What time is it? It's Howdy Doody time!

     Howdy Doody was a pioneer in children's television programming that aired on television from December 27, 1947, until September 24, 1960. It was a television programming and set the pattern for many similar shows. It was also a pioneer in early color TV and NBC used the show in part to sell color television sets in the 1950s. 

     Buffalo Bob Smith created Howdy Doody during his days as a radio announcer. At that time, Howdy Doody was only a voice Smith performed on the radio. When Smith made an appearance on a television program called Puppet Playhouse on December 27, 1947, the reception was great enough that Frank Paris, a puppeteer whose puppets appeared on the program, was asked to create a Howdy Doody puppet. 

     Bob Smith, the show's host, was dubbed "Buffalo Bob" early in the show's run. At first the set was supposed to be a circus tent, but soon was changed to a western town. Smith wore cowboy garb, as did Howdy. 

     The name Howdy Doody was derived from the expression "howdy doody" or "howdy do," a commonplace corruption of the phrase "How do you do?" that was used in the western United States. 

     As both the character and television program grew in popularity, by 1948, toy makers and department stores had been approached with requests for Howdy Doody dolls and similar items. 

     Paris, who had created the puppet, and Bob Smith, who owned the rights to the character, got into an argument ensued between the two men. Paris felt he was being cheated out of any financial benefits and after one disagreement, he took angrily left the studios about four hours before the show was to air live and took Howdy with him. As a result, the live program with no Howdy. And, that wasn't the first time that happened. 

     The whereabouts of Howdy was hastily concocted...he was busy with the elections on the campaign trail. Even a map was constructed that allowed viewers toknow where Howdy was. During that time Howdy's appearance was improved and a couple of Disney animators designed a new, better looking puppet. The original Howdy had been called the ugliest puppet imaginable by Bob Smith. Howdy's voice would stay the same however. 

     A distinctive feature of the show was the Peanut Gallery, bleachers seating about 40 children. Each show began with Buffalo Bob asking, "Say kids, what time is it?" and the kids yelling in unison, "It's Howdy Doody Time!" Then the kids sang the show's theme song. This made it one of the first television shows with audience participation as a major component. 

     In many of the 1949–54 episodes the children sang jingles for commercials with Buffalo Bob or Howdy leading them. The products included Colgate toothpaste, Halo Shampoo, 3 Musketeers candy bars, Poll Parrot Shoes and Wonder Bread.

     Howdy Doody's face had 48 freckles, one for each state of the union. The Howdy marionette on the original show was operated with 11 strings: two heads, one mouth, one eye, two shoulders, one back, two hands and two knees. Three strings were added when the show returned—two elbows and one nose. 

     The popularity of the Peanut Gallery led executives at United Features Syndicate to use the name Peanuts for syndication of Charles M. Schulz's Li'l Folks comic strip, reportedly to the lifelong chagrin of Schulz. 

     The original marionette now resides at the Detroit Institute of Arts. There were duplicate Howdy Doody puppets, designed to be used expressly for off-the-air purposes (lighting rehearsals, personal appearances, etc.), although surviving kinescope recordings show that the duplicate puppets were occasionally used on the air. Besides Howdy, the other characters included both puppets and human characters. 

     The most notable human character was Clarabell, the mute clown who communicated in mime, by honking a horn on his belt and by squirting seltzer. Originally played by Bob Keeshan, who went on to create Captain Kangaroo, Clarabell was later played by Robert Nicholson and finally by Lew Anderson. Clarabell did not talk because he would have to be paid scale and it was a low-budget show. At the end of the final episode, telecast on September 24, 1960, Clarabell broke his silence to say the final words of the final broadcast: "Goodbye, kids." 

Judy Taylor

     Princess Summerfall Winterspring (portrayed by Judy Tyler) used the opportunity to starring roles on Broadway and eventually Hollywood, where she co-starred with Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock before dying in an auto accident in 1957.