The beloved children’s television show Captain Kangaroo aired for nearly thirty years beginning in 1955. The series was the brainchild of actor Bob Keeshan, who played the title character, Captain Kangaroo.
The Captain was a cheerful man with a Dutch boy haircut, a bushy mustache and a navy-blue jacket with pouchy patch pockets. His human co-star was the animal-loving Mr. Green Jeans. Over the decades, Captain Kangaroo invited celebrity guests to join him in his Treasure House. Pearl Bailey, Dolly Parton and even Mr. Rogers made guest appearances on the program. And there were a host of puppets featured, too.
Perhaps the most famous puppet was Mr. Moose, who was fond of knock-knock jokes. Both Mr. Moose and the Captain’s blue jacket now have a home at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. Peter Birch directed the show for many years and the Schwinn bicycle company was an early sponsor.
Fans of Captain Kangaroo can see scripts from the series in the Peter Birch collection at UW’s American Heritage Center.
For more information, visit the American Heritage Center site.