Keeshan had portrayed the original Clarabell the Clown on NBC's The Howdy Doody Show during the network's early years.

Each episode began with the theme music playing, then the Captain makes his entrance to the studio by unlocking and opening the doors of the Treasure House from the inside, where viewers would catch their first glimpse of him.

One never knew exactly what would happen from one episode to the next, although at certain times of the year, such as the Christmas season, paper cutout versions of such stories as The Littlest Snowman would be shown.

Tom had a sidekick named Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog, and a nemesis, Crabby Appleton ("I'm rotten to the core!").

Other cartoons included Lariat Sam, who (aided by his loyal horse Tippytoes), confronted his nemesis Badlands Meanie and his sidekick Bushwhack.

[12] The British cartoon Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings appeared in the 1970s, featuring a child with magic chalk who could create all sorts of short-lived creations in short adventures (the original version featured a British narrator, Bernard Cribbins, but Keeshan's voice was dubbed onto the cartoons for their U.S.

A silent cartoon in the 1970s named Crystal Tipps and Alistair featured the adventures of a young girl and her dog.

[15] The Red and the Blue shorts from Italy, as well as The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo, featuring a family of sea explorers, were also shown.

Other regular features included The Magic Drawing Board and the Captain's "Reading Stories" sessions, which introduced kids to stories such as Curious George, Make Way for Ducklings, Stone Soup, Caps for Sale, and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.

Favorite characters on the show were Grandfather Clock (voiced by Cosmo Allegretti), Bunny Rabbit, Rollo the Hippo, and Dancing Bear.

Especially in later seasons, the show also featured a running gag in selected episodes during which the Captain would try to perform a particular activity three or four times, only to fail in a different way with each attempt.

Keeshan turned the key to play a jingle ("Colgate Fluoride M-F-P/Helps Prevent the Cavity/And it Tastes Great, Naturally!")

At the end of each episode, the Captain always encouraged parents watching the show to spend some quality time with their children every day, and he often demonstrated various creative ways in which to do so.

In the United Kingdom, it became famous as the theme to the weekly BBC radio program Children's Favourites from 1952 to 1966, and is still widely recognised by the postwar generation.

It was later used in the Enid Blyton parody Five Go Mad in Dorset and in a number of British TV advertisements, including a Captain Sensible spot.

In 1957, lyricist Mary Rogers penned lyrics to the tune, creating a newly titled Captain Kangaroo song.

Lewis' own program, The Uncle Al Show, ended its run in Cincinnati a year after Captain Kangaroo left CBS.

Same-day episodes would be broadcast on kinescope for Western audiences, as Keeshan would not perform the show live three times a day.

Angered over the reduction of his program for the second time, Keeshan chose to step down at the end of 1984, after his contract with CBS expired.

[citation needed] After the show ended, Children's Television Workshop hired some of its staff to work on Sesame Street.

[21][22] Just over a year later, on September 1, 1986, Captain Kangaroo returned in reruns on PBS, with funding from public television stations, School Zone Publishing Company, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

American Public Television, then known as the Interregional Program Service, distributed the show, along with Britder Associates (Keeshan's production company).

The cast of Captain Kangaroo also hosted the CBS coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for several years in the 1960s.

[28] Creative Artists Agency, the successor to Captain Kangaroo's previous rights holders Marvin Josephson Associates and ICM Partners, is the current owner of the series.