Okay, you could be forgiven for answering “It’s Howdy Doody Time.” Howdy was certainly a pop star of the puppet world. As were Kukla, Fran and Ollie. But let’s talk importance. Albert Einstein. You’ve probably heard of him. Which puppet show did he watch? Not only did Einstein watch Time for Beany, he once excused himself from a conference of Nobel prize winners, telling them it was time for Beany.
Time for Beany arrived on the television scene on February 29, 1948, a couple of years after Howdy and Kukla. The show’s creator Bob Clampett pointed out that these shows featured puppets as puppets, appearing alongside humans. He wanted to create a fantasy world that would let audiences lose themselves in the illusion that Beany and his friends were full-sized people and that Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent was ten feet tall.
In daily 15-minute episodes, Beany, Cecil and Uncle Captain Horatio Huffenpuff sailed the world aboard their ship Leakin’ Lena in search of adventure. A wild array of supporting characters included Carmen Dragon, Mouth Full of Teeth Keith, Hopalong Wong, Tear-along the Dotted Lion, Dinah Saur and the Red Skeleton. Dishonest John and Dudley Nightshade provided villainy. Stan Freberg and Daws Butler were the principal puppeteers and voices.
Time for Beany aired until 1955. An animated version, Beany and Cecil, followed during the 60s. https://youtu.be/VfXQs9OUTtk
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