Art Clokey, creator of both Davey and Goliath and Gumby, died on Jan 8, 2010. The San Luis Obispo Tribune broke the sad news.
Though it makes us sound like doddering grumps, there isn't really children's entertainment like Gumby and Davey and Goliath anymore. The former certainly has descendants in the forms of SpongeBob Squarepants, yet the latter has no modern equivalent.
Yes, Davey and Goliath had an outright Christian message with Davey learning a lesson from the scripture in every episode. It was produced by the Lutheran Church. But the show aimed squarely at simply encouraging its audience to be better, more considerate participants in life, and what's wrong with that?
An interesting side note: This past Christmas, The Typing Monkey watched the Davey and Goliath 1965 Christmas episode "Christmas Lost & Found." The plot concerns Davey not feeling very festive despite the abundance of cheer going on around him. In spite of this, he accepts an offer to direct the Christmas play the kids are putting on at the local church. Goliath, Davey's talking dog, offers some comic relief -- even impersonating various animals he can portray during the play. After some soul searching near the Christmas tree lot, Davey rekindles his seasonal joy.
Sound familiar? A Charlie Brown Christmas came out the same year. Perhapas Clokey and Schulz compared notes? See the entirety of "Christmas Lost & Found" here.
