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Legacies: Collecting America's History at the Smithsonian, by Steven Lubar and Kathleen M. Kendrick
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Howdy Doody puppet, 1950sHowdy Doody puppet, 1950s

This freckle-faced puppet in cowboy boots remains a favorite baby boomer childhood memory and popular culture icon. Hosted by "Buffalo Bob" Smith and his marionette sidekick, The Howdy Doody Show, which was broadcast live on NBC five days a week from 1947 to 1960, was the first nationally televised children's program. In 1980 Rufus Rose, the puppeteer who brought Howdy Doody to life, bequeathed one of the puppets used on the show to the Smithsonian.

See also: Children, Film and Television Memorabilia, Popular Culture Memorabilia

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