Mr. Moose was a

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...

character on the

children's television Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are ...

show ''

Captain Kangaroo ''Captain Kangaroo'' is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program ...

''. Mr. Moose was created and played by

Cosmo Allegretti ''Captain Kangaroo'' is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program ...

, who also created and played Bunny Rabbit (puppet), Dancing Bear, and the Captain's painter and handyman Dennis. While the character did engage in serious conversation, Mr. Moose's ultimate goal was always to maneuver Captain Kangaroo into participating in a

riddle A riddle is a :wikt:statement, statement, question, or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: ''enigmas'', which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or Allegory, alleg ...

knock-knock joke The knock-knock joke is an audience-participation joke cycle; a knock-knock joke is primarily a child's joke, though there are exceptions. The scenario is of a person knocking on the front door to a house. The teller of the joke says, "Knock, kn ...

, the punchline of which would inevitably be followed by hundreds of

ping pong Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of two, players ...

balls raining harmlessly but annoyingly down on the Captain. This frequent set-up was a major source of hilarity for the pre-kindergarten audience. The viewers knew the ping pong balls were coming, but the Captain would walk right into the trap every time.

Remote shoots

The show would often have brief segments filmed at remote locations. On at least two occasions, an entire episode was handled as a remote shoot, with Mr. Moose stealing the show. One was set at the

Oshkosh Air Show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (formerly the EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In), or just Oshkosh, is an annual air show and gathering of aviation enthusiasts held each summer at the Wittman Regional Airport and adjacent Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wiscon ...

, where fellow puppet Bunny Rabbit climbed into a yellow aircraft without permission. Captain Kangaroo climbed in to retrieve him, only to have Bunny Rabbit crank the engine and begin a takeoff roll. Following scenes showed the Captain panicking as the craft became airborne with Bunny Rabbit at the controls. Seconds later, there came the ominous sound of a second engine. The camera changed point of view to a green hilltop, over which sprang a red tri-plane, flown not by Baron Richthofen but instead by Mr. Moose. An inverted dogfight ensued to the music of " Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines." The other remote shoot was premised on

awaking to his surprise in the

Colonial era Colonial period (a period in a country's history where it was subject to management by a colonial power) may refer to: Continents *European colonization of the Americas * Colonisation of Africa * Western imperialism in Asia Countries * Col ...

. In short order, he met Squire Greenjeans and the mysterious Monsieur Moose who dropped hay on people because ping pong balls hadn't been invented yet. 250px, Allan Jones, a collector from Cleveland, Tennessee, owns the Mr. Moose puppet and is credited with having the most extensive collection of Captain Kangaroo memorabilia in the world.

In other media

In the animated television series ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...

'' episode " Hell Comes to Quahog", after Joe sends a

ping pong ball Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...

out a window,

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

persuades Mr. Moose to say "Knock, knock", then answers "Ping pong balls!", and ping pong balls fall on top of Peter.

Notes

External links

Captain Kangaroo with Mr. Moose
at YouTube Puppets Fictional deer and moose Anthropomorphic deer and moose Male characters in television Television characters introduced in 1955 {{Puppet-stub

Remote shoots

In other media

Further reading

Notes

External links