Asta in The Thin Man movies was a Wire Fox Terrier.

Quick Scoop

  • In the Dashiell Hammett novel, Asta was originally written as a female Schnauzer, but the films changed the character to a male Wire Fox Terrier.
  • The dog who played Asta on screen was a talented canine actor named Skippy, a Wire Fox Terrier who appeared in many 1930s films.
  • Asta’s popularity in the films made Wire Fox Terriers hugely fashionable as pets in the 1930s, leading to a surge of interest in the breed.

In short: on screen, Asta is the iconic Wire Fox Terrier trotting beside Nick and Nora Charles, even though on the page the character started life as a Schnauzer.

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