Editing Gumby (section)

==History==
===1953–1969: Origins===
Gumby was created by [[Art Clokey]] in the early 1950s after he finished film school at the [[University of Southern California]] (USC).<ref name="AC-LA" />

Clokey's first animated film was a 1953 three-minute student film titled ''[[Gumbasia]]'', a surreal montage of moving and expanding lumps of clay set to music in a parody of Disney's ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kqed.org/arts/programs/trulyca/shorts/episode.jsp?essid=14527 |title=Gumbasia |publisher=KQED |access-date=July 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091230035650/http://www.kqed.org/arts/programs/trulyca/shorts/episode.jsp?essid=14527 |archive-date=December 30, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''Gumbasia'' was created in the "kinesthetic" style taught by Clokey's USC professor [[Slavko Vorkapich|Slavko Vorkapić]], described as "massaging of the eye cells". Much of Gumby's look and feel was inspired by this technique of camera movements and editing.

In 1955, Clokey showed ''Gumbasia'' to film producer Sam Engel, who encouraged him to develop his technique by animating figures into children's stories.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of the Studio – 1950s|url=http://www.premavision.com/studio/1950.htm|publisher=Premavision|access-date=February 27, 2015}}</ref> On January 29, 1955, Clokey produced and filmed the first pilot episode starring Gumby, titled "Adventures of Gumby: A Sample", which never aired.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hank|first1=Melissa|title=Gumby turns 60: Creator's son reflects on green guy's legacy|url=http://o.canada.com/entertainment/television/gumby-turns-60-creators-son-reflects-on-green-guys-legacy|website=Canada.com|publisher=[[Postmedia News]]|accessdate=March 3, 2015|date=January 28, 2015}}</ref>

The name "Gumby" was derived from the muddy clay found at Clokey's grandparents' farm that his family named "gumbo".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gaylord|first1=Chris|title=Art Clokey: How Gumby got his name|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2011/1012/Art-Clokey-How-Gumby-got-his-name|website=[[The Christian Science Monitor]]|publisher=[[Christian Science Publishing Society]]|access-date=February 28, 2015|date=October 12, 2011}}</ref> Gumby's appearance was inspired by a suggestion from Clokey's wife Ruth (née Parkander) that Gumby be based on [[the Gingerbread Man]]. Clokey saw the color green as both racially neutral and a symbol of life.<ref>{{cite AV media |people=Marchesi, Robina (Director) |year= 2006 |title=Gumby Dharma |medium=Documentary |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQVpRxUwi8U&t=4m16s| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/iQVpRxUwi8U| archive-date=December 11, 2021 | url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Gumby's legs and feet were made wide to pragmatically ensure that the figure would stand erect during stop-motion filming. Gumby's slanted head was based on the hairstyle of Clokey's father, Charles Farrington, in an old photograph.<ref>{{cite web| first=A. | last=Schneider |url=https://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/gumby/index.html |title=Gumby, a segment of NPR's "Present at the Creation" series |publisher=NPR |date=March 25, 2002 |access-date=July 27, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Quintanilla|first1=Michael|title=Feat of Clay : Pop culture: Who would have thought a stretchy green blob could entertain generation after generation? Don't look now, but lovable Gumby is 40 years old.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-08-13-vw-23436-story.html|access-date=February 28, 2015|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=August 13, 1993}}</ref>

