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Gadsden flag
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The Gadsden flag
The Gadsden flag is a historical American flag with a yellow field depicting a rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike. Positioned below the rattlesnake are the words "DONT TREAD ON ME."[note 1] The flag is named after American general and politician Christopher Gadsden (1724–1805), who designed it in 1775 during the American Revolution. It was used by the Continental Marines as an early motto flag, along with the Moultrie flag.
Contents
1 History
1.1 Snake symbolism
1.2 Gadsden's flag
1.3 Variations in appearance
2 Other rattlesnake flags
3 Modern use
3.1 License plates
3.2 Tea Party movement symbol
4 In popular culture
5 Notes
6 References
7 External links
History[edit]
Snake symbolism[edit]
Benjamin Franklin's "Join, or Die" cartoon
The timber rattlesnake can be found in the area of the original Thirteen Colonies. Its use as a symbol of the American colonies can be traced back to the publications of Benjamin Franklin. In 1751, he made the first reference to the rattlesnake in a satirical commentary published in his Pennsylvania Gazette. It had been the policy of Great Britain to send convicted criminals to the Americas, so Franklin suggested that they thank the British by sending rattlesnakes to England.[2]
In 1754, during the French and Indian War, Franklin published his famous woodcut of a snake cut into eight sections. It represented the colonies, with New England joined together as the head and South Carolina as the tail, following their order along the coast. Under the snake was the message "Join, or Die". This was the first political cartoon published in an American newspaper.
As the American colonies came to identify more with their own communities and the concept of liberty, rather than as vassals of the British empire, icons that were unique to the Americas became increasingly popular. The rattlesnake, like the bald eagle and American Indian, came to symbolize American ideals and society.[3][4]
As the American Revolution grew, the snake began to see more use as a symbol of the colonies. In 1774, Paul Revere added Franklin's iconic cartoon to the nameplate of Isaiah Thomas' paper, the Massachusetts Spy, depicted there as fighting a British dragon.[5] In December 1775, Benjamin Franklin published an essay in the Pennsylvania Journal under the pseudonym American Guesser in which he suggested that the rattlesnake was a good symbol for the American spirit:
I recollected that her eye excelled in brightness, that of any other animal, and that she has no eye-lids—She may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance.—She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage.—As if anxious to prevent all pretensions of quarreling with her, the weapons with which nature has furnished her, she conceals in the roof of her mouth, so that, to those who are unacquainted with her, she appears to be a most defenseless animal; and even when those weapons are shown and extended for her defense, they appear weak and contemptible; but their wounds however small, are decisive and fatal:—Conscious of this, she never wounds till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of stepping on her.—Was I wrong, Sir, in thinking this a strong picture of the temper and conduct of America?[6]
The rattlesnake symbol was first officially adopted by the Continental Congress in 1778 when it approved the design for the official Seal of the War Office (at that time and for many years thereafter, the War Office was a term associated with the Headquarters of the Army). At the top center of the Seal is a rattlesnake holding a banner which says: "This We'll Defend". According to the US Army's Institute of Heraldry, "'This We'll Defend,' on a scroll held by the rattlesnake is a symbol depicted on some American colonial flags and signifies the Army's constant readiness to defend and preserve the United States.' This design of the War Office Seal was carried forward—with some minor modifications—into the subsequent designs for the War Department's Seal, and the Department of the Army's Seal, Emblem and Flag. As such, the rattlesnake symbol has been in continuous official use by the US Army for over 236 years.
Gadsden's flag[edit]
Gadsden's flag in an 1885 schoolbook
In fall 1775, the Continental Navy was established by General George Washington in his role as Commander in Chief of all Continental Forces, before Esek Hopkins was named Commodore of the Navy. The Navy began with seven ships, often called "Washington Cruisers", that flew the "Liberty Tree Flag", depicting a green pine tree with the motto "Appeal to Heaven". This is according to the October 20, 1775 letter of Washington's aide Colonel Joseph Reed, which is stored in the Library of Congress.
Those first ships were used to intercept incoming British ships carrying war supplies to the British troops in the colonies both to deprive the British of the supplies and to supply to the Continental Army. One ship captured by Captain John Manley had 30,000 pairs of shoes on it. However, the admiralty agent demanded his 2 1⁄2 per cent commission before he would release the cargo for Washington's army, so many soldiers marched barefoot in the snow. To aid in this, the Second Continental Congress authorized the mustering of five companies of Marines to accompany the Navy on their first mission. The first Marines enlisted in the city of Philadelphia, and they carried drums painted yellow, depicting a coiled rattlesnake with thirteen rattles, and the motto "Don't Tread on Me." This is the first recorded mention of the future Gadsden flag's symbolism.[citation needed]
At the Congress, Continental Colonel Christopher Gadsden represented his home state of South Carolina. He was one of seven members of the Marine Committee who were outfitting the first naval mission.[7]:289
Before the departure of that first mission in December 1775, the newly appointed commander-in-chief of the Navy, Commodore Esek Hopkins, received the yellow rattlesnake flag from Gadsden to serve as the distinctive personal standard of his flagship. It was displayed at the mainmast.[7]:289 Hopkins had previously led The United Companies of the Train of Artillery of the Town of Providence, before being appointed to lead the Navy. The 1775 flag of the Providence Train of Artillery's featured a coiled timber rattlesnake and the motto "Do Not Tread on Me" along with an anchor, cannons and the motto "In God We Hope" on a gold background.[8] The flag presented to Hopkins as Commander of the Continental Navy is a simplified version of that design.
Gadsden also presented a copy of this flag to the Congress of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina. This was recorded in the South Carolina congressional journals on February 9, 1776:

Col. Gadsden presented to the Congress an elegant standard, such as is to be used by the commander in chief of the American Navy; being a yellow field, with a lively representation of a rattlesnake in the middle in the attitude of going to strike and these words underneath, "Don't tread on me."[9]
Variations in appearance[edit]
Many variations of the Gadsden flag exist:
The motto sometimes includes an apostrophe in the word "Don't" and sometimes does not. Early written discussions uniformly include an apostrophe; however, as early as 1917, a flag reference book includes a picture of a version without the apostrophe.[7]:339
The typeface used for the motto is sometimes a serif typeface and other times sans-serif.
