The show Supernatural developed a large following since it first took to the airwaves on September 13, 2005. Sam Winchester, played by Jared Padalecki and his brother Dean, a role filled by Jensen Ackles, are hunters of evil, demons, warlocks, and all things malevolent. During their travels across the country, Sam and Dean have come up against dozens of nemeses and one of those is Crowley, a demon who rose to the rank of the King of Hell when he helped the Winchester brothers recapture Lucifer. Crowley (Mark Shepard in real life) is quick-witted and has a number of nicknames for people, including Sam. Sam, who towers over most, is undeniably large, making him an easy target for Crowley’s nicknames. One of the ones he calls Sam most often is Moose.
Many people believe this nickname is a play on the old cartoon show Rocky and Bullwinkle. Bullwinkle, the moose, wasn’t the brighter of the two characters, and he definitely overwhelmed Rocky in size. It seems kind of appropriate that now Crowley often calls Dean Squirrel to complete the set.
Crowley doesn’t just stop with one nickname for Sam, though. He has some others, including Gigantor and Sasquatch. Oh, and mustn’t forget Giraffe. And once a waiter called Sam Big Bird and fans loved the moniker.
It has also been suggested that Sam reminds Crowley of the comic book character named Moose in the Archie comics. Big, dumb, and gullible, Moose was often the fall guy for the other characters in the long-running comic book series. Moose was a loveable, big-hearted guy who was a good athlete and could be counted on to do the heavy work when needed.