The pilot episode was seen by [[NBC]] executive Thomas Warren Sarnoff, who asked Clokey to make another one. The second episode, "Gumby on the Moon", became a hit when featured on ''[[Howdy Doody]]'', so Sarnoff ordered a series in 1955 titled ''The Gumby Show''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Art Clokey Interview|url=http://emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/art-clokey|website=Emmy TV Legends|publisher=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation]]|access-date=February 27, 2015|date=July 19, 2001}}</ref> In 1955 and 1956, 25 11-minute episodes aired on NBC.<ref>{{cite web|title=Art Clokey|publisher=KQED Public Media for Northern California|url=http://www.kqed.org/arts/profile/index.jsp?essid=14526|access-date=February 6, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307131243/http://www.kqed.org/arts/profile/index.jsp?essid=14526|archive-date=March 7, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> In early episodes, Gumby's voice was provided by Ruth Eggleston, wife of the show's art director Al Eggleston, until 1957, when [[Dallas McKennon]] assumed the role.<ref name="Gumbyworld.com">{{cite web|title=Gumby's Name, Personality and Voice|url=http://www.gumbyworld.com/gumby-characters/gumby/gumbys-name-personality-voice|publisher=GumbyWorld.com/Premavision|access-date=June 3, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-07-18|title=Dallas McKennon dies at 89; voice actor gave voice to many animated characters|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dallas-mckennon18-2009jul18-story.html|access-date=2021-08-23|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref> Al Eggleston also invented Pokey, the little orange pony who was Gumby's best friend and was introduced during the earliest episodes.

Because of its variety format, ''The Gumby Show'' features Clokey's animations plus interviews and games. During this time, the show had two successive hosts, [[Bobby Nicholson|Robert Nicholson]] and [[Pinky Lee]].<ref name=TVP-Butler>{{cite web|last=Butler|first=Kevin S.|title=Gumby on TV|url=http://www.tvparty.com/lostgumby.html|access-date=April 6, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Woolery">{{cite book |last1=Woolery |first1=George W. |title=Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series |date=1985 |publisher=The Scarecrow Press |isbn=0-8108-1651-2 |pages=207–208}}</ref>

In 1959, ''The Gumby Show'' entered syndication, and more episodes were produced in the 1960s.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Perlmutter|first1=David|title=America Toons In: A History of Television Animation|date=March 18, 2014|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|location=[[Jefferson, North Carolina]]|page=104}}</ref> Production started in Hollywood and in 1960 moved to a larger studio in [[Glendora, California]], where it remained until production ended in 1969. During this time, Gumby was primarily voiced by [[Norma MacMillan]] and occasionally by [[Ginny Tyler]].<ref name="Gumbyworld.com"/><ref>{{cite news|date=June 1, 2012|title=Dick Beals, Actor Who Gave a Voice to Gumby and Speedy, Is Dead at 85|author=Dennis Hevesi|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/02/arts/television/dick-beals-85-who-gave-a-voice-to-gumby-dies-at-85.html}}</ref><ref name="McLaughlin">{{cite web|last=McLaughlin|first=Erin|title=Dick Beals, Voice of Speedy Alka-Seltzer, Gumby Is Dead|url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/06/dick-beals-voice-of-speedy-alka-seltzer-gumby-is-dead/|publisher=ABC News|access-date=June 1, 2012}}</ref> The cartoon shorts introduced new characters, including a blue mermaid named Goo and a yellow dinosaur named Prickle.<ref name="Gumbyworld.com2"/>

Several sources claim that [[Dick Beals]] also voiced Gumby in the 1960s series.<ref name="McLaughlin"/><ref name=nyt>{{cite news | date = June 1, 2012 | title = Dick Beals, Actor Who Gave a Voice to Gumby and Speedy, Is Dead at 85 | author = Dennis Hevesi | work = [[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/02/arts/television/dick-beals-85-who-gave-a-voice-to-gumby-dies-at-85.html }}</ref><ref name="Gumbyworld.com"/> However, Beals refuted this claim in a 2001 interview.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dick Beals: He Fizzes But Never Pops|url=http://www.lumandabnersociety.org/DICK_BEALS.html|publisher=The National Lum and Abner Society|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806223549/http://www.lumandabnersociety.org/DICK_BEALS.html |access-date=May 19, 2019|archive-date=August 6, 2012 }}</ref>

