#Captain kangaroo series#

The show did not have a strict format, other than the entire program taking place in and around the Treasure House or the Captain's Place, where the Captain would interact with puppets, guests, or other members of the cast. Moose and the Captain's original navy blue jacket at the Smithsonian Institution CBS cancelled Captain Kangaroo at the end of 1984. In September 1981, CBS shortened the hour-long show to a half-hour, briefly retitled it Wake Up with the Captain, and moved it to an earlier time slot it was moved to weekends in September 1982, and returned to an hour-long format.

The May 17, 1971, episode had two major changes on the show: The Treasure House was renovated and renamed 'The Captain's Place' and the Captain replaced his navy blue coat with a red coat. Keeshan performed as the Captain more than 9,000 times over the nearly 30-year run of the show. Keeshan had portrayed the original Clarabell the Clown on NBC's The Howdy Doody Show during the networks early years.Ĭaptain Kangaroo had a loose structure, built around life in the 'Treasure House' where the Captain (the name 'kangaroo' came from the big pockets in his coat) would tell stories, meet guests, and indulge in silly stunts with regular characters, both humans and puppets.

The show was conceived by Bob Keeshan, who also played the title character 'Captain Kangaroo', and who based the show on 'the warm relationship between grandparents and children'.

#Captain kangaroo series#

In 1986, the American Program Service (now American Public Television, Boston) integrated some newly produced segments into reruns of past episodes, distributing the newer version of the series to PBS and independent public stations until 1993. Captain Kangaroo is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program of its day.