The rattlesnake sometimes is shown as resting on a green ground, presumably grassy, and sometimes not. The green grass seems to be a recent addition; representations dating from 1885 and 1917 do not display anything below the rattlesnake.
The rattlesnake usually faces to the left, and the early representations mentioned above face left. However, some versions of the flag show the snake facing to the right.
Other rattlesnake flags[edit]
Culpeper Minutemen flag
Reverse of the 1861 flag of Alabama
The Culpeper Minutemen flag has a coiled rattlesnake and the same motto as the Gadsden flag. It has a white field, rather than yellow, and the additional motto "Liberty or Death" and the name "The Culpeper Minute Men". It is the flag of Virginia volunteers from the Culpeper area.
The John Proctor's Regiment flag of 1st Battalion Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, had a coiled rattlesnake shown on its flag.[10]
The United Companies of the Train of Artillery of the Town of Providence already used a coiled rattlesnake on a field of gold with the motto "Do Not Tread On Me" on its flag. Before Esek Hopkins was named the first Commodore of the American Navy by the Continental Congress he served as a Brigadier General of the Rhode Island Militia Artillery[11], and would have been familiar with the design of the flag.
All four of the American-designed "Rattlesnake Flags" show a coiled rattlesnake. The only other rattlesnake flag, the First Navy Jack, was "designed by" the English artist Thomas Hart as background art.[citation needed]
The traditional version of the First Navy Jack has an uncoiled rattlesnake and the same motto as the Gadsden flag, on a field of 13 horizontal red and white stripes. Flag experts (vexillologists) speculate that the English artist Thomas Hart either did not know about the practice of rattlesnakes to coil in defense, or did, and intended to insult the fledgling American Navy as a weak and vulnerable creature as a rattlesnake is when not coiled and ready to strike, slithering on the ground, trying to escape, with its motto "[Please] Don't Tread on Me!" However, others[who?] suggest the snake pictured on the flag was being provoked, and is striking. Hence the warning, "Don't tread on me [or I will strike]".[citation needed]
Modern use[edit]
First Navy Jack
Celebrating with the Gadsden flag, early morning, May 2, 2011, hours after the announcement of Osama bin Laden's death
Considered one of the first flags of the United States, the flag was later replaced by the current Stars and Stripes (or Old Glory) flag. Since the Revolution, the flag has seen resurgences as a symbol of American patriotism, disagreement with government, or support for civil liberties.
The First Navy Jack, which was not directly related to the Gadsden flag, has been in use by the United States Navy since its beginnings. Unlike the Liberty Tree Flag with the letter by Colonel Joseph Reed that describes it, there is no document that describes the Snake on Stripes flag, only an image by English artist Thomas Hart in the background of a portrait of Commodore Esek Hopkins. In that same painting is a round "tree flag". The triangular Liberty Tree flag is derived from the only surviving tree flag from the Revolution, found in an old trunk in 1993 on Long Island, the 5th Regt. Connecticut Militia. The Snake on Stripes flag was included in a book of flags by Admiral Preble, but later Preble determined the flag not valid, so he removed it from his text. However, the book publisher used the old color plates, so the image was continued in the new edition and subsequently picked up by other publications and Webster's Dictionary.[citation needed]
In preparation for the 1976 bicentennial year, staff officers in the Secretary of the Navy's office sought a powerful image for the Navy's Bicentennial. One Navy officer saw the Snake on Stripes Flag in Webster's Dictionary, so the staff officers ordered a large number to give away as Navy promotional items and then turned to the Naval Historical Center to "get the history". They were told that the flag had probably never flown during the Revolution, based on Admiral Preble's later discoveries, but a decision was made to use the Snake on Stripes Flag, or the "Fake Snake Flag", anyway. Beginning in 1975, commissioned Navy ships flew this Jack in place of the Naval Jack (officially known as the Union Jack, not to be confused with the United Kingdom's flag) at the bow. In 1977, the Secretary of the Navy directed that the ship in active status with the longest total period of active service shall display the First Navy Jack until decommissioned or transferred to inactive service, at which time the flag shall be passed to the next ship in line with appropriate honors. The display of this jack by the oldest ship in the fleet is intended as a form of recognition to promote pride of service, enhance morale, and contribute to the tradition of naval service. USS Enterprise (CVN 65) became the oldest active ship in the United States Navy upon the decommissioning of USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) on May 12, 2009. Enterprise is only the third aircraft carrier ever to hold the honor of flying the First Navy Jack.[12]
Since the first Patriot Day on September 11, 2002, which commemorates the lives lost in the September 11 attacks, the rattlesnake from the flag is also shown on the US Army's Drill Sergeant Identification Badge. After the Snake on Stripes Flag became the Navy's symbol for the Global War on Terrorism, flag history professionals[vague] (vexillologists) have done extensive research papers that further question the claim that the flag ever flew during the American Revolution, yet it continues to fly at the bow of American warships today.[citation needed]
For historical reasons, the Gadsden flag is still popularly flown in Charleston, South Carolina, the city where Christopher Gadsden first presented the flag and where it was commonly used during the revolution, along with the blue and white crescent flag of pre-Civil War South Carolina.
License plates[edit]
Map of states (colored yellow) that offer Gadsden flag specialty license plates
The Gadsden flag has become a popular specialty license plate in several states.
