Where’s Floppy?? He’s on my Christmas DVD!
Posted on December 14, 2007 in Entertainment by DM
A neat gift arrived in the mail today from my good friend Mark in California - it’s a DVD compilation of Christmas episodes of “The Floppy Show” from WHO TV in the 1960’s. Mark and I were both typical central Iowa kids who watched Floppy every afternoon after school and even appeared in the audience a couple of times.
I have a couple real distinct Floppy-related memories:
In 1965, when I was 3 and my sister was 5, we appeared on the show for her birthday. In those days, the birthday kids got to tell Floppy a riddle and so my dad - who was Program Director at WHO at the time and friends with Floppy creator Duane Ellett - put Kathy up to telling Floppy a Polish joke. No worries about political correctness in those days, “Polock jokes” were in and Kathy and I were half-Polish so we totally owned it!
A couple years later, again because my dad and Mr. Ellett were friends, Ellett and Floppy came to my birthday party and all my guests got to gather ’round to beep Floppy’s nose.
We have 16mm home movies of both of these Floppy “appearances” - I’ll share the clips if I can figure out how to transfer them to DVD! How about you - do you remember Floppy? Ever appear on the show?
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17 comments to “Where’s Floppy?? He’s on my Christmas DVD!”
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I remember seeing some friends of our family appear on a show in the early 1980s. We knew in advance that they were going to appear on Floppy, but we had no idea when. My family and I tuned in to watch Floppy. We saw the Looney Tunes cartoons and the lesson about the difference between “up” and “down”. Alas, I don’t think we saw our friends appear on the show until the closing credits when we saw the mother and her daughter waving at the TV camera.
I also recall Floppy and Duane Ellet doing some TV commercials for a dolphin show at Adventureland amusement park. Floppy thought Duane was talking about trained dogs, but then Duane talked about the dolphins at which point Floppy said “Dolphins?! I thought you were talking about dogs, not a couple of fish!” Duane told him they were mammals. Floppy said “They still look like fish to me!”
The dolphin show was sponsored by United Federal Savings and Loan, which also had Duane do a commercial for their loans where he said “you’ll never feel like small potatoes” at United Federal Savings and Loan.
My husband grew up in Des Moines and was on the show when he was 5 or 6. He is a HUGE Floppy fan! Where did you get your DVD? Do you know of any Floppy memorabilia out there and where he can get it? He was a member of the Floppy Savers Club and still has a bank from the Home Federal Savings and Loan.
Joel, thanks for sharing all your recollections - I remember the Adventureland dolphin show but I don’t recall Duane & Floppy doing the ads - that’s neat, thanks for posting it!
DMG, I think there is a t-shirt shop in East Village that has Floppy t-shirts (the old style that are white with red-ring collar and sleeves)… that’s all I know for sure. My friend Mark has been collecting memorabilia for quite some time but I don’t know that there’s one individual source for all of it. I have the Floppy Savers Bank too, as well as the 16mm movies.
Thanks as always for reading!
I was on the Floppy Show 2-3 times growing up. How cool!
I’m a Floppy show alum as well… thanks for sharing the great memories!
Shane and Tim, it’s great to hear from you, thanks for reading! Glad you also have fond memories of Floppy!
Yes I would watch Floppy all the time, I remember I went with a friend to see floppy on the air, this was in 1969 if I recall.
Randy - thanks for remembering Floppy with us! I suspect most anyone who grew up in central Iowa during that time period is familiar with Floppy. Glad you stopped in! ~ Janet
I was on the show with my bluebird troop in the 60’s. My mother had forgot to supply me with a treat for Floppy. She found a stick of gum in her purse and I was mortified not to have a better treat for my idol. I also got to hold up the picture of Wally Gator before the cartoon , only to realize later that I held it upside down !!!
Such a traumatic experience !!!! I LOVE YOU FLOPPY !
LOL Patti - I sympathize! Thanks for sharing your visit with us… I was a bluebird too, and in fact had forgotten completely about the Floppy visit I made when I was about 8 or 9 with my troop. I think I might even have a picture of that around somewhere… ~ Janet
This is so cool!! I was just asking my wife the other day if she remembered “Floppy” and Duane… she had no idea what I was talking about! Some Iowa girl she is…not. Here’s a blast from your past… “What do you get when you put a car in the oven?” Okay, everybody now…”A Hot-rod!!!!” It never gets OLD!
LOL Ted I’m glad you enjoyed remembering Floppy! I recently found not one, but TWO of the Floppy Savers Club ceramic banks over at my dad’s house. Good Ol’ Floppy!! ~ Janet
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Thnaks so much for rekindling so many happy childhood memories! I was a late 70’s kid in Des Moines and hurried home from school every day so I wouldn’t miss the show. Sick days were extra special because then I got to see the noon segement too. I was on the show once in my favorite blue gingham dress with the patchwork butterfly. I wish I still had the picture. And of course it wasn’t a visit to the Fair without seeing the live show.
I’ve got a shirt but dangit now I’m going to have to start searching online for one of those banks.
Almost forgot, central Iowa Bluebirds recognize!
CornFed, WOOHOO!! Former Bluebird here - LOL… I just recently found all my Camp Fire beads in a bag in my dad’s basement! Glad you enjoyed the Floppy reminisce…! ~ Janet
More love here for the Bluebirds!! I remember going on The Floppy Show too!! But I was too shy to tell my riddle.
Suddenly I’m hearing so much about people who have or have recently seen the Floppy Savers Club banks, but my eBay search hasn’t turned up anything. . .I’ve had it running for probably two years!
There’s new stuff up on my Floppy site from the Floppy & Duane memorial dedication at the State Fair, and there’s more new stuff to come on the site.
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