Existing comment:
The Howdy Doody Show (1947-60):
More than any other program, The Howdy Doody Show got children watching television in its early years. The circus- and Wild West-themed show was so popular it became the first program NBC aired five days a week. Recognizing the massive size of its young audience, the show began to include corporate advertising within its skits and songs. Howdy Doody even had his own merchandising catalog, published in 1955.
Howdy Doody began his career as a bumpkin on the radio. On TV he soon changed into the familiar red-haired boy with forty-eight freckles, one for each state in the Union.
Howdy Doody marionette, 1949.
Board game, 1952. This game allowed kids to pretend they were at the TV studio with Howdy and his friends, including Clarabell the Clown and Hub-a-Dub, a bird-like puppet with cat's whiskers and a giraffe's neck. |