The Floppy Show

by Jeff Stein

  Starting in the 1980s, WHO-TV marked Floppy’s birthday each spring with special extended shows produced on location at Nollen Plaza in downtown Des Moines and metro-area shopping malls. Hundreds attended annually to enjoy live music, food, and Ellett and Floppy’s trademark stage show.

  This publicity photograph of Duane Ellett and Floppy was taken in the mid-1960s. Note the absence of Floppy’s red sweater, which had not yet made its appearance. (Courtesy WHO-TV.)

  Most of the time, Floppy appeared on Ellett’s right, and thus, Duane’s right hand was always missing. But in various personal appearances and in the 1980s during segments of The Floppytown Gazette programs where Ellett was at the drawing board, Floppy appeared on his left, demonstrating the puppeteer’s ambidextrous nature with his partner.

  A pair of photographs was taken in the 1960s at various community celebrations where the duo was hired to perform their stage show on the road. Note the stickers on Floppy’s box in the photograph below. They represent the characters and shapes associated with Pals brand vitamins, which was a sponsor at the time.

  Floppy seems to be enjoying himself more than Ellett during this personal appearance in the 1960s. The trick for Ellett was to hold the microphone between himself and Floppy so that it looked like Floppy was speaking into it.

  This mid-1970s photograph was taken on the news set for WHO-TV 13 Eyewitness News. Wings of the set with the WHO-TV 13 moniker were used for various programs and non-news segments, including the limited time Bill Riley’s noted State Fair Talent Search program aired on Channel 13, as well as community affairs programs. (Courtesy WHO-TV.)

  This publicity photograph was taken in July 1971, when the show had been on the air for 14 years. Pieces of the original show set were still being used, including the famous brick wall from behind which Floppy would appear.

  Ellett’s clothing styles may have changed over the course of four decades, as seen in this late-1970s publicity photograph on the WHO-TV news set, but Floppy simply added a red sweater as the 1960s came to a close. (Courtesy WHO-TV.)

  Time for another cartoon! Ellett introduces an animated segment, while Floppy himself appears quite animated in this photograph from the late 1970s. (Courtesy WHO-TV.)

  Despite entertaining multiple generations of children over 30 years, Ellett still maintained a connection with children, as evidenced in this “audience participation” portion of a school visit by the duo. Ellett would be invited by a teacher to visit a class, and he frequently would make connections between the comedic material he and Floppy were presenting and something in the current lesson plans of the class.

  Autographed photographs of Ellett and Floppy were popular throughout the run of the show. Floppy’s penmanship did not improve over time, as shown by these autographed publicity photographs from the mid-1970s and mid-1980s.

  By March 1974, Ellett and Floppy were midway through their run on television. As seen in these promotional photographs, it was the era of leisure suits and wide lapels. (Both, courtesy WHO-TV.)

  These March 1974 promotional photographs prove that regardless of the attire, the two could always be seen in various poses designed to one-up each other. Ellett and Floppy were also celebrating a recently refurbished set for The Floppy Show, with more of a clubhouse theme and letters and numbers on the backdrop, in a nod toward government requirements that children’s programming be educational. (Both, courtesy WHO-TV.)

  This artwork was superimposed over the opening and closing camera shots during the 1960s broadcasts of The Floppy Show. It was designed to allow for maximum viewing of the children on the set, waving to the camera and the folks at home.

  In the late 1960s, Ellett wrote a special one-hour program that was a departure for Floppy fans. There were no cartoons in Floppy’s Christmas Adventure; instead, feeling unappreciated and wanting to be a big star elsewhere, Floppy runs away to seek fame and fortune in the big city. However, he quickly finds the true meaning of the season and how important the love of friends and family is. Various local choirs are seen in filmed performances, and guest stars included WHOTV news anchor Bob Henry, local program host Pat Valentine, national talent Art Linkletter, and, of course, Santa Claus, whose North Pole meeting with Floppy leads him to return to Ellett and the children.

  Ellett and Floppy filmed several Christmas-themed segments outside of the studio, including Christmas tree lots and hospitals. In 1959, Lee Harris (right) helps the duo decorate a tree. Note that for photograph staging purposes, Floppy is on Ellett’s left.

  Pictured are annual staff and family Christmas programs from 1982 and 1983, respectively, with an expanded audience section both on the set and behind the scenes.

  These two 1980sera publicity photographs show the perpetual relationship between the pair—Ellett, ever skeptical; Floppy, ever innocent. (Below, courtesy WHO-TV.)

  At left is the official publicity photograph from 1971, during the middle of the show’s run. Below is an image from one of the final photograph shoots in 1987.

  Six

  AN ICONIC DUO

  From the 1950s to the 1980s, Iowa children had a host of locally produced television programs to watch.

  A unique program was the national Romper Room show, which licensed its daily lesson plans to local stations to produce with local talent. Virtually every Iowa television market had a Romper Room show at one time, including KWWL-TV in Waterloo, which featured “Miss Bonnie” Noonan, who enjoyed a long career as an elementary school teacher after the show’s run.

