Howdy Doody was probably watched by nearly every Boomer born in the 1940's and early 1950's. If you had a television you watched this program. Buffalo Bob Smith, Clarabell, Mr. Bluster and all of the other characters made this program memorable. Buffalo Bob, Howdy and Clarabell were complex yet simply understood personalities. Children were exposed to what was then considered to be educational yet uncomplicated settings. The best programs were those I saw prior to 1954. For some reason after that time my focus changed to sports rather than what I then thought to be "kid stuff". Bob Keeshan, Later Captain Kangaroo, was the first Clarabell. He left the show around 1953 and ultimately went on to become Captain Kangaroo for two generations of kids. Clarabell never spoke, he used his horn to communicate. In the last program aired in 1960 Clarabell uttered his first and only words, "Goodbye Kids". If you have any thoughts on this program please let me know................
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