Feeling Nostalgic? Trivia Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Do you remember Mr. Do-Bee, the friendly bumblebee who taught young children polite behavior? How about Miss Nancy and Miss Peggy? This long-running children's TV show began in 1953 and ran until 1994 in some areas. What was it called?

Answer: Romper Room

Although it began as an American TV program, "Romper Room" later branched out internationally. The show targeted children five years of age and younger. The salutation "Miss" in front of a hostess's name was intended to teach children manners. Many of the hostesses had been teachers prior to hosting the show.

2. If you recall Mr. Greenjeans and Dancing Bear, you'll have no trouble identifying this hugely popular children's show that began in 1955 and ran for thirty years. Can you name it?

Answer: Captain Kangaroo

Bob Keeshan played the title role and Hugh Brannum played his sidekick, Mr. Greenjeans. Both played other roles on the show as well. Keeshan, who came up with the idea for the show, looked the way he did, gray wig and all, to appear more grandfatherly. Fred Rogers had the same idea years later when he donned his familiar sweater.

3. It began in 1953 in Detroit. Although this comedian had his own adult nighttime show, his children's show was a local hit with kids. In 1959 it was shown nationally and the name of it was changed. One feature of the later show was the host routinely getting pies thrown in his face. Name this show.

Answer: The Soupy Sales Show

Milton Supman was known professionally as Soupy Sales. His earlier show was called "Lunch With Soupy". It wasn't until 1959 that his show was changed to "The Soupy Sales Show" and allowed Soupy's comedic talents to be fully showcased. Besides the pie-throwing gags, there was the 'Soupy Shuffle' (you can watch it on YouTube) and puppets named White Fang, Black Tooth, and Pookie the Lion.

The rumor that Soupy used "blue" words on his show was apparently just that: a rumor. Asking kids to take money out of their parents' wallets to send to him really did happen. Soupy later apologized, claiming he only meant it as a joke and donated the money to charity.

4. What was the name of this early '50s children's TV show known for its lively host with the plaid suit and baggy checkered pants?

Answer: The Pinky Lee Show

Having starred in burlesque comedy, Pinky Lee, born Pincus Lett, was already adept at slapstick comedy when the show aired and no one appreciated Pinky's antics more than kids, myself included. "The Pinky Lee Show" was nominated for an Emmy and led the way for children's shows with a similar format such as "Pee-Wee's Playhouse", popular in the 1980s.

5. If you can remember this long-running "Claymation" kiddie show, featuring an animated clay duo, one of which was bright green, then you might remember its name. What was it called?

Answer: The Gumby Show

"The Gumby Show" ran from 1957-1968. The characters, a boy made out of green clay named Gumby, and his horse, Pokey, always managed to find adventures that appealed to young children. The man behind the stop-action clay animation(Claymation) was Art Clokey, a pioneer in that field. Clokey began his career as an artist creating commercials for Budweiser and Coca-Cola.

His 1953 short film "Gumbasia" was his first foray into clay animation and launched his career.

6. Put on your mouse ears and imagine you're a Mouseketeer singing and dancing alongside fellow Mouseketeers Jimmie, Karen, Cubby, and Annette. What show are you watching?

Answer: The Mickey Mouse Club

Walt Disney created the show which ran from 1955 to 1996. Many of the original cast members went on to do other projects. Annette Funicello starred in several "Beach Party" movies with '60s heartthrob Frankie Avalon. Don Agrati starred in the TV series "My Three Sons", billed as Don Grady.

The show itself was divided into two teams, red and blue with red being the most popular cast members. The white team existed only during the first year and after that merged into the blue team. This division of popularity was not lost on the team members.

7. I like to think this long-running kids' show was the granddaddy of them all. Remember Clarabell the Clown, Buffalo Bob Smith, and the red-headed marionette with lots of freckles? They all were part of which beloved children's show?

Answer: Howdy Doody

At the start of each show Buffalo Bob would always ask the children in the Peanut Gallery (part of the set) "Say kids, what time is it?" and they would always answer "It's Howdy Doody time!" The show ran from 1947 to 1960 and was hosted by Bob Smith who also co-created the show. Howdy Doody himself, a rather odd-looking marionette, had exactly 48 freckles on his face, one for each state in the U.S. Alaska and Hawaii weren't admitted until 1959, before the show ended. Since the show had a western theme, Howdy Doody was often dressed up in cowboy gear complete with cowboy boots, bandana, plaid shirt and jeans.

8. Beginning in 1955, a comedian and radio announcer named George Sandford Becker began televising his own children's show. Divided into various segments, some comical, some informative, what was the show called?

Answer: The Sandy Becker Show

Known by a shortened version of his middle name, Sandy Becker's show was filled with an assortment of entertainment for kids. He was very good at imitating accents and created the characters Hambone, a double-talking DJ, and a mad scientist by the name of Dr. Gesundheit. Even his hand puppets had accents. Becker also interviewed guests on his show, many of which were children. Sadly, since the shows were live and never taped, no footage remains. That's a shame because I really enjoyed watching this show.

9. Similar to "Romper Room", this show was aimed at very young children. The show was dubbed "nursery school of the air." Which show was it?

Answer: Ding Dong School

What used to be called nursery school is now called pre-school. The show ran from 1952-1956 and was hosted by "Miss Frances" (Frances Horwich) who held both master and doctorate degrees in education. The half-hour show began with Miss Frances ringing a big bell before talking about the topics of that particular day. Miss Frances developed the format, later adopted by Fred Rogers, of speaking to the viewers as if they were really there.

10. A popular kids' show in the 1950s featured a clown with a big red nose, big red hair, and big red mouth. Name this baby boomer favorite.

Answer: Bozo the Clown

Looking back on it now, Bozo was a bit scary-looking. But kids loved him. It might have had to do with his silly antics or his perpetually smiling red mouth. Bozo the clown first appeared in 1949 and later franchised to cities across the U.S. Each TV station hosted its own version of "Bozo the Clown" so each Bozo looked a little different. Larry Harmon bought the rights to Bozo in 1956 and appeared as Bozo, one of hundreds of actors who have played him over the years.

Source: Author nmerr

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor guitargoddess before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

All questions pertain to American children's TV shows shown during the 1950s. If you're feeling nostalgic then give this quiz a try.

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