Today I am writing about the TV cartoon series, The Funny Company. The show debuted in 1963 in syndication, and it is fondly remembered by everyone who grew up in the 60s and 70s. They were 260 six-minute-long of episodes produced. The Funny Company consisted of a clubhouse full of children and a few adults doing various jobs.
The characters that were primarily featured in the episodes were Buzzer Bell, Jasper N. Parks, Polly Plum, Merry Twitter, Shrinkin’ Violette, Terry Dactyl, Broken Feather, Super Chief, and Todd Goodheart. The villains were Belly Laguna and Ludwig Von Upp with his assistant Hans Von Henchman.
The opening theme song of the show is one of those songs that sticks in your head for the longest time. It’s very catchy and infectious. Here are the lyrics of the opening theme song:
We have a company
That you can join for free
And kids in every neighborhood belong
It’s The Funny Company
Cause it’s just for fun, you see
So come a running when you hear our song
Come to order, come to order
Says our president
And when The Funny Company meets,
It’s just what we present
Things to see, and things to do
Stories, songs, toys
And other things of interest
And fun for girls and boys
Super Chief opening his mouth and sounds like a horn.
My two favorite characters from the show were Belly Laguna and Super Chief. Every episode Belly Laguna would interfere with people at The Funny Company with their plans. In the end, Belly Laguna would be unsuccessful. Either getting hurt or would make himself a total embarrassment. That would make me laugh all the time. Each episode I would wait for Super Chief to open his mouth and make that train horn sound. Broken Feather would translate to the other members on what he said.
I first started watching The Funny Company on Garfield Goose and Friends on WGN-TV Channel 9 in the early 70s. It has been on the air for many years. It aired on WPWR-TV Channel 50 in the 80s. On Garfield Goose, Frazier Thomas would show a six-minute episode every day. I was looking forward to that all the time, plus Clutch Cargo, Space Angel, and Journey to the beginning of time. Such wonderful classics.
Each episode featured a live-action short educational film that lasted two minutes, reinforcing the topic being discussed. When I was younger, I thought the segments were boring, but as the years went by, I enjoyed them very much.
The animation of the episode nowadays seems cheap, low-tech and quaint. Today they are more entertaining than they first aired. I wished WGN-TV or any TV station will air them now. You can see some episodes on YouTube. I have bought a DVD of The Funny Company a long time ago at a comic book convention in Rosemont, IL. I might start rewatching the show soon.
Well, this ends another story about a classic cartoon series that entertained me, my brothers, friends, classmates, and countless others in the Chicagoland area for many years. It was corny at times, but I loved it! Thank you. Pete Kastanes, Admin for Vanished Chicagoland Facebook Page.
I watched. My favorite was Shrinkin’ Violette. I had the doll!
You can watch the cartoon on You Tube.
Thanks!
A small correction: I believe the second line of the lyrics is “That you can join for free.”