Smilin' Ed
The green puppet, Froggy the Gremlin, appeared in a puff of smoke ("Hi Ya, Kids, Hiya, Hiya, Hiya!") and was always interrupting the story and causing trouble.
On the original programs, Smilin' Ed McConnell started the show with "Hiya kids" followed by the audience singing the sponsor's song (Buster Brown Shoes) "I got shoes, you got shoes, everybody's got to have shoes, but there's only one kind of shoe for me-good old Buster Brown shoes!" Then Ed said "Thank you buddies and sweethearts. Good old Buster Brown shoes are on the air out here in Hollywood for another good old Saturday hullabaloo."
Originally, the show was filmed in front of a live audience but, as McConnell's health deteriorated, they used prefilmed children's reaction shots intercut with the studio performance.
The backdrop was a clubhouse. Produced on a very small budget, the show was a success - bringing the Buster Brown advertising characters to life and helping to sell millions of shoes based on icons that had existed for decades. It was also one of the first children's shows filmed in Hollywood.
Music and stories from Smilin' Ed's Storybook were regular features. The show also featured "Gunga, the East India Boy," a serial set in India. Led by The Maharajah, Gunga Ram and his pal Rama set out on great adventures around the village of Bakore in filmed segments.
The most popular segment was the visit from Froggy the Gremlin who would appear when Smilin' Ed yelled his famous catch-phrase, "Plunk your magic twanger, Froggy!" This same phrase was later used by Andy Devine.
McConnell died of a heart attack in 1954, and Andy Devine took over the show in 1955.
Read more about this topic: Andy's Gang