As of 2018[update], the following states offer the option of obtaining a Gadsden flag specialty license plate: Alabama, Arizona, Maryland,[13] Missouri, Montana,[14] Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee,[15] Texas, and Virginia.[16][17]
Tea Party movement symbol[edit]
The flag at a Tea Party rally in September 2009
Beginning in 2009 at Tea Party rallies, the Gadsden Flag has been adopted as a symbol of the American Tea Party movement.[18][19][20][21] It was also displayed by members of Congress at Tea Party movement rallies.[22] Some lawmakers have called it a "political symbol" because of this association.[20][23]
In March 2013, a resident of New Rochelle, New York, put up a Gadsden flag at the city's vacant armory building. The city ordered its removal, fearing that the flag would be seen as political. The next month, a veterans group, the United Veterans Memorial & Patriotic Association, filed suit against the city.[24]
In popular culture[edit]
This article appears to contain trivial, minor, or unrelated references to popular culture. Please reorganize this content to explain the subject's impact on popular culture, using references to reliable sources, rather than simply listing appearances. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2017)
Athletic apparel company Nike uses the image of a rattlesnake coiled around a soccer ball for an ongoing, patriotic "Don't Tread on Me" campaign in support of the United States men's national soccer team. The phrase has become a rallying cry for American soccer fans and the Gadsden flag can occasionally be seen at national team games. A representation of the rattlesnake is contained on the inside of their uniforms, over the heart, with the initials "D.T.O.M.", which were used in the 2010 World Cup.[25]
In Hideo Kojima's video game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty a variation of the flag can be seen on one of the connecting bridges of the "Big Shell" facility, in a reference to both the original meaning and usage of the flag.[26]
In the apocalyptic 2006 CBS TV drama Jericho, the flag makes several appearances, most notably in the series finale as Jericho's acting mayor takes down the flag of the "Allied States of America", which had been flying at the town hall following a federal coup. He replaces the red, white, and blue flag of the central government with a Gadsden Flag which the previous mayor had kept framed in his office. The scene depicts a once-collaborationist character as finally having summoned the courage to be in open defiance against a supreme government.[27]
The heavy metal band Metallica recorded a song called "Don't Tread on Me" on their self-titled fifth studio album, released in 1991. The album cover features a dark grey picture of a coiled rattlesnake like the one found on the Gadsden Flag. The song's lyrics refer to political phrases from the American Revolutionary War.
"Don't Tread On Me" is a song from hard rock supergroup Damn Yankees on their 1992 studio album Don't Tread.
In addition, in the hit series The West Wing, Sam Seaborn's office displays the flag hanging above his cabinet.
NASCAR driver Carl Edwards displayed the Gadsden Flag next to his facsimile signature on his race car.[28]
In WWE, the tag team Real Americans, composed by Jack Swagger, Cesaro and the manager Zeb Colter, used the Gadsden Flag and the preamble "We the People".
In the 1979 novel Alongside Night, an organization called the Revolutionary Agorist Cadre, seeking a Second American Revolution, welcomes visitors to one of its undergrounds: "The room’s only decoration was a modified Gadsden flag draped on the wall adjoining the bar and medical areas (opposite the door), a golden field with 'LAISSEZ-FAIRE!' in an upper left corner, a coiled rattlesnake facing left with its tongue out, and in the lower right, 'DONT TREAD ON ME!'" The Gadsden flag without the addition of "LAISSEZ-FAIRE!" is carried over into the 2014 Alongside Night movie adaptation in which the Gadsden flag is used by the Revolutionary Agorist Cadre as well as the traditional anarchist black flag.[29]
A verse from the 1970 song Uncle John's Band by the Grateful Dead contains the words "Their wall are built of cannonballs, their motto is 'Don't tread on me'".
Notes[edit]
Jump up ^ During the 18th century, when contractions were coming into widespead use, they were often written without an apostrophe and some forms survive today such as made for maked and had for haved. The standard form for the contraction of "do not" later came to include the apostrophe.[1]
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Robert Lowth, A Short Introduction to English Grammar: With Critical Notes. 1794. pp. 67, 79.
Jump up ^ Leepson, Marc; DeMille, Nelson (May 30, 2006). Flag: An American Biography. Macmillan. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-312-32309-7. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Mohawk was Emerging as a Symbol of Liberty in the New Land". Boston-tea-party.org. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
Jump up ^ "Bald Eagle | National Bird". statesymbolsusa.org. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
Jump up ^ "A More Perfect Union: Symbolizing the National Union of States". Library of Congress. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Franklin, Benjamin as quoted under his pseudonym, "The American Guesser"". From the Franklin Institute. December 27, 1775. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
^ Jump up to: a b c Byron McCandless; Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor (1917). Our flag number: with 1197 flags in full colors and 300 additional illustrations in black and white. National Geographic Society. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Flag of the United Train of Artillery of Providence - The Monticello Classroom". classroom.monticello.org. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
Jump up ^ Hicks, Frederick Cocks (1918). The flag of the United States. United States Government Printing Office. p. 23. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
Jump up ^ "A Rattlesnake Flag of the American revolution" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 20, 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
Jump up ^ "RootsWeb.com Home Page". www.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
Jump up ^ "Don't Tread on Me Flag History". Retrieved August 18, 2016.
Jump up ^ http://www.mva.maryland.gov/vehicles/_images/plates/organizational/Gadsden-Pew-Club.gif
Jump up ^ "Montana Department of Justice - License Plate Designs and Fees - Service Organizations & Associations".
Jump up ^ "Friends of Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park". www.friendsofsycamoreshoals.org. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
Jump up ^ "Seven States Now Offer 'Don't Tread on Me' License Plates; Is Yours on the List? - Tea Party News". Tea Party. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
Jump up ^ Schwarz, Hunter (August 25, 2014). "States where you can get a 'Don't Tread On Me' license plate". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Gadsden flag denied over State Capitol". Wtnh.com Hartford CT. May 26, 2010. Archived from the original on December 13, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Gadsden Flag Now Officially "Offensive" In America". Aipnews.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
^ Jump up to: a b "Connecticut Marines Fight for 'Don't Tread on Me' Flag Display". Fox News Channel. April 7, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
Jump up ^ Scocca, Tom (June 13, 2010). "Flag daze". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Gadsden Flags Flying Off the Shelves in Support of the Tea Party movement Tax Protest". Market Wire. April 16, 2009. Archived from the original on August 14, 2009. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Tea Party movement flag will not fly at Connecticut Capitol". Necn.com. April 8, 2010. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Flag's Believed Ties To Tea Party Lead To Removal From New Rochelle Building". CBS 2 New York. April 22, 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
Jump up ^ "USA Men's Soccer Kit". Archived from the original on October 8, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Screenshot of Sons of Liberty Flag".
