Friday 3 October 2008

Colonel Bleep - 1957

Colonel Bleep was the first color cartoon ever made for television. It was created by Robert D. Buchanan, and was filmed by Soundac of Miami. The show was originally syndicated in 1957; 104 five-minute episodes were produced, less than half are known to survive today.

Colonel Bleep, an extraterrestrial lifeform from the planet Futura, protected Earth with the help of his deputies, Squeek (a mute cowboy puppet boy) and Scratch (a caveman of great physical strength who was awakened from a sleep of several thousand years by an atomic explosion).

"... and trouble ANYWHERE in space is the concern of the Futura Interplanetary High Command ..."

just so you know I come by my nuclear-proliferation opinions honestly, I would linger at home that extra fifteen minutes at lunchtime to catch the Colonel on the cross-border TV before heading back to school. Who better than a selfless Futuran to teach the dangers of atomic power?