(New Book)
Before I started school, there was nothing, and I mean nothing, better than watching "Lunch with Ho-Ho" on KOCO Channel 5. When the theme song started, Pokey the Puppet would start wildly jumping all over the place. Jeanie the Boston terrier would chase her rubber ball into her doghouse. And then the fun would really begin. Kids of all ages loved watching Ho-Ho because we never knew what to expect.
Ho-Ho (Ed Birchall) and Pokey (KOCO cameraman Bill Howard) were usually winging it, LIVE, trying to entertain and educate us kids AND crack each other up at the same time. Ho-Ho was the star, and the heart of the show. Pokey was the ornery sidekick. And since “Ornery” was my middle name, Pokey was my hero. He could absolutely kill me just doing the simplest skits, like in one of their promos when Ho-Ho was unpacking his lunchbox.
Ho-Ho pulled out a sandwich, prompting the ever-ravenous Pokey to shout “Love it!” as he slammed his puppet body onto the table top. Then Pokey did the same thing at the mention of an apple, some cookies and a cartoon. Love it! [SLAM]. Love it! [SLAM]. Love it! [SLAM]. Just before Ho-Ho said “pie”, he quietly slid the pie under Pokey, who screamed “LOVE IT!” and launched into the biggest body slam of all, right into the big ol’ pie and … I didn’t stop laughing or re-enacting that skit for a whole week!
I dearly loved all the wisecracks, mischief and physical comedy on the Ho-Ho show. But there was much more to Ho-Ho than laughs. You also learned stuff. On any given day, Ho-Ho might hop into the “Tempest Levitator” and travel to another place and time. Or show an “educational” network news story about Wind Farms. Or host a local animal expert and his cute Prairie Dog right in the studio.
It’s important to understand that Ho-Ho wasn’t just a TV personality. He was much bigger than that. He made hundreds, maybe thousands, of appearances at children’s wards in area hospitals, charity events, parades, fairs, and birthday parties. Everyone loved him.
Ho-Ho entertained and educated hundreds of thousands of Oklahoma kids during his 29-year run. When Ho-Ho died in 1988, three services had to be held to accommodate the legions of friends and fans who wanted to say goodbye. The first service even featured an honor guard of Ho-Ho’s professional clown friends and was broadcast live on KOCO-TV. You couldn’t get much bigger than that!
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