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Captain Kangaroo

Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo (Bob Keeshan), left,
with Nipsey Russell in 1976
Created byBob Keeshan
Written byHoward Friedlander
StarringBob Keeshan
Hugh Brannum
Opening theme
  • "Puffin' Billy" (The Captain Kangaroo Theme) (1955–1974)[1]
  • "Good Morning, Captain" (1974–1984)
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons29
No. of episodes6,090
Production
Production locationCBS Broadcast Center
Running time60 minutes / 30 minutes
Production companiesRobert Keeshan Associates
Marvin Josephson Associates
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseOctober 3, 1955 (1955-10-03) –
December 8, 1984 (1984-12-08)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Captain Kangaroo is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program of its day.[2][3] In 1986, the American Program Service (now American Public Television, Boston) integrated some newly produced segments into reruns of past episodes, distributing the newer version of the series to PBS and independent public stations until 1993.

The show was conceived by Bob Keeshan, who also played the title character "Captain Kangaroo", and who based the show on "the warm relationship between grandparents and children". Keeshan had portrayed the original Clarabell the Clown on NBC's The Howdy Doody Show during the network's early years.

Captain Kangaroo had a loose structure, built around life in the "Treasure House" where the Captain (the name "kangaroo" came from the bigger pockets in his coat) would tell stories, meet guests, and indulge in silly stunts with regular characters, both humans and puppets. Keeshan performed as the Captain more than 9,000 times over the nearly 30-year run of the show.[4]

The May 17, 1971, episode had two major changes on the show: The Treasure House was renovated and renamed "The Captain's Place" and the Captain replaced his navy blue coat with a red coat. In September 1981, CBS shortened the hour-long show to a half-hour, briefly retitled it Wake Up with the Captain, and moved it to an earlier time slot;[5] it was moved to weekends in September 1982, and returned to an hour-long format. CBS canceled Captain Kangaroo at the end of 1984.

An episode of the show in 1981 became professional skateboarder Tony Hawk's first appearance on television.[6]

Captain Kangaroo was the longest running children's television show until 1997 when it was surpassed by Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which itself was surpassed by Sesame Street in 2003. Captain Kangaroo is still far and away the longest running children's TV series by episode count with 6,090. Second place holder Sesame Street, has aired 4,701 episodes, still 1,389 episodes short.[citation needed]

  1. ^ "Classic TV Shows: Captain Kangaroo". Fifties Web. December 8, 1984. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  2. ^ "Bob Keeshan". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
  3. ^ "Keeshan, Robert James". The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives. Ed. Arnold Markoe, Karen Markoe, and Kenneth T. Jackson. Vol. 7: 2003–2005. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2007. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
  4. ^ Severo, Richard (January 24, 2004). "Bob Keeshan, Creator and Star of TV's 'Captain Kangaroo,' Is Dead at 76". The New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  5. ^ "CBS trims 'Kangaroo'". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 23, 1981. p. 15.
  6. ^ Boing, Boing (February 24, 2020). "Watch Skateboarder Tony Hawk". Boing Boing. Retrieved April 10, 2024.

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