Howdy Doody Trivia

1. Which character was known to yell "Cowabunga!"?

From Quiz "The Howdy Doody Show", Part Two

Answer: Chief Thunderthud

Cowabunga, or Kowabunga, was an exclamatory yell of surprise and anger used by Chief Thunderthud. Later cowabunga became a yell used by surfers, and also is used by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Cowabunga is now an accepted word and can be found in Webster's New Millennium Dictionary of English, Preview Edition.

From Quiz "The Howdy Doody Show", Part One

Answer: Bob Keeshan

Bob Keeshan was the original Clarabell. In 1952 he and three other performers hired an agent to represent them and negotiate raises. Soon they were fired (some say they quit). In 1955, Bob Keeshan came back on the air as Captain Kangaroo.

From Quiz When Baby Boomers Were Kids--"Howdy Doody"

Answer: Peanut Gallery

The show started with Buffalo Bob asking the Peanut Gallery, "What time is it?" and the chorus replied, "It's Howdy Doody time!". They all the sang the show's theme song to the tune of "Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay". If you can still remember the words, feel free to sing out loud.

From Quiz "The Howdy Doody Show", Part Two

Answer: Puppet Playhouse

Buffalo Bob started a radio show with a character named Elmer. The show was so popular his agent and NBC executives suggested that Buffalo Bob should develop a TV show. On 17 December, 1947, Buffalo Bob launched the 'Puppet Playhouse'. Within a week the show's name was changed to 'The Howdy Doody Show'.

From Quiz "The Howdy Doody Show", Part One

Answer: Heidi Doody

Heidi Doody was built by Margo Rose and had the voice of Norma MacMillan and Donna Miller. Heidi was introduced as a stranger who saved Buffalo Bob's life in Africa. Later, Heidi was adopted and became Howdy's sister.

From Quiz When Baby Boomers Were Kids--"Howdy Doody"

Answer: Yes and no horns

Clarabelle wore two horns attached to a box worn around his neck. The one on the right was "yes" and the left one was "no". Clarabelle also "communicated" by chasing Buffalo Bob and squirting him with seltzer water.

From Quiz "The Howdy Doody Show", Part Two

Answer: He ran for president of all the kids.

Howdy Doody supposedly ran for President of all the Kids in 1948, and again in 1952. Howdy's platform promised cut rate banana splits, two Christmas holidays, one school day each year, double sodas for a dime, plenty of movies, more pictures in history books, plus free circus and rodeo admissions. This first happened in 1948 which was really a cover for the puppet's absence when his creator, Frank Paris, walked off the show in a contract dispute, taking the puppet with him.

From Quiz "The Howdy Doody Show", Part One

Answer: Doodyville

Doodyville was the fictitious town founded by Chief Bungathud, grandfather of Chief Thunderthud. The first law of Doodyville stated, "Anyone absent from Doodyville for more than 10 days would not be allowed back."

From Quiz "The Howdy Doody Show", Part Two

Answer: Ta Ra Ra Boom Dee-ay

Sung to the tune of 'Ta Ra Ra Boom Dee-ay', the lyrics to the Howdy Doody theme song were written by Edward Kean and went like this: "It's Howdy Doody time/It's Howdy Doody time/Bob Smith and Howdy Doo/Say Howdy Doo to you.///Let's give a rousing cheer/'Cause Howdy Doody's here./It's time to start the show/So kids, let's go!" Kean also wrote 'The Goodbye Song', the 'Clarabell' song and Flub-A-Dub's theme song 'Meatballs and Spaghetti'.

From Quiz When Baby Boomers Were Kids--"Howdy Doody"

Answer: William Shatner

William Shatner played Ranger Bob in 1954 before being beamed up into bigger roles. Nick Nicholson (no relation to Jack) was Clarabelle after Bob Keeshan. Marlon Brando was not on "Howdy Doody" since they never made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Tom Cruise is probably way too young to even know who Howdy Doody was.

From Quiz "The Howdy Doody Show", Part Two

Answer: The Triple B Ranch

Triple B stood for Big Brother Bob. The main character was a puppet named Elmer, a nerdish country-bumpkinish character. On the new TV program, 'Puppet Playhouse', Elmer who now sported western wear would open with the greeting, "Well, uh, howdy doody!" The term 'Howdy Doody' stuck and Elmer was soon being called Howdy Doody. The name of the show was changed with a week.

From Quiz "The Howdy Doody Show", Part One

Answer: eight

Flub-A-Dub had a duck's head, a cat's whiskers, a giraffe's neck (encircled with rings), a cocker spaniel's ears, a seal's flippers, a raccoon's tail, a dachshund's body and the memory of an elephant. After being brought to the show, Flub-A-Dub was given to Clarabell to have as his pet.

