Art Clokey R.I.P.

I am sad to learn that one of the men who has been a hero and inspiration to me and my puppetry has passed away.

I can't recall exactly when I became a fan of Gumby and Pokey, I guess it was in the late 60's or early 70's during my weekly Saturday morning tee-vee marathons. I have always found Gumby to be magical, even though I know how the puppet is animated. There is something so real about the character, and that is that Art Clokey put some of himself into the clay figure, making it seem real to me.

The odd thing about his passing is that Eleanor, Tiernan, and I were playing with our Gumby toys and watching a Gumby DVD yesterday, the day that Art Clokey left us. How strange.

Thank you Art for creating such a wonderful cast of characters that my family and I have enjoyed for many years.