remember her by.
What is Our Next Collar, and is this episode good for kids?
Our Next Collar is an educational history podcast where a brown tabby cat named Prince MoRee reaches the pets of history, and one of them tells the true story of the person they knew. The core episodes are for ages 6 to 10, and this one is part of the Older Kids tier for ages 9 to 12, for families ready to go a little deeper. Every episode lists its sources and says plainly which parts are real and which are ours. It is a podcast from Talking With Pets.
Our Next Collar · the true stories only the animals saw.
Chaco, Roxie, Moose, Prince MoRee, and Armando are getting the pilot ready. Join the founding list and we will write to you when the first episodes go live. Listen with someone you like.