Jump up ^ "Jericho Video – Jericho – Season 2: Episode 7: Patriots And Tyrants w/ Commentary". CBS. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Carl Edwards". Joe Gibbs Racing. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
Jump up ^ "Alongside Night — Chapter XIV « J. Neil Schulman". jneilschulman.agorist.com. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
External links[edit]
Book: Flags of the United States
Media related to Gadsden flag at Wikimedia Commons
"A Flag of Conviction", The Claremont Institute
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gadsden_flag&oldid=856950264"
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Romper Room
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Romper Room
Genre
Children's television series
Country of origin
United States
Original language(s)
English, Spanish
Production
Producer(s)
Claster Television
Release
Original release
1953 (1953) – 1994 (1994)

Romper Room is an American children's television series franchised and syndicated from 1953 to 1994. The program targeted preschoolers, children five years of age or younger, and was created and produced by Bert Claster and his presenter wife Nancy of Claster Television. The national version was presented by Nancy Terrell. Romper Room was also franchised internationally at various times in Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Finland, New Zealand and Australia.
Contents
[hide]
1 Founding
1.1 American television franchises and syndications
2 Episode format
3 Romper Room and Friends
4 Broadcast information
4.1 National
5 Localized versions - USA
5.1 Atlanta
5.2 Baltimore
5.3 Boston
5.4 Chicago
5.5 Cleveland
5.6 Denver
5.7 Quad Cities, Iowa/Illinois
5.8 Honolulu
5.9 Johnstown, Pennsylvania
5.10 Kansas City
5.11 Lexington, Kentucky
5.12 Los Angeles
5.13 Little Rock, Arkansas
5.14 Madison, Wisconsin
5.15 Memphis, Tennessee
5.16 Miami
5.17 Milwaukee
5.18 Minneapolis-St. Paul
5.19 New Orleans
5.20 New York City
5.21 Oakland/San Francisco
5.22 Philadelphia
5.23 Pittsburgh
5.24 Puerto Rico
5.25 Rochester
5.26 Salt Lake City, Utah
5.27 Savannah, Georgia
5.28 Seattle/Tacoma, Washington
5.29 St. Louis, Missouri
5.30 Washington, D.C.
5.31 Wichita, Kansas
6 Controversy
6.1 Miss Sherri
6.2 Action For Children's Television
7 International
7.1 Australia
7.2 Canada
7.3 Hong Kong
7.4 Japan
7.5 United Kingdom
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
Founding[edit]
American television franchises and syndications[edit]
Romper Room was a rare case of a series being both franchised and syndicated, so local affiliates—Los Angeles and New York being prime examples—could produce their own versions of the show instead of airing the national telecast. For some time, local shows all over the world used the same script but with local children; some affiliates, starting with KWEX-TV in San Antonio, translated the scripts into Spanish for local airings.[1] Kids would be on waiting lists for years (sometimes before birth) to be on the show.[citation needed] It was called "an actual kindergarten". Originally filmed in Baltimore from its inception in 1953, Romper Room eventually moved its broadcast facilities to Chicago[when?] and then moved back to Baltimore in 1981.
Episode format[edit]
Each program opens with a greeting from the hostess and the Pledge of Allegiance in American broadcasts. The hostess and her group of children then embark on 30 or 60 minutes of games, exercises, songs, story-telling and moral lessons, which were regularly accompanied by background music. The hostess (or sometimes the children in cadence) would ask, "Mr. Music, please!" or "We're ready, Mr. Music," to prompt the background music. The young cast, which ranged from four to five years old, was rotated every two months. Many of the hostesses had prior experience working with small children and many were former kindergarten teachers.
Etiquette was a focus of Romper Room. The hostesses were always addressed as "Miss." The show also had a mascot, Mr. Do-Bee. Mr. Do-Bee was an oversized bumblebee who came to teach the children proper deportment. He was noted for always starting his sentence with "Do Bee," as in the imperative "Do be"; for example, "Do Bee good boys and girls for your parents!" There was also a "Mr. Don't Bee" to show children exactly what they should not do. Do-Bee balloons were made available for purchase to the public.[2] Each balloon featured a painted sketch of Do-Bee. When the balloons were inflated and then released, they would fly around slowly and emit a buzzing sound.
The hostess would also serve milk and cookies to the children. Before eating, they would recite the Romper Room prayer: "God is great, God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. Amen."
At the end of each broadcast, the hostess would look through a "magic mirror"—actually an open frame with a handle, the size and shape of a hand mirror—and recite the rhyme, "Romper, stomper, bomper boo. Tell me, tell me, tell me, do. Magic Mirror, tell me today, did all my friends have fun at play?" She would then name the children she saw in "television land," saying, for example, "I can see Kathleen and Owen and Julie and Jimmy and Kelly and Tommy and Bobby and Jennifer and Martin" and so forth. Children were encouraged to mail in their names, which would be read on the air (first names only).
The show used the then-popular Mattel Jack-in-the-box for its opening and closing titles (sometimes called "Happy Jack"), with its traditional nursery rhyme "Pop Goes the Weasel" as a theme song. Beginning in 1981, a new original theme song was used.
Romper Room and Friends[edit]
In 1981, the format of Romper Room was overhauled and re-titled Romper Room and Friends. One hundred syndicated versions were taped in Baltimore with "Miss Molly" as host. The biggest change to the program was the introduction of a series of new puppet characters, including a full costume character named Kimble, and puppets named Granny Cat and Up-Up. Kimble and Up-Up were performed by Bruce Edward Hall and Granny Cat by Molly McCloskey aka "Miss Molly". The three characters were developed by The Great Jones Studios in NYC. The new characters starred in a series of vignettes, somewhat similar to the "Neighborhood of Make-Believe" segments on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and were meant to introduce or reinforce simple moral lessons. About 100 of these skits — each running three to five minutes — were produced for insertion into local Romper Room programs; the host would introduce each segment and comment after its conclusion.
