Rick Liblong: Say, kids! What time is it? 

If you are not a Baby Boomer and someone asks you that, you probably would look at your watch or phone and say, “It’s quarter to five,” or whatever the current time was. However, if you ARE a Baby Boomer, you would instantly yell loudly, “It’s Howdy Doody time!!!” 

A few days ago, I was looking for something on YouTube. There was a long list of options along the right side of the screen and one of them was a documentary about “The Howdy Doody Show.” 

I clicked on it and magically I was 6 years old again, transported back to my home on Teeds Street, sitting in front of our black and white television set. I had my own Peanut Gallery though I sometimes shared it with neighbors Sally Sawyer or Bobby Stepnitz or cousin, John Liblong. Every weekday afternoon every kid I knew tuned in to Howdy. 

The first show went on the air live when I was 11 days old in 1947. So, I missed the first couple of seasons until I was old enough to sit up by myself and stare at the TV screen. 

Howdy Doody was a puppet. A marionette suspended from 11 strings to move his various parts. He had red hair (gray on my black-and-white TV) and 48 freckles, one for each state at the time. 

His human sidekick was “Buffalo” Bob Smith, a radio disc jockey from Buffalo, N.Y. Boomers will also remember many of the other characters on the show. Humans included: Clarabell the Clown, who never talked but ran around squirting people with seltzer water and honking
“yes” or “no” on two horns he carried; Chief Thunderthud, an Indian chief who taught us the word “Kowabunga”; and Princess Summerfall Winterspring, a Native American princess. Occasionally, there were others playing bit parts. 

Puppets, in addition to Howdy, were Phineas T. Bluster, the grumpy, skinflint mayor of Doodyville; Dilly Dally, Howdy’s naive, wide-eyed, and good-natured best friend, Flub-a-Dub, a combination of eight different animals in one odd-looking character; and a few others once in a while. 

The Howdy Doody Show was pure fun for us kids. There were bleachers in the studio holding 40 kids known as the Peanut Gallery. (This being the 1950s, there were no minority kids in the Peanut Gallery, unfortunately.) Buffalo Bob and Howdy interacted with the kids all through the show, and talked directly to us at home as well. 

Howdy was always smiling, upbeat and optimistic no matter what the issue at hand was. He was, and taught us to be, kind to everyone and make everybody feel welcome and part of the gang. He and Buffalo Bob also taught us to think to solve problems. Many of the traits still evidenced in Boomers came from that show. 

Merchants also learned to love The Howdy Doody Show. Advertisers could now appeal directly to kids who would then bug their parents into buying whatever Buffalo Bob and Howdy were touting. It was here I learned to eat Wonder Bread whose slogan was “helps build strong bodies 12 ways.” It started out as eight ways but they found four more somehow. 

My mom, and moms all over the country, also had to buy Hostess Cupcakes, Tootsie Rolls, Kellogg’s Rice Krispies, Campbell’s soups and numerous other products for their little rug rats. 

Ah, the good old days. Thank you Howdy and Buffalo Bob! 

OK, everybody sing 

It’s Howdy Doody Time. 
It’s Howdy Doody Time. 
Bob Smith and Howdy, too 
Say Howdy Do 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!  

Howdy Doody and Buffalo Bob 

Buffalo Bob, Chief Thunderthud, Clarabell with Peanut Gallery 

Dilly Dally, Flub-a-Dub, Howdy, Buffalo Bob, Mr. Bluster

— Rick Liblong is a local author, historian, and newspaper columnist from the Lapeer County area in Michigan. He is well-known in the Imlay City and neighboring Almont communities for his writing and dedication to regional history.