Pekes and Pollicle Dogs

The Pekes and Pollicles are characters from the scene "The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles" - they are the dogs whose fight is broken up by Rumpus Cat.

Pekes (Pugs, Poms)
Pekes (Pekingese), Pugs and Poms (Pomeranian), are all breeds of lap dogs, typically kept as pets rather than being working dogs. Pekes and Pugs are both breeds that originated in China, while Pomeranians originate from central Europe.

Pollicle Dogs
The etymology of "Pollicle" is "Poor Lickle (dog)", in the same vein as "Jellicle" being "Dear Lickle (cat)". Both terms first appeared in Eliot's 1933 poem "Lines to a Yorkshire Terrier". Pollicle Dogs themselves are said to be Yorkshire Terriers ("Yorkshire tyke"), which literary scholars believe to be a nod to Eliot's first wife's dog - a Yorkshire Terrier named Polly. The "Pekes and the Pollicles" poem also makes a reference to the Pollicles' "braw Scottish cousins" a.k.a Scottish Terriers.

For your Pollicle Dog is a dour Yorkshire tyke, And his braw Scottish cousins are snappers and biters, And every dog-jack of them notable fighters; And so they stepped out, with their pipers in order, Playing When the Blue Bonnets Came Over the Border.

There are dogs out of every nation,

The Irish, the Welsh and the Dane;

The Russian, the Dutch, and Dalmatian, And even from China and Spain; The Poodle, the Pom, the Alsatian And the Mastiff who walks on a chain. And to those that are frisky and frollical Let my meaning be perfectly plain: That my name it is Little Tom Pollicle - And you'd better not do it again.

Appearance
The ensemble Cats dress in bits and pieces of junk in order to represent the different dog breeds, with the female performers as the Pekes, Pugs and Poms, while the male performers are the Pollicles. Shoe boxes, yogurt pots, old cushions and slippers all go towards making a variety of recognisable dogs.

Role
As Munkustrap narrates, the ensemble quickly dress in bits and pieces that appeared to be part of the set. A solo Peke and a solo Pollicle meet initially, they are often played by Rumpleteazer and Carbucketty, but their identity changes between productions.