In addition, a new opening and closing credits sequence, and lyrical theme – "Romper Room and Friends", containing mostly nonsensical lyrics, but also naming the characters Up-Up, Do Bee, Granny Cat, and Kimble in the lyrics as well – were introduced, replacing the "Pop Goes the Weasel" theme that had been used.
Broadcast information[edit]
National[edit]
Nancy Terrell, known to audiences as "Miss Nancy" was the national hostess in the 1960s and early 1970s when Romper Room was seen on ABC-owned and operated stations throughout the United States in locales that did not have their own hostesses.
Localized versions - USA[edit]
Atlanta[edit]
Romper Room had aired on Atlanta stations since the 1950s but, in December 1976, it found nationwide exposure as part of the WTCG morning lineup when Ted Turner began broadcasting the station's signal nationally via satellite. (3 years later, WTCG became SuperstationWTBS, while the programming remained essentially unchanged.[3]) Unlike the nationally syndicated version, the WTCG/WTBS version of Romper Room was locally produced.
Baltimore[edit]
The first Romper Room hostess was Nancy Claster (1915–1997), who helped produce the series with her husband Bert under the Claster Television banner. Miss Nancy hosted the show, produced at the studios of WBAL-TV in Baltimore, Maryland, from the first episode in 1953 until 1963, when she was replaced by her daughter Sally Claster Gelbard. Miss Sally hosted the show, in Baltimore and the surrounding area, until 1981 when it was retitled.
Boston[edit]
Miss Jean (real name Jean Harrington) hosted the Boston area Romper Room (which aired on WHDH and its successor WCVB) for fourteen years. She was an English major and Education minor and a graduate of Salem State College, in Salem, Massachusetts. A Swampscott native, she was a former high school teacher. Her husband at that time was WHDH news reporter Bill Harringtom.[4] The show aired with Miss Jean from 1958 to 1972. She was replaced in March 1972 by "Miss Louise" (Louise Lark, a 23-year-old school-teacher and a graduate of Boston University).[5] Jean and Bill Harrington divorced; ultimately, Jean moved to Florida.
Chicago[edit]
Romper Room debuted on WGN in 1954, and ran until 1960. From 1961 to 1962, a nationally syndicated version aired. The local Romper Room returned a year later and ran from 1963 to 1975. Three of the Chicago hostesses were "Miss Rosemary" Rapp, "Miss Beverly" Marston-Braun and "Miss Elizabeth" Trench.
Cleveland[edit]
Cleveland hostess "Miss Barbara" (full name: Barbara R. (Bowen) Plummer), born in Norwalk on February 13, 1930 hosted the local version of Romper Room on WEWS from 1958 until 1971. She was also a weather presenter on Channel 5 and appeared on Captain Penny. She was a survivor of breast cancer in 1978, and lung cancer in 1996. She resided in South Euclid and died on March 20, 2010, at the age of 80 from cancer and pneumonia-related complications. She was survived by husband Gordon and two children.[6][7]
Denver[edit]
"Miss Genie" DeLuise hosted the Denver area Romper Room between 1962 and 1972 on KWGN-TV (which was KCTO prior to 1966). Denver's Miss Genie DeLuise was also the Romper Room hostess in Phoenix from fall of 1957 to March 1959.[8]
Quad Cities, Iowa/Illinois[edit]
Quad Cities hostess "Miss Peggy" Wittke and "Miss Jean" Engman hosted the local version of Romper Room on WQAD-TV from the Mid 60s and into the '80s.[9]
Honolulu[edit]
The Hawaiian version of Romper Room debuted in 1964 on KTRG (now KHNL) with "Miss Robin" (Robin Mann). After the station canceled the program in 1966, the show and its host moved over to KHON where it ran until 1972, when KHON replaced it with Today. Mann later admitted that despite the success of Romper Room in Honolulu she felt that there wasn't any Hawaiian influence or culture being emphasized in the series during its run. In 1974, KHON bought Mann back for a series called Robin's Room, which incorporated the Hawaiian culture but kept the Romper Room elements and ran until 1976.
Johnstown, Pennsylvania[edit]
A version of the program aired on WJAC-TV out of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was originally hosted and taught by "Miss Jean," Jean Federici of Pittsburgh. A music education graduate of Indiana State Teacher's College in Indiana, Pa - now the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, she hosted the program from 1958 to 1960. "Miss Patti" Patti Hewitt was the hostess from October 1960 through December 1973. She was an elementary major and graduated from Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. Miss Patti was replaced with "Miss Mary" Mary Parks until the end of its run about 1976. Mary remained with channel 6 for until 1990 as an anchor, reporter and public affairs reporter. She left WJAC in 1990 to become Sister Mary of the Sisters of St Joseph.
Kansas City[edit]
"Miss Virginia" (Virginia Lee Hassenflu) hosted the Kansas City area Romper Room from 1954 to 1964 on KMBC. She died on November 7, 2016.[10]
Lexington, Kentucky[edit]
A local version of the program in Lexington, Kentucky, was hosted by "Miss Roni," Roni Martin Scott, from 1974 until 1976 on WTVQ-TV.
Los Angeles[edit]
In Los Angeles, Romper Room aired on KCOP-TV. There were only two hosts of the Los Angeles version of the series: "Miss Mary Ann" and "Miss Soco". The first host was Mary Ann King who hosted from 1966 to 1976. The second host of the program was Socorro Serrano, aka "Miss Soco", who hosted from 1977 until it ended in 1989 and was the first Latina of Mexican American heritage to host Romper Room. Hostess Mary Ann King (Miss Mary Ann), a resident of Hacienda Heights died on June 16, 2016, aged 82.[11]
Little Rock, Arkansas[edit]
Margaret Jones, who hosted the Little Rock show as "Miss Peggy" between 1963 and 1966, went on to sing and to play tabla and keyboards for a locally popular psychedelic rock band called Campbell's Lavender Circus (or sometimes simply Lavender Circus). The sextet sold 2,000 copies statewide of their single, "I Have No Time for Time"/"Mr. N. Bourbaki's Multicoloured Jam."
