Galan and Giles

OK, so Mrs. Kepple (Lisa Clunie's mom) is on fire. She continues to cite early landmark educational shows for us and we are only so happy to post them. This is a show from the fifties where kids would "interact" with the TV. From the Wikipedia explanation of the show:

Praised by Microsoft mogul Bill Gates as "the first interactive TV show," the show's central gimmick was the use of a "magic drawing screen", which was a large piece of vinyl plastic which stuck to the television screen via static electricity. A kit containing the screen and various Winky Dink crayons could be purchased for 50 cents. At a climactic scene in every Winky Dink short, Winky would arrive upon a scene which contained a connect the dots picture. He would then prompt the children at home to complete the picture, and the finished result would help him continue the story. Examples include drawing a bridge to cross a river, an axe to chop down a tree, or a cage to trap a dangerous lion.

Another use of the interactive screen was to decode messages. An image would be displayed, showing only the vertical lines of the letters of the secret message, which viewers at home would quickly trace onto their magic screen. A second image would then display the horizontal lines, completing the text.

A final use of the screen was to create the outline of a character with whom Jack Barry would have a conversation. It would seem meaningless to viewers without the screen, further encouraging its purchase.

The program was successful because of its pioneering interactive marketing scheme, and Winky Dink became one of television's most popular characters of the 1950s. However, the show's production was halted despite its modest popularity due to concerns about radiation in television sets affecting children and because of parents' complaints about children drawing on the screen.

By the way, the host, Jack Barry was at the heart of the "QUIZ SHOW" scandals that led to congressional hearings in the 50's. Thanks Mrs. Clunie! I freely admit that Tennessee Tuxedo was the first educational animated series featuring a penguin and a walrus.