Howdy Doody Marionette - Replica of famous marionette, made to order for fans

Howdy Doody TV Show - American children's television show

Howdy Doody was a huge phenomenon in the United States. There was no child who could not sing the song "It's Howdy Doody time ..." - like in the Czech Republic we know Hurvínek or Včelka Mája. Generations of American and Canadian children grew up with him.

Howdy Doody marionette and a little bit about the history

The real, original Howdy puppet, which is in the Detroit Museum in Michigan, USA, has been severely sanded and damaged. It was made by Velma Dawson. Howdy first performed on December 27, 1947. The puppet always had to be in perfect condition for the performance, so only a few were made for the purposes of the TV show. Over the years, it has changed and evolved in various ways. Each new puppet was slightly different from the previous one. Just like the Czech Hurvinek marionette or Disney's Mickey Mouse. On the Internet, we can find a number of variants of its appearance.

The creator of Howdy Doody, “Buffalo” Bob Smith, first performed the character on his WNBC radio show. When the show transitioned to TV, puppet builder Frank Paris created a marionette to match the voice. In 1948, a dispute over merchandising rights led Frank Paris to leave the show and take the original puppet with him. Velma Dawson created this new style of Howdy Doody puppet that debuted on June 8, 1948, after a break for “plastic surgery.” Throughout the series run on NBC, Bob Smith voiced the puppet, usually through recordings made before the show, while Margo and Rufus Rose were primarily responsible for building, maintaining, and performing the marionettes.

Sometimes he looked a bit younger, some of Howdy's puppets had blinking eyes decorated with lashes, and others had hair. In contrast, for example, in the Canadian version of the series, several versions with unblinking eyes are used.

There's also Howdy, known as Double Doody at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, who didn't look like the real Howdy, and was intentionally made to resemble Howdy. He was a stuntman who occasionally used himself in commercials for commercials.

OBJECT NAME

puppet

DATE MADE

1949

USER

Rose, Rufus

NBC Smith, Bob

DESIGNER

Neil, Milt

USER

Rufus Rose Marionettes

MAKER

Rose, Rufus Rose, Margo Dawson, Velma Rufus Rose Marionettes

PLACE MADE

United States: New York, New York City

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

wood, pine (overall material)

plastic (overall material) paint (overall material) fabric (overall material) string (overall material)

MEASUREMENTS

overall: 34 1/2 in x 8 in x 7 in; 87.63 cm x 20.32 cm x 17.78 cm

One of the historical puppets from the TV series:

There are a number of copies that fans own. One was used on the cover of a booklet that contained a television schedule. Another was used on DVD releases of old television shows. Copyright holders Howdy have objected to both. They did not mind copies, but their media coverage and commercial use.

We are constantly collecting information about Howdy Doody. If you have something to tell us about this fantastic marionette do not hesitate to send it to petr@marionettes.cz

It's Howdy Doody time

The early history of Howdy Doody can be found here

https://eyesofageneration.com/the-early-history-howdy-doody-televisions-first-hit-show/