An almost complete episode of The Grandpa Ken Show has been posted on YouTube on the TCMediaNow channel! The program features artwork by Grandpa Ken, a musical recording with artwork by Ken, a Vidcraft Wizard of Oz cartoon, price giveaways, and appearances by Ken’s puppets. This may be the only existing episode of the program to survive. Check it out!
Ken Wagner created the character of Captain Ken for Captain Ken’s Cartoon Showboat in Davenport, Iowa in 1956. In 1960, the program moved to the Twin Cities, replacing Dave Lee’s Loony Tooners Club. In 1967, the show changed format to The Grandpa Ken Show, as seen in this video.
This episode also features Calliope the Turtle and No Name the Dog. It seems Calliope was little more than a sock puppet with a cardboard shell.
The show appears to be from around 1972, before the station moved to new offices in Edina. The program also does not feature advertisements for children, but rather a couple public service ads. At that time, hosted children’s shows were under heavy criticism for advertising products to kids.
Thanks to TCMediaNow for sharing this video. Be sure to check out their YouTube channel for lots of rare television footage from the various Twin Cities TV stations. Special thanks to Patrick Sweeney and Jack Kennally for additional information.