Despite the cultural insistence that “Seinfeld” was a show about nothing, the hit NBC sitcom always lived up to its original pitch as a show about how a comedian gets their material. Just about every stand-up routine involves an exaggerated version of the weirdos a comic has met in their life, and boy is this show loaded with them. Chances are, you could inadvertently end up on the show should you baffle Larry David or Jerry Seinfeld while they’re out and about. While the core four have encountered several outlandish strangers across their nine-season run, some have made enough of an impact to earn themselves a recurring role. It can happen through making a memorable impact the first time, falling into an ongoing story, or simply dating Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus).
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Even if you don’t know what Patrick Warburton looks like at first glance, you will once he opens his mouth, considering he’s one of the busiest voice actors in the industry. In “Seinfeld,” however, he plays David Puddy, a mechanic turned salesman who keeps having an on-again, off-again relationship with Elaine. What’s even funnier is they’ll sometimes go through that same rigmarole in a single episode, as is the case with the season 9 premiere.
The B-plot of “The Butter Shave” involves Elaine and David planning their return home after a month-long excursion in Europe. They break up in the cab on the way to their airport, but end up right back in one another’s arms during the 22-hour transatlantic flight back to New York. But right after they kiss and make up, rather than reading something or falling asleep, David just stares off into space. The act of staying awake during a flight while not doing anything would go on to become an online trend, one that Warburton believes he inadvertently had a hand in creating.
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Patrick Warburton believes he’s partially responsible for the ‘rawdogging flight’ trend
In the past few years, there’s been an uptick across social media of people attempting to go without any kind of mental or physical stimulation aboard their flight. The practice has been referred to as “rawdogging,” a term that has not only led to articles from GQ and Buzzfeed, but has also prompted the American Dialect Society to commemorate it as 2024’s Word of the Year. Warburton recently took to TikTok to take partial responsibility, as well as offer a PSA to those who want to “rawdog” for themselves (via People):
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“My concern is that somebody’s gonna get hurt and if you go into this blindly, you know what I’m saying? Just not reading, watching something, you better be okay with what’s going on up here [points to head], inside your ‘ol noggin. I’m not, but it’s weird and entertaining at times. Just be careful. That’s all I’m saying. It’s not for novices.”
“Seinfeld” is no stranger to causing a ripple effect, considering the series became a water cooler show after “The Contest” introduced people to being masters of their own domain. When was the last time you ever double-dipped a chip at a party without the fear of someone calling you out on it? If I’ve learned anything from being online, however, it’s that someone else has likely done the weird things we do on our own. All it takes is one or a few people to go viral while doing it, hence prompting a chain reaction.
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While Warburton technically never even says “rawdog” in the episode, David being the slow fuse epicenter of the trend isn’t out of the realm of possibility. The proof is in the Puddy. The term “rawdogging” has its roots in describing unprotected sex, but the term has evolved to encompass doing anything without protection or distraction. I’m sure Warburton’s parents weren’t happy about that either.
At first glance, I understand the mentality of meditating with a clear headspace. I’ve scrolled through the flight’s movie selection as a way to pass the time when I didn’t want to watch or read anything. But a plane is possibly the worst place to find peace unless you’re sleeping. Not only are you being jostled around by the turbulence, but the constant thrumming of the big metal bird is one distraction that would drive me insane. Rawdog responsibly, folks.
Every episode of “Seinfeld” is currently streaming on Netflix.