Madison, Wisconsin[edit]
Madison hostess Judy Fraser attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison and graduated with a B.A. in Speech Communications. She received an honorary scholarship and membership in the Phi Beta Honorary Society for outstanding academic work and the University's Outstanding Actress Award for her portrayal of Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. After college, Judy remained in Madison, working at a local television station as weathercaster, movie hostess, and Romper Room hostess "Miss Judy" for WMTV.
Memphis, Tennessee[edit]
WHBQ-TV was the Memphis home for Romper Room, which ran from 1956 to 1970.
Miami[edit]
The Miami, Florida hostess "Miss Iris" Maxwell from WCKT (now WSVN) Channel 7 was formerly Miss Miami Beach 1953. She was also the author of the children's book Terri and Mike in Lollipop Land, named after her first two children, Michael and Theresa Martin, who had appeared on the show several times. She later married philanthropist and real estate developer Ben Tobin, with whom she had a daughter, Benita Tobin.
Milwaukee[edit]
The Milwaukee version of Romper Room aired on WISN-TV, Channel 12.
Minneapolis-St. Paul[edit]
The show aired on WTCN channel 11 (1955–62) and then on KMSP channel 9 (1962–74) hosted by Mary Betty Douglass among others. [1] [2]
New Orleans[edit]
Virginia Sherwood Carino, better known as "Miss Ginny", presided over the New Orleans version for almost a decade on WWL until her departure from the station in 1967. She later became one of the first female White House correspondents for ABC News, followed by a stint as a communications coach and consultant. Carino died of complications from Alzheimer's in 2012 at the age of 87. Local actress Linda Barnett Mintz took over the series following Carino's departure and remains an active TV and radio personality to this day.
Linda Barnett Mintz is a New Orleans born child actress of radio and stage. She already possessed local celebrity upon being selected to be New Orleans' next "Romper Room" teacher. She appeared on The Miss Muffin Show with Terry Flettrich and PBS's Let's Tell a Story, which was a collaborative effort between the National Council of Jewish Women, New Orleans Section; WDSU-TV; the New Orleans Public Library; and New Orleans schools. The program was designed to encourage reading and literacy. Mintz was well known for her voice-over work on many radio and television commercials, in addition to working as a character actress in local theaters and national television movies. She has performed on every stage in New Orleans as a mistress of ceremonies, songstress, lead in musical theatre, and dramatic actress. Mintz is best known for her portrayal of Amanda Wingfield in a production of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, and Desiree in Stephen Sondheim/Hugh Wheeler's A Little Night Music. She wrote and produced Dark Secrets, about the life and career of Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky as well as a series of poetry shows. In 1996, Mintz released a CD of romantic poetry, Soft Words, Warm Nights, which received a Grammy nomination for "Best Spoken Word Performance". Mintz graduated with a BA and MA in theatre from Tulane University and is a board member of Tulane's Summer Lyric Theatre. She is married to Albert Mintz, a prominent New Orleans corporate attorney.
New York City[edit]
In New York City, the first hostess was "Miss Gloria" Flood on WABC-TV for the years 1955-57. "Miss Joan" Thayer became the new hostess when it moved to WNEW-TV (now WNYW) in 1957. "Miss Louise" Redfield took over hosting duties at the same time the program moved over to WOR-TV (now WWOR-TV) in 1966. "Miss Louise" was followed by "Miss Mary Ann" Pedersen, who began filling in for Louise in the early 1970s. After Louise Redfield left in 1975, Mary Ann Pederson took over the show until 1981.
In 1981, the station took the Baltimore-based Romper Room and Friends offered in syndication by Claster Television with new host "Miss Molly" McCloskey, which gave the program nationwide carriage even in markets where it was not available on a broadcast station, as a result of WOR's superstation feed. Miss Molly gained a great deal of popularity with viewers and is still fondly remembered today. Children who were on the show for a week were on a waiting list for three to four years.
From 1966 to 1971, WOR aired Romper Room during the 11 AM hour, then moved it back to 10 AM, where it would remain for most of the next 14 years. The station briefly moved it back to 9 AM in the fall of 1981, but returned it to 10 AM a month later, due to complaints that it was interfering with the airing of PBS's Sesame Street. The show was aired "live" until 1985, at which time it was also pushed back to 8:30 AM. In the fall of 1987, after WOR-TV was sold and renamed WWOR, Romper Room was reduced to 30 minutes and moved to 6 AM, and production in the New York area was discontinued a year later. While many local versions ended in the late 1980s and early 1990s (and some ended in the early-to-mid 1980s), nationally syndicated episodes of Romper Room and Friends with "Miss Molly" stopped airing in 1994.
Oakland/San Francisco[edit]
Miss Nancy Besst hosted the San Francisco version on KTVU from 1958 to 1969. "Miss Mary Ann" Parks hosted from 1969 to 1979; "Miss Teresa" followed until 1981.
From 1981 to 1987, the San Francisco Bay Area featured another version of Romper Room, which was televised live from Oakland on local station KTVU. This version featured "Ms. Nancy", whose real name was Ruby Unger, a Mill Valley resident.[12] There were several other local producer / teachers during the life of the show, which began in Baltimore, MD, in 1954.
"Miss Sharon" Jeffery[13] was the last Romper Room Teacher in Northern California. A fourth grade teacher[14] at the time, she was hired and trained by Sally Claster Bell in Pacific Palisades, California. Miss Sharon was the only African-American hostess and was featured on Romper Room from 1987 to 1992, which was filmed at KTVU in the San Francisco Bay Area. She was the final teacher on the last Romper Room in the US.
Philadelphia[edit]
Another early Romper Room hostess was Claire Coleman, who was the original "Miss Claire" on WFIL (now WPVI-TV) from 1954 until 1956. During this time, she shared an office with Dick Clark from American Bandstand. Claire Coleman was married to former U.S. Senator Richard Schweiker.