===1982–1989: Revival===
Beginning in 1982, Gumby was parodied by [[Eddie Murphy]] on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Tomashoff|first1=Craig|title=Celebrate Eddie Murphy's Career With A Streampix Salute|url=http://xfinity.comcast.net/blogs/tv/2013/04/02/celebrate-eddie-murphys-birthday-with-a-streampix-salute/|website=[[Xfinity]]|publisher=[[Comcast]]|access-date=February 28, 2015|date=April 2, 2013}}</ref> The sketches depict Gumby as an irascible, cigar-chomping celebrity who is highly demanding of the production executives. Whenever they refuse his demands, Gumby asserts his star status by saying "I'm ''Gumby'', dammit!" in an exaggerated Jewish accent.<ref>{{cite web|title=82i: Eddie Murphy / Lionel Richie|url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/82/82igumby.phtml|website=Saturday Night Live Transcripts|access-date=February 26, 2015}}</ref> According to Clokey's son Joseph, his father and he "thought Eddie was a genius in the way he played that character".<ref>{{Cite web|last=gumbycentral|date=July 31, 2017|title=In the book we're wr…|url=http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/6qpq2u/we_are_joe_and_joan_clokey_and_we_manage_all/dkz3pne/|access-date=December 26, 2021|website=r/IAmA}}</ref> In 1987, the original ''Gumby'' shorts were released on home video.<ref>{{cite news|title= Cartoon Cassettes To Animate The Holidays|work= [[Los Angeles Times]]|date=December 17, 1987|last=Solomon|first=Charles|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-12-17-ca-3233-story.html|access-date=November 7, 2010}}</ref> In 1988, Gumby appeared in ''[[The Puppetoon Movie]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=James|first1=Caryn|title=Movie Review – The Puppetoon Movie (1987)|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B0DEFDF163CF931A25755C0A961948260|access-date=February 26, 2015|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 12, 1987}}</ref>

This renewed interest led to a new ''Gumby Adventures'' series of 99 seven-minute episodes, produced for television syndication in association with [[Lorimar-Telepictures]] in 1988.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lenburg|first1=Jeff|title=Who's Who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film and Television's Award-Winning and Legendary Animators|date=June 1, 2006|publisher=Applause Books|page=51}}</ref><ref name="FocusedAudio">{{cite magazine|last1=Meyers|first1=Paul|title=The return of ''Gumby''| magazine=[[Post Magazine]]|date=1989|url=http://sounddesign.focusedaudio.com/articles/clipPOST_89_RetOfGumby.html| access-date=September 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151010075050/http://focusedaudio.com/articles/clipPOST_89_RetOfGumby.html|archive-date=October 10, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Dallas McKennon]] voices Gumby in the new adventures, in which Gumby and his pals travels beyond their toyland setting as a musical band. ''Gumby Adventures'' includes new characters, such as Gumby's little sister Minga, a mastodon named Denali and a chicken named Tilly.<ref name="FOC" />

The 1988 series includes the 1950s and 1960s shorts with rerecorded voices, and the original music was replaced by Jerry Gerber's synthesizer score.<ref name="FocusedAudio" /> Legal issues prevented Clokey from renewing rights to the original [[Capitol Records]] production tracks.

===1990–2021: feature film and reruns===
Starting in 1992, TV channels such as [[Nickelodeon]] and [[Cartoon Network]] aired reruns of ''Gumby'' episodes. In 1995, Clokey's production company produced an independently released theatrical film, ''[[Gumby: The Movie]]'', as the character's first feature-length adventure, with [[John R. Dilworth]], creator of ''[[Courage the Cowardly Dog]]'', as animation consultant.<ref>{{cite news|title= For Feat of Clay, He's Left a Lasting Impression|work= [[Los Angeles Times]]|date=November 27, 1993|first=Michael|last=Quintanilla|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-27-me-61520-story.html|access-date=November 7, 2010}}</ref> In the film, the villainous Blockheads replace Gumby and his band with robots and kidnap their dog, Lowbelly. It contains homages to science-fiction films such as ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'', ''[[The Terminator]]'' and ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]''. In 1998, the ''Gumby'' episode "Robot Rumpus" was featured on ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Episode 912- The Screaming Skull|url=http://www.mst3kinfo.com/aceg/9/912/ep912.html|website=Satellite News|access-date=February 26, 2015}}</ref>