  Those in eastern Iowa remembered the cowboy Marshal J in the 1950s; then for 20 years, local community theater veteran Max Hahn appeared on WMT-TV as Dr. Max. The show was so popular, at one point, Dr. Max was on twice each weekday—30 minutes in the mornings for preschool-aged children and 90 minutes after school for older children. Along with his sidekick Mombo the Clown, the good doctor made daily house calls until 1982. Baby boomers still recall the advice from Dr. Max’s daily sign off—“Take it easy, play it safe, and be careful.”

  The longest-running locally produced children’s television show in American history originated at Iowa State University–owned WOI-TV in Ames. The Magic Window premiered in 1951 and aired for 43 years. The producer and host for all but the first three years was Betty Lou Varnum, a versatile WOI staffer. The show featured syndicated programs such as Tales of the Riverbank, which showed the adventures of Hammy Hamster, and cartoons such as Felix the Cat. But it was the crafts made with snubby-nosed scissors (as opposed to pointed ones, which could hurt young children) that made the program unique.

  Bart Kern hosted Bart’s Clubhouse for KGLO-TV in Mason City, various captains piloted the Cartoon Showboat on WOC-TV in Davenport, and Jim Henry presided over the Canyon Kid’s Kartoon Karnival on Sioux City’s Channel 9 (first KVTV, then KCAU) for 32 years.

  But what likely made Ellett and Floppy so iconic were not only the direct connections they made during hundreds of personal appearances each year but that it was easier for children to relate to Floppy than one of the humans playing a cowboy or world traveler on television. There was an innocence—along with street smarts—that made the puppet an endearing character. That, coupled with Ellett’s marketing efforts, like selling T-shirts with the Floppy image he trademarked, helped ingrain the two as Iowa’s most recognized performing duo.

  Trading goods and services in exchange for promotional announcements is common in broadcasting. Duane Ellett struck a deal with the local Volkswagen dealer to provide him with a vehicle that was suitable for travelling around the state with Floppy—and for using as a base of operations for T-shirt sales at the Iowa State Fair.

  Ellett was frequently seen at the Iowa State Fair sporting a Floppy T-shirt, which was available through his family-owned and -operated business. They were popular with children and their parents.

  The settings and backdrops may have changed over time, but there was one constant thing at Ellett and Floppy’s shows at the Iowa State Fair—interaction with children of all age
s. (Above, courtesy WHO-TV.)

  Until the late 1970s, live broadcasts were not technologically possible from locations such as the Iowa State Fair. Videotape was not used in the field, either. The only way to broadcast from the fair was by shooting film and airing it on a later date. By the time of these photographs in the early 1980s, however, live daily broadcasts with Ellett and Floppy were a staple of the fair experience for thousands of fairgoers. (Below, courtesy WHO-TV.)

  The latter-day staging for the live broadcasts of The Floppy Show from the fair allowed for the technical crew members to position themselves on the porch of one of the permanent buildings on the fairgrounds (above) and provide an adjacent location for selling Floppy merchandise (attached to the stage, below).

  Then as now, the presence of television cameras tends to draw a crowd, whether to be an active part of the closing of the show, waving to the folks at home (above), or to be present at the WHOTV stage that was used for live weathercasts as well as The Floppy Show (below).

  Ellett and Floppy’s purpose was to entertain children, and it often was a family affair—whether it was a father helping his children show some champion rabbits (above) or climbing on Dad’s shoulders to get a better view of the stage (below).

  It was often said that one of the reasons for the show’s success was Duane Ellett’s ability to connect directly with children, as opposed to talking down to them. Floppy’s keen interest in what the child had to say, as shown in the photograph at left, was also helpful.

  Typically, children came to the WHO-TV studios to be on The Floppy Show. But those who could not meet Ellett or Floppy in person due to illness often received a personal visit in the hospital. For the most part, those visits were done quietly by Ellett, without fanfare. However, on one notable occasion, the show came to Blank Children’s Hospital to create a special moment for a number of ill children and their families.

  Despite the unique hospital setting, children were still able to beep Floppy’s nose, ask him a riddle, and show with all five fingers on one hand how old a certain young boy was.

  Ellett’s talents included music, and he was frequently tapped to be a part of station-related music events and Iowa Barn Dance Frolic reunions.

  The pair pose for a publicity photograph, which would be converted into “sketch art” and used as the buffer slide before and after commercials on the midday Duane and Friend program in the 1970s (as seen on page 113).

  Unlike human counterparts, Floppy never took a bad picture, as evidenced by these publicity photographs taken on the afternoon program’s clubhouse set in the mid-1970s.

  The WHO call letters naturally led the radio and television stations to employ an owl as a logo and mascot. As part of an owl-related contest in June 1981, a happy young girl won a new Schwinn 10-speed bicycle. This owl does not seem as happy to be on the show.

  Ellett and Floppy take the stage at a personal appearance in the mid-1970s. They are shown with an unidentified man who did the introductions.

  Beeping Floppy’s nose was often a team event, as seen with this woman and child.

