The Super Bowl can keep its 100 million-plus viewers. Because the Puppy Bowl has got something much better: puppies! More than 90 of them—and all of them adoptable. There are kittens, too (they provide the halftime entertainment) plus Shirley the rescue sloth, who serves as the sideline assistant to Dan Schachner, who’ll be donning the black and white stripes for his eighth go as the big game’s “Rufferee.” With the help of Schachner, we’ve uncovered some things you might not have known about Puppy Bowl.

Safety is the top priority

Puppies will be puppies. And puppies don’t always play fair. In addition to a veterinarian, who is on the set throughout the program’s production, representatives from the Humane Society and each of the shelters whose dogs are being featured are on hand to ensure the safety of the competitors. This includes giving the puppies a break from the lights, camera and action every 30 minutes. For the 2019 event, 93 puppies from 51 shelters and rescue groups will be represented.

“Game day” occurs in October

Puppy Bowl is not a live broadcast. It’s shot over the course of two days in October. “That element takes people aback,” Schachner tells Mental Floss. But the reason why is totally understandable. “It’s three months of preparation because it’s two full days of shooting,” Schachner says. “Plus it’s 21 cameras on the field. So that’s a lot of footage to edit and turn into a two-hour show.

Peanut butter is the production team’s best friend

Just how does the production team manage to get all those adorable close-ups? Easy: Peanut butter. Of the dozens of cameras used to capture all the on-field action, one is mounted beneath a glass-bottom water bowl while others are hidden in the dogs’ chew toys—but not before they’re smeared with peanut butter to attract the competing canines.

The cheerleaders are always changing

In 2010, the Puppy Bowl added a bit of ra-ra-ra to the production when it included a team of bunny cheerleaders. In 2011, chickens were the animals cheering on the sidelines. In 2012, the chicks were replaced by a Piggy Pep Squad, followed by a team of hedgehogs in 2013, a group of peppy penguins direct from the Columbus Zoo in 2014, five Nigerian dwarf goats in 2015, “five big-haired silkie chickens” in 2016, a squad of rescue rabbits and guinea pigs in 2017, and a barnyard ground of ducklings, piglets, and baby bunnies in 2018. For 2019, a group of baby kangaroos will be pumping up the crowd.

Lack of energy is cause for disqualification

“We’ve had penalties when puppies are too rambunctious, but also when they’re too lazy,” says Schachner of the behaviors that can disqualify a pup from competition. “That’s called ‘illegal napping’ or ‘excessive napping.’”

“Pancaking” is a no-no

When asked about the oddest penalty he has ever had to heap on a competitor, Schachner recalls “one puppy that was literally flattening other puppies. Puppies will shove and bite and sniff and tackle. But there was one puppy that was literally jumping up and landing on the backs of the other puppies. So we made up a foul then called pancaking. We sent her back 15 yards.”