From Quiz When Baby Boomers Were Kids--"Howdy Doody"

Answer: 48

Howdy had one freckle for each state; this was before Alaska and Hawaii were admitted.

From Quiz "The Howdy Doody Show", Part Two

Answer: four

The original Elmer/Howdy Doody was last seen on the show when his creator, Frank Paris, walked off in a contract dispute taking the puppet with him. For the next nine months the audience was told that Howdy was away campaigning for president then having plastic surgery. He was only seen with a bandaged face. In reality, a new Howdy Doody puppet was being created by Walt Disney Studio artist Thelma Thomas who did the face/head and Scott Brinker who built the body. There were three of the new Howdys made. The puppet for close ups was HOWDY DOODY, the one for long shots was called DOUBLE DOODY, and the one for photo ops without strings was called PHOTO DOODY.

From Quiz "The Howdy Doody Show", Part One

Answer: South America by Buffalo Bob

Originally his name was Fludub. The '-A-' was added later to make it easier to say. The creation of the Flub-a-Dub character resulted from the absence of the host, Buffalo Bob, while he was on vacation in the Caribbean during February of 1949. He told the kids in the Peanut Gallery that he was going on an expedition to South America to capture the legendary Flubdub.

From Quiz "The Howdy Doody Show", Part One

Answer: The Bluster National Bank

The president of the Bluster National Bank was Phineas T Bluster, the grumpy Mayor of the town. All good children's shows must have a villain, some one to boo, and Phineas T. Bluster was the requisite villain on the 'Howdy Doody Show'.

From Quiz When Baby Boomers Were Kids--"Howdy Doody"

Answer: first original TV show that had not previously been a radio show

Howdy was first introduced on radio by Bob Smith on the Triple B Ranch Show as a character named Elmer who was always introduced with "howdy doody". The TV show ran for over 2000 episodes. NBC was an early pioneer with color TV and Howdy was on in living color in 1955.

From Quiz "The Howdy Doody Show", Part Two

Answer: spaghetti and meatballs

Originally the Flub-A-Dub's favorite food was the flowers on his hat. The show got too many complaints that children were eating flowers in their parents' gardens, so his favorite food was changed to spaghetti and meatballs. To help make this change Edward Kean wrote Flub-A-Dub's theme song, 'Meatballs and Spaghetti'.

From Quiz "The Howdy Doody Show", Part One

Answer: He had 48 freckles, representing the 48 states in the U.S.A.

The Howdy Doody puppet we remember was the second puppet. The second Howdy was created by Walt Disney Studio artist Thelma Thomas who did the face/head. Howdy's freckles appeared when the new version was unveiled in 1948 and he became the all American, red-haired, freckle-faced boy we all knew so well with one freckle for each state.

From Quiz When Baby Boomers Were Kids--"Howdy Doody"

Answer: Buffalo Bob

Buffalo Bob prerecorded Howdy's lines before the show and an engineer played them back at the appropriate time. June Foray, among other credits, was the voice of Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Natasha Fatale. Don Pardo was an announcer for "The Price is Right", "Jeopardy", and "Saturday Night Live". Frank Paris made the original Howdy Doody marionette; when merchandising of the character was first started, there was a dispute about money. Paris kidnapped the marionette from the studio just before a show was to go on live and a "new" marionette was later made by Velma Dawson.

From Quiz When Baby Boomers Were Kids--"Howdy Doody"

Answer: Double Doody

Double Doody, Howdy's brother, is enjoying his retirement at the Smithsonian Institue. After a custody battle when Buffalo Bob Smith died, Howdy is living at the Detroit Institute of Arts. His sister was Heidi Doody and there was Photo Doody, who was not a marionette but was used at photo ops.

From Quiz "The Howdy Doody Show", Part Two

Answer: Smith

Buffalo Bob Smith was born Robert Emil Schmidt in Buffalo, NY on Nov. 27, 1917. In the early episodes of 1947 he was known only as Mr. Smith but by 1948 he was being addressed as Buffalo Bob. Smith joined an NBC radio station in Buffalo, New York, at the age of 17 where he was groomed to be the network's answer to Arthur Godfrey. In late 1947 Bob Smith was asked by NBC to create a live one-hour TV program for children. He was given four days to create this show and get it on the air.

From Quiz "The Howdy Doody Show", Part One

Answer: Princes Summerfall Winterspring

Princess Summerfall Winterspring was in the USA version while Princess Haida was in the Canadian version. Princess Summerfall Winterspring was first played by Judith Hess under her professional name Judy Tyler, then by Gina Genardi and briefly by Linda Marsh. Thelma Dawson played Princess Summerfall Winterspring's counterpoint on the Spanish version. Princess Haida was played by Caryl McBain.

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