My Zippy and Howdy Doody

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you when a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become REAL.” – Margery Williams

For me, it’s Zippy, my own worn and ragged Velveteen Rabbit of a chimpanzee toy.

Zippy was never relegated to a box, but lived everywhere I did. He’s retired now, in his own toy high chair in a corner of my writing room, original red and yellow clothing long tattered and gone. He wears crocheted shorts with suspenders and a jacket presented to me by Anne many Mother’s Days ago. She tucked them inside a new purse and when I pulled them out, I squealed, “For Zippy!”

“See?” she told my son-in-law Bernie. “I told you she’d know.”

Zippy was a real chimpanzee, made famous on the Howdy Doody show. Toy companies cashed in on his popularity with many variations through the 1970’s, including the blond girl chimp Tippy.

My Zippy was new in 1957, a store window display of a hardware shop downtown Pontiac. I was enamored with him and begged for him every time I saw him, so Mom asked the store owner where she could find one.

“I don’t know,” the owner said. “Mine’s not for sale. I just put him there for an eye-catching display. Here, take him.”

That Christmas, Zippy waited for me in a toy high chair, holding a banana, in all his bright red and yellow glory.

The real Zippy earned his name from “zipping” around in roller skates, and was a regular on variety shows—Jackie Gleason, Ed Sullivan, Captain Kangaroo, and Howdy Doody.

In fact, Buffalo Bob (Bob Smith) had discovered Zippy in New Orleans and offered his owner (Carole Womack) a five-year contract on his show.

Many of us remember the Howdy Doody Show and dreamed of being one of the Peanut Gallery.

Broadcast from December 1947 until September 1960, Howdy Doody was the longest running TV show of its time with 2,343 episodes, many filmed live. In fact, Captain Kangaroo (Bob Keeshan) was once part of that team where western frontier met the circus with marionettes and costumed characters.

Phineas T. Bluster. Dilly Dally. Flub-A-Dub. Clarabell. Many others, all living in amusing disharmony in Doodyville where 40 lucky spectator kids got to answer Buffalo Bob’s “What time is it?” with “It’s Howdy Doody Time!"

We could all sing Eddie Kean’s words (to the tune of Ta-ra-ra-Boom-de-ay):

“It’s Howdy Doody time, it’s Howdy Doody time, Bob Smith and Howdy, too, say Howdy Do to you. Let’s give a rousing cheer ‘cause Howdy Doody’s here. It’s time to start the show, so kids, let’s go!”

And (my) Zippy was part of that excitement.

Years later, other chimpanzees would carry on the Zippy name and be guests of Johnny Carson and David Letterman, but for me, there’s only one Zippy, designed by a mother-daughter team, the Rushton Toy Company out of Atlanta—black plush with rubber hands, face, and shoes. Created from the young chimpanzee who stole a cherry from Buffalo Bob’s drink while he was on vacation in New Orleans and earned fame as a result.

By the way, there was a court battle in 1999 for ownership of the original Howdy Doody marionette, and the Detroit Institute of Arts won.

At age seven, I was unaware of Zippy’s history or fame. He’d caught my eye and I was sure I couldn’t survive without him. Years later, my brother Dave found a Rand McNally Tip-Top Elf book about him, which I also treasure.

As for my well-worn, sagging treasure, he’s been my companion for over three score years and earned his retirement to another toy high chair.

And since he has been really loved, as the Skin Horse told the Velveteen Rabbit, he must be real.

Thank you, Buffalo Bob, for Howdy Doody and Zippy. And thank you, hardware store owner in Pontiac, for giving me my best possession.

The original Zippy’s owner would be pleased.

And if my Zippy’s not real, he should be. He once was.