Pittsburgh[edit]
Jan Ballard Bohna ("Miss Jan") was the first "teacher" in 1958 on WIIC-TV (later WPXI) until the program moved to WTAE in 1960, where she was replaced by "Miss Janey" Vance Braham for 10 years until her sudden death in 1970. Bohna, who had filled in as a substitute host for Braham during the 1960s run on WTAE,[15] took over as host until the local version ended in 1976. WTAE also carried the national version on Saturday mornings in its later years.
Puerto Rico[edit]
In Puerto Rico, the show was hosted by Bertita Novoa and later, by Sandra Zaiter.
Rochester[edit]
In Rochester, New York, where the show was carried on the newly founded WOKR, now WHAM-TV, it was hosted from 1962 to 1967 by Rita Barton who was known as "Miss Rita," later founded an innovative child-care facility and is still active today, nearly 50 years after her debut on the program. The role was later taken on by "Miss Karen" for a later portion of the program's run in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Salt Lake City, Utah[edit]
"Miss Julie" of KSL-TV's Romper Room was played by Edna Anderson-Taylor from 1964 through 1981. Some 6,100 children appeared on the program, and Anderson-Taylor was quoted saying that the program gives "a big boost to a child's self-esteem".
Savannah, Georgia[edit]
In the early years, Miss Margaret was the host followed by Miss Nancy. Miss Kay Lisicia hosted the Savannah version on WTOC during the early 1970s.
Seattle/Tacoma, Washington[edit]
The initial host in the late 1950s and early 1960s was Miss Elaine (last name unavailable). Then it was Miss Margaret, who was played by Margaret Lloyd, a former kindergarten teacher.[16] The show aired on KSTW (at the time as KTNT-TV) Channel 11, from Tacoma. She hosted the show from the late 1960s into the 1970s.[17]
St. Louis, Missouri[edit]
Miss Lois (Lois Witzig) hosted the St. Louis version on KTVI during the 1960s and early 1970s.
Washington, D.C.[edit]
Constance Anne Bohlin hosted the D.C. version on WTTG Channel 5 from 1957 to 1967, as "Miss Connie".[18][19]
Wichita, Kansas[edit]
Miss Barbara Balay was one of the first hosts of Romper Room on KAKE. She later married one of the first producers on the morning show, David Carl Dunn. He later wrote a book about their relationship, both on and off the air, called "From Kansas to Hollywood."
"Miss Marti" Watson Garlett was the final host of Romper Room on KAKE from 1977 to 1986, when KAKE canceled the show a few years after the FCC ceased requiring educational programs for children on commercial television (KAKE was and is an ABC affiliate). Garlett holds a Ph.D., and as a former classroom teacher (preschool through grade 3) was one of the few nationwide hosts who came from a child development background. She went on to create online teacher-preparation programs at Western Governors University, Walden University, and Kendall College, the latter in early childhood education. While she was hosting Romper Room, she was also a full-time professor of elementary teacher education at Friends University in Wichita. She lovingly called Romper Room her "moonlight job," and thought aloud that she should have paid for the privilege of being Miss Marti.
Controversy[edit]
Two controversial events were connected with Romper Room:
Miss Sherri[edit]
In 1962, the hostess of the Phoenix franchise of Romper Room linked her own name with that of the ongoing controversies over abortion. Sherri Finkbine, known to television viewers as "Miss Sherri," sought hospital approval for abortion on the ground that she had been taking thalidomide and believed her child would be born deformed. Finkbine made a public announcement about the dangers of thalidomide, and the hospital refused to allow an abortion, apparently because of her announcement and its own fear of publicity. Finkbine traveled to Sweden for the abortion. Upon completion, it was confirmed that the fetus had no legs and only one arm. The incident became a made-for-TV movie in 1992, A Private Matter, with Sissy Spacek as Finkbine.
Action For Children's Television[edit]
After the children's television watchdog group Action for Children's Television was organized in 1968, the group's first target was Boston's version of Romper Room at WHDH-TV, which at the time focused on the promotion of its branded line of toys to its viewers. Threatened with referral to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), WHDH scaled back the host's role in pitching the program's products ("host-selling").[20]
Through the 1980s, Hasbro (which had purchased the program in 1969) sold branded Romper Room toys and products, but since ACT's intervention, ads and promotions for the items were not seen in the Romper Room program.
International[edit]
The Romper Room format was expanded into other countries, such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, and the United Kingdom.[21]
Australia[edit]
Several stations in Australia aired their own versions of Romper Room, most notably the Seven Network (who produced a national version through its Sydney station ATN-7) and regional station NBN-3 Newcastle.
The hostesses of the national edition were Miss Susan, Miss Patricia, Miss Colleen, Miss Helena, Miss Nancy, and Miss Megan. This version of Romper Room was axed in 1988 as the children's show Fat Cat and Friends replaced it.[22]
The NBN edition continued after the station became an affiliate of the Nine Network, with a new title, Big Dog and Friends, the title referring to the station's mascot Big Dog, who appeared in the show as the sidekick of the hostess, Miss Kim. This, the last version of Romper Room to survive on Australian television, was eventually cancelled.
Other stations known to have produced their own versions of Romper Room are SAS-10 (now SAS-7) Adelaide, which ran from 1965 to 1974, and ATV-0 (now ATV-10) Melbourne.
MTN9 Griffith, NSW, also ran a live version with Anna Pistillo (known as Miss Anne) between 1967 - 1968. Anna was trained in Sydney by Miss Pat, produced and presented the programme locally with the support of station Manager, Norm Murphy. Unfortunately, all archival footage has since been destroyed but 8mm behind the scenes footage does exist. It is rumored Miss Anne was the progeny for the naming of Humphrey the Bear.
