Captain Kangaroo

AFTER MILESTONES IN a career that included gigs as Clarabelle the Clown on the HOWDY DOODY Show and another short lived series called TINKER, the good Captain came into our living rooms and entertained and instructed close to 3 generations of rug-rats.

THE GENISIS OF the CAPTAIN KANGAROO longevity was born in that TINKER Series; as we once heard Mr. Keeshin, himself the Captain, relate in an interview. There would appear to be no secrets here. The methods employed by the show's production team were those that any parent would instinctively gravitate toward after spending their time with their own offspring.

THEY TOOK A SORT of nonsensical and cute name, hung it on a character who was decked out like a cartoon character and mixed in generous portions of music, comic sketches and soft sell instruction on good manners and behaviour. Special guests and special examinations of varying subjects were a staple. Captain Kangaroo was so well assisted by Mr. Greenjeans (Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum) for so many years.

THERE WERE MANY showings of some made for TV cartoon series from TERRYTOONS, by then a subsidiary of the COLUMBIA BROADCASTING SYSTEM'S Television Network. Titles shown included: TOM TERRIFIC, DEPUTY DAWG and LARIAT SAM.

The passing of Robert (Bob) Keeshan , is another Hallmark of a distant memory... The legacy of Captain Kangaroo, cannot be measured in time, but by Love... of the many Children he has touched, with his honesty, and self-sacrificing humor...There are not enough words that can express, the heartfelt appreciation, to this Gentle Giant , of the airwaves... He saw the world for what is was, and tried to make it better, by developing a program designed to reach the HEARTS of Children, as well as their minds, something , politically developed programs , miss by a mile..

So go in peace Captain, Know that your touch was not in vain, for you changed the World , more than you can imgine....

As a child growing up in the 1960's, Captain Kangaroo was a children's program, with good moral values. We are going to miss Bob Keeshan, who played him. Not to mention his farmer friend Mr. Greenjeans, played by Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum. They are both deceased. Captain Kangaroo had other characters. Mr. Baxter, Debbie Weems, Bunny Rabbit, Grandfather clock, Magic drawing board, the old time radio and lets not forget Mr. Moose, who always dropped ping pong balls, on the Captain. I wish they would release the fourth of July program on VHS and DVD Captain Kangaroo Americana. Tells the history about our nation. At the end of the program the Captain would say Have a nice day, be good to your Mother. I like the theme Puffin Billy, better than Good Morning Captain. One time he had Pearl Bailey, on his show. Bunny Rabbit kept playing Won't you come home Bill Bailey, so Pearl would give him a carrot. Overall I enjoyed this show as well as Bozo The Clown. You never can be a child again. We need more children's TV shows like this, with moral values.

Captain Kangaroo and I were born in the same year - 1955. I watched him religiously as kid and learned so much from this show. So much I didn't appreciate or realize I was learning until much later. For instance, my love of art I now attribute to the Magic Drawing Board doing his stuff to kids' songs. I also became a great reader, I think, mostly because of the Captain reading books to us kids. "Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel" was always one of my favorites, and I got a copy of it for myself when an anniversary edition was published a few years ago. Bob Keeshan as the Captain was always kind and wonderful, polite and intelligent. As an adult, I can't remember that he ever talked "down" to us kids. With Mr. Moose, Bunny Rabbit, Dancing Bear, Mr. Greenjeans, Grandfather Clock, the Magic Drawing Board, the Banana Man, and all of those that I'm probably forgetting, the show was truly "awesome" (a word I never use unless I *really* mean it).

Some of my earliest memories of television are watching Captain Kangaroo. It was entertaining and educational. The thing is, the talents of Bob Keeshan made it work. You learned without knowing you were being taught. And they were practical lessons. Things like self esteem, respect, and dedication. All rolled up in a children's format in ways they could understand. It was a pioneer in children's programming that would effect other educational shows for decades to come. I started watching when I was a child, and grew up to see my children discover "The Captain" and watched it with them. If you look at later children's programs like Sesame Street, you can clearly see the influence of the Captain Kangaroo show. It is a program that had enough of an influence to receive recognition by the Smithsonian Institute. Though Bob Keeshan is no longer with us, his spirit and love of children, will be with us as long as there are children's educational programs.