On March 16, 2007, YouTube announced that all ''Gumby'' episodes would appear in their full-length form on its site, digitally remastered and with their original soundtracks. This deal also extended to other video sites, including [[America Online|AOL]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2007/03/16/youtube-troubles-are-over-they-got-gumby/| first=Michael | last=Arrington|date=March 16, 2007| access-date = March 16, 2007| work=TechCrunch|title=YouTube Troubles Are Over: They Got Gumby}}</ref> In March 2007, [[KQED-TV]] broadcast an hour-long documentary titled ''Gumby Dharma'' in its ''Truly CA'' series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kqed.org/arts/truly/episode.jsp?eid=160077 |title=Gumby Dharma: Truly CA |publisher=KQED Public Media |date=March 27, 2007 |access-date=July 27, 2011}}</ref> It details Clokey's life and work, and has new animation of Gumby and Pokey.<ref>{{cite web|title=SFC: "Gumby Dharma" Documentary looks at tumultuous life of Art Clokey|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2007/08/sfc-gumby-dharma-documentary-looks-at-tumultuous-life-of-art-clokey-74143/|website=IndieWire|date=August 3, 2007|access-date=June 14, 2020}}</ref> For these sequences, animator Stephen A. Buckley voiced Gumby and Clokey voiced Pokey.<ref name="Stephen Buckley">{{cite web|title=Stephen Buckley - Senior Character Animator|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-buckley-288bb11/|publisher=LinkedIn|access-date=March 18, 2024}}</ref>

In 2012, [[MeTV]] began airing ''Gumby'' in its weekend morning animation block<ref>{{cite web|last1=Miller|first1=Mark K.|title=Me-TV and Broadcast Partners Set Deal|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/56934/metv-and-broadcast-partners-set-deal|website=TVNewsCheck|access-date=February 28, 2015|date=January 23, 2012}}</ref> until the end of the year.<ref>{{cite web|title=AniMe-TV|url=http://metvnetwork.com/AniMeTV.php|website=ME-TV Network|publisher=[[Weigel Broadcasting]]|access-date=February 28, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130104154048/http://metvnetwork.com/AniMeTV.php|archive-date=January 4, 2013}}</ref>

In 2014, the [[Video on demand|VOD]] service [[Kabillion]] broadcast ''Gumby''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kabillion Signs Deal with Clokey Productions for 'Gumby' |url=https://www.awn.com/news/kabillion-signs-deal-clokey-productions-gumby |access-date=2023-01-24 |website=Animation World Network |language=en}}</ref>

In 2017, a comic series was published that seemingly takes place after the movie. The series was canceled after three issues.

===2022–present: Fox ownership===
In February 2022, [[Fox Entertainment]], the TV production division of the [[Murdoch family]]'s [[Fox Corporation]], announced it had acquired the ''Gumby'' [[intellectual property]] from the estate of Art's son, Joseph Clokey, encompassing all rights including "film, TV and streaming, consumer products, licensing, publishing, and all other categories", with plans to launch new series across linear and digital platforms, while adding to the classic ''Gumby'' material available on its free streaming platform [[Tubi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/02/gumby-classic-kids-clay-character-acquired-fox-new-series-1234928794/|title=Gumby Universe, Including Classic Kids Clay Character, Acquired By Fox With Plans To Create New Series|first=Peter|last=White|work=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]]|date=February 8, 2022|access-date=February 8, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/fox-welcomes-gumby-to-the-family-in-clokey-ip-acquisition/|title=FOX Welcomes Gumby to the Family in Clokey IP Acquisition|website=Animation Magazine|last=Milligan|first=Mercedes|date=February 8, 2022|access-date=February 8, 2022}}</ref> Before Fox took ownership of the series, Gumby made a cameo in [[The Simpsons season 17|the 17th season]] of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' in the episode "[[The Girl Who Slept Too Little]]".

In June 2024, two Gumby series were announced to be in the works: a two-dimensional children's animated series titled ''Gumby Kids'' and an [[adult animation|adult animated]] series. Both series were to be produced by [[Bento Box Entertainment]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/06/gumby-kids-fox-bento-box-1235960185/|title='Gumby Kids' In The Works With Fox's Bento Box Alongside Adult Animated Series|first=Peter|last=White|work=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]]|date=June 6, 2024|access-date=June 12, 2024}}</ref>