It's Howdy Doody Time

Who can forget the irresistible Buffalo Bob and Howdy Doody that first aired on television on December 27th,1947.

The NBC produced show's host was Bob Smith (1917-1998), who was dubbed "Buffalo Bob" early in the show's run. Smith wore cowboy garb, and the name of the puppet "star" was derived from the western U.S. expression "howdy do," a familiar form of the greeting "How Do You Do?"

There also were several human characters, most notably the mute Clarabell the Clown, who communicated by honking horns on his belt and squirting seltzer, and Chief Thunderthud, head of the Ooragnak tribe of Native Americans, who originated the cry "Kowabonga!". Princess Summerfall Winterspring, originally a puppet, was later played by the actress Judy Tyler. The characters inhabited the fictional town of "Doodyville".

Clarabell was first played by Bob Keeshan, who continued in that role until 1952. Keeshan later became Captain Kangaroo. At the end of the final episode, Clarabell (then played by Lew Anderson) broke his series-long silence to say with a sad expression, "Goodbye, kids". Lew Anderson followed Bobby Nicholson, who later played Doodyville's J. Cornelius Cobb to Anderson’s Clarabell.