Why did the man throw the clock out the window? He wanted to see time fly! I’ve heard that joke many times. That and about a dozen others that seemed to be repeated a lot were a part of my childhood. Every day after school I’d rush home to watch The Floppy Show. It was a local television show featuring Duane Ellett and his dog (a puppet in a box) Floppy. In between cartoons there would be children there in the studio who would stand in line to tell Floppy a riddle. Why did the man put the car in the oven? He wanted a hot rod. What time is it when it’s thirteen o’clock? Time to get a new watch. They were all pretty basic riddles and jokes. Occasionally a child would make up his or her own joke… often with a off the wall punch line that didn’t work. But Duane and Floppy would still laugh at every one! It was a unique way to keep children interested in the show. It lasted for many years from 1957 to 1987. It was even a cult favorite among college students in the area.
In this day and age there is nothing locally made other than the news. No cartoon kids show, not late-night fright flicks on the weekends, it is a real loss to the current generation. No, they were not smooth seamless perfectly polished shows… they were pure and innocent. Something this world could use a lot more of!
(Both images from Google search)
Written for Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (FOWC) – riddle