Canada[edit]
In Canada, the first station to start airing the locally produced version of Romper Room was CKLW-TV in Windsor, Ontario, which at the time was serving the Detroit, Michigan television market, in 1954, the year the station signed on, with Miss Ardis (Ardis Kenealy) and Miss Flora, Flora (Paulin) Asselstine. Besides Windsor, CJCH-TV in Halifax, Nova Scotia also produced a local version during the 1960s, which was hosted by "Miss Jo-Anne" (Jo-Anne Lawson). This version later moved to CHSJ-TV in Saint John, New Brunswick during the 1970s.[23] Other local versions were produced at CFPL-TV in London, Ontario[24] CHCH-TV in Hamilton, Ontario, CHBC-TV in Kelowna, BC, hosted by "Miss Betty" (Betty Pavle), CJAY-TV in Winnipeg, CKVR-TV in Barrie, Ontario hosted by "Miss Lois" (Lois Welsman), CKSO-TV in Sudbury, Ontario hosted by "Miss Pat" (Patricia Wilson), and CFCF-TV in Montreal. In Newfoundland and Labrador, a local version was produced on CJON-TV (NTV) in St. John's, and there was another local version produced in Grand Falls-Windsor. The version in Toronto aired on CFTO-TV.
CKCO-TV in Kitchener, Ontario also had a local version, starting in 1963.[25] In 1972 this version became nationwide running until 1992 on CTV[26] and was hosted by "Miss Fran" (Fran Pappert), "Miss Jean" (Jeanette Moffat), "Miss Cathie" (Cathie Sackville) and "Miss Betty" (Betty Thompson). The Canadian version of the program used the same opening credits and "Pop Goes the Weasel" theme as the US version, the Jack-in-the-box logo, and other elements such as the Do-Bee character and the Magic Mirror (including the psychedelic visual effect that went along with it). When the US franchise changed the title to Romper Room and Friends, the Canadian series followed suit. When the Canadian version ended production in 1992, it was the last version in production anywhere.[27]
Hong Kong[edit]
In Hong Kong, there was a local version called Siusiu Lokyuen (小小樂園), which aired from the late 1960s to the early 1970s on Asia Television's Chinese channel (now ATV Home). It was hosted by Miss Chiu Suk-ching (趙淑貞) but she would be known as "Sister Chiu" (趙淑貞姐姐). Elements such as "Pop Goes the Weasel" theme, the Jack-in-the-box logo, the Do-Bee character and the Magic Mirror are the same as other versions.[28][29]
Japan[edit]
In Japan, there was a localised version called Ronpārūmu (ロンパールーム), which aired from 1963 to 1979 on NTV. Just before this show debuted, the first Japanese hostess, Midori Namiki, visited New York for training with other hostesses from several countries.[30]
Hostesses of the Japanese version were always named Miss Midori, with "midori" meaning "green".
The Japanese version had a controversial episode, when hostess Midori Utsumi (the second "Miss Midori") asked the kids, "Who can tell me a word that begins with ki?" (き or キ). A boy answered: "I know: Kintama!"—a slang term for "testicles" that is roughly equivalent to "balls" or "nuts" in English. Hoping to give the boy a gentle little hint, Miss Midori suggested "Maybe you could think of something that sounds a bit more kireina?" (with careful emphasis on the "ki" portion of this word), which means "nice" or "pretty". The boy immediately responded "Kireina kintama!"—i.e., "Nice nuts!". After a commercial break, the boy was replaced with a teddy bear. Midori Utsumi, who has since become a major media personality, often tells this story on some TV programs that she appears in.
United Kingdom[edit]
The United Kingdom had several versions of Romper Room.
Anglia Television produced a version for broadcast in the East Anglia region of England from 1964 to 1976, hosted by "Miss Rosalyn" (Rosalyn Thompson).[31]
In Northern Ireland, local ITV company UTV created a local production in the late 1960s and early 1970s, hosted by "Miss Adrienne" (mother of television reporter Andrea Catherwood), and then "Miss Helen", and Rose Neill as "Miss Rose".
Around the same time, Grampian Television in northern Scotland produced a version hosted by "Miss Lesley" (Lesley Blair, a continuity announcer) and "Miss Rose Neill".
See also[edit]
Ding Dong School
Jack Mort, a sociopath in Stephen King's The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three who associates his murderous plotting with lessons ostensibly learned from Romper Room
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Jump up ^ "Dorothy Nott's Obituary on". The Windsor Star. Retrieved 2016-01-10.
Jump up ^ "Romper Room". Retrieved 2017-02-27.
Jump up ^ Shaw, Ted (1992-03-18). "Magic mirror on learning : Romper Room marks 20 years of "do bees' and "don't bees'". Kitchener-Waterloo Record. p. C12.
Jump up ^ Vitalla, Kalyani (1992-07-18). "Romper Room magic is now just a memory : Kids' show to live on in reruns". Kitchener-Waterloo Record. p. C9.
Jump up ^ "Long Distance Voyager - maninov4u 遠航者遊蹤 :麗的映聲的回憶 - 樂多日誌". Blog.roodo.com. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
Jump up ^ "《太平山下》—自家製作的早產兒 | Blog | C'est La Vie - Yahoo! Blog". Blog.yahoo.com. 2009-06-14. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
Jump up ^ "ロンパールーム". Isec-j.co.jp. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
Jump up ^ "The TV Room". Tvpresenters.thetvroomplus.com. 2006-09-06. Archived from the original on 2012-07-16. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1915&dat=19780224&id=4QwiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=k3MFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3890,3598937
http://www.kake.com/news/headlines/Good_Question_What_Is_Romper_Rooms_Miss_Marti_Doing_Now_131296089.html?mobile=yes
http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/1561612.html?mobile=yes
http://www.kake.com/news/hattebergpeople/headlines/51748147.html?mobile=yes
External links[edit]
A 1962 clip from KTVI, St. Louis, MO.
A Clip from the Australian Romper Room c. 1985
Romper Room on IMDb
A Private Matter on IMDb
Romper Room info from tvparty.com
Romper Room on WOC-TV 6 Davenport, Iowa
2008 interview with Honolulu's Romper Room host Robin Mann from Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Romper Room at the National Film and Sound Archive
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Romper_Room&oldid=831395751"
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