  Children who were members of the Home Federal Floppy Savers Club got special privileges, including being together on the show in the early 1970s. Some of the children can be seen holding cardboard signs, either showing a cartoon character who would be seen on that day’s show or in the shape of a question mark, denoting they had a riddle to ask Floppy. (Courtesy WHO-TV.)

  After the show ended its weekday run, it took on various forms on the weekend. This photograph was identified by station personnel as being from the final half-hour weekend Floppy Show; in its final months, the program was on for 60 minutes on Saturday mornings. A sign with the phone number to call to get tickets for the show can be seen in the foreground.

  Starting in the early 1980s, WHO-TV would host special birthday parties for Floppy at various Des Moines–area locations. Floppy’s 26th birthday was celebrated on June 11, 1983, at what was then called Nollen Plaza in downtown Des Moines. Here, Tim Klein and Sue Toma, hosts of the station’s weeknight PM Magazine program, help with the celebration. (Above, courtesy WHO-TV.)

  Bill Riley was no stranger to working with children. As the founder and host of the State Fair Talent Search, he was responsible for giving countless young people their first stage exposure. At the time of Floppy’s 26th birthday party in 1983, Riley was an executive with Heritage Cablevision in Des Moines and joined the duo on stage to wish Floppy a happy birthday. (Courtesy WHO-TV.)

  One is never too old to have a birthday and ask Floppy a riddle—or at least this somewhat older “kid” thought so as part of a mid-1980s birthday party event at Nollen Plaza, in downtown Des Moines. (Courtesy WHO-TV.)

  The birthdays added up, and the cakes came in. The photograph at left was taken for publicity purposes around the time of Floppy’s 30th birthday in 1987. Below, Ellett celebrates his 61st birthday in 1984 with an appropriately decorated cake. (Left, courtesy WHO-TV.)

  In May 1987, the station pulled out all the stops for Floppy’s 30th Birthday Party broadcast, held at Merle Hay Mall in Des Moines and cohosted by former Floppy Girl Connie Foster. As always, a large crowd was in attendance.

  Floppy’s 30th Birthday Party at Merle Hay Mall in Des Moines even included a Floppy Look-a-Like Contest. Ellett and Floppy and Connie Foster are pictured with the contest winner at the event in May 1987.

  It is not often that a local television personality marks 30 years with the same station, so the television writer for the Des Moines Register, Dave Rhein, came to interview Floppy in April 1987 about his success. Note the tape recorder placed near Floppy to capture his quotes accurately.

  Group photographs were taken after taping the show in April 1976 (above) and September 1984 (below), marking the final weekday edition of The Floppy Show.

  The clothing and studio backdrops may have changed, but the happy expressions on children’s faces were a constant over 30 years of broadcasts. These group photographs were taken in 1972 (above) and 1977 (below).

  A year after Ellett’s 1987 death, the station hosted a memorial “open house” and handed out souvenir cards with “Floppy Facts.” The publicity photograph used on the cards was the same that was adapted as sketch art for use as a buffer before and after commercials on the Duane and Friend midday program in the 1970s.

  Ellett and Floppy always drew a crowd, eager to answer a question or ask the first riddle. This photograph was taken on the original set in 1971.

  Floppy was a hit not only with young children but college students as well. A contingent from Iowa State University made its way to the studio one afternoon in 1971 and posed with the duo. Members told a WHO-TV reporter that watching The Floppy Show each afternoon helped them cope with the stress of being a college student. Ellett and Floppy’s personal appearances on campus always drew large crowds.

  This contemporary logo was used by the station in promotional materials during the mid-1980s. It depicted Floppy’s ever-present “smile” and trademark red sweater.

  Floppy T-shirts were popular during the run of the show. In conjunction with the first Duane & Floppy Film Festival, held at the State Historical Museum in December 2009, a limited edition of official Floppy T-shirts was authorized by the Ellett family. The demand was so strong that T-shirts were offered for sale until 2015. People would often stop at the WHO-TV studios to buy a shirt, which led Duane Ellett to craft a handwritten sign to help fellow employees satisfy the public demand. (Above, author’s collection.)

  Seven

  A LASTING LEGACY

  By the mid-1980s, television audiences were changing. The proliferation of cable television brought dozens of channels into homes that previously were satisfied with only a few. Broadcast television stations no longer had to serve all audiences as intensively as in the past, and with national cable channels airing children’s programming, local stations found it hard to resist the pressure to make more money with syndicated programming that held broader appeal.

 
As was the case with all late-afternoon, locally produced children’s programming, the weekday edition of The Floppy Show was pushed aside in 1984 to make room for syndicated programming designed for adults. The Floppy Show expanded to one hour but only aired on Saturday mornings. Meanwhile, The Floppytown Gazette, set in a fictional newspaper office and featuring Floppy and five other puppets—Stan Dean, Scary Mary, Uncle Taffy, Inspector Helms, and Matilda the Snake—still aired on Sunday mornings, complete with a theme song composed and sung by the multitalented Ellett.