66 Years Ago

[Subdeacon Joe]

66 years ago today, November 19, 1959, The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show premiered. (known as Rocky & His Friends during the first two seasons and as The Bullwinkle Show for the last three seasons) It originally aired from November 19, 1959, to June 27, 1964, on the ABC and NBC television networks. Produced by Jay Ward Productions, the series is structured as a variety show, with the main feature being the serialized adventures of the two title characters, the anthropomorphic moose Bullwinkle and flying squirrel Rocky. The main adversaries in most of their adventures are the Russian-like spies Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale. Supporting segments include Dudley Do-Right (a parody of old-time melodrama), Peabody's Improbable History (a dog and his pet boy Sherman traveling through time), and Fractured Fairy Tales (classic fairy tales retold in comic fashion), among others.
Rocky & Bullwinkle is known for quality writing and wry humor. Mixing puns, cultural and topical satire, and self-referential humor, it appealed to adults as well as children. It was also one of the first cartoons whose animation was outsourced; storyboards were shipped to Gamma Productions, a Mexican studio also employed by Total Television. The art has a choppy, unpolished look and the animation is extremely limited even by television animation standards at the time. Yet the series has long been held in high esteem by those who have seen it; some critics described the series as a well-written radio program with pictures.
The show was shuffled around several times (airing in afternoon, prime time, and Saturday morning time slots), but was influential to other animated series from The Simpsons to Rocko's Modern Life. Segments from the series were later recycled in the Hoppity Hooper show.
There have been numerous feature film adaptations of the series' various segments, such as the 2000 film The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle which blended live-action and computer animation and the 1999 live-action film Dudley Do-Right, which both received poor reviews and were financially unsuccessful. By contrast, an animated feature film adaptation of the "Peabody's Improbable History" segment, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, was released to good reviews in 2014.
Mr. Peabody will star in a new reboot series picked up for 13-episodes.
In 2013, Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show were ranked the sixth Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time by TV Guide.

 

[Alpo]

I have wondered, for many many years, if Rocky and Bullwinkle have the same middle name.

 

Their names are Bullwinkle J Moose and Rocket J Squirrel.

 

Since they both have the same middle initial I have wondered, but no one seems to know, whether they have the same middle name.

 

There is a webcomic called The Whiteboard. It's an anthropomorphic comic. We have Doc, who is a polar bear and his friend Roger who is a raccoon. Doc owns a paintball store, and Roger is his business partner. He has several employees. Sandy is a fox and PJ is a snow leopard. Business was slow one day so they were working their way through Doc's supply of ice cream. They were eating stuff like walrus ripple, and herring chocolate chip.

 

Sandy asked if PJ had ever tried the rocky road, and when PJ said no Sandy said that she needed to try it. It had real flying squirrel in it.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

I loved that series when it was on in the early-mid 60’s, though I wasn’t old enough to get all the jokes. Fractured Fairy Tales and Edward Everett Horton’s narration are iconic, as is the little fairy getting smashed in the book. 
 

I have the entire series on DVD and it’s more hilarious now that I understand the subtleties and brilliant writing. 

[Rye Miles #13621]

I was 12 and I loved it! It was on UHF 😂

[Subdeacon Joe]

1 hour ago, Alpo said:

have wondered, for many many years, if Rocky and Bullwinkle have the same middle name.

 

Their names are Bullwinkle J Moose and Rocket J Squirrel.

 

Since they both have the same middle initial I have wondered, but no one seems to know, whether they have the same middle name.

 

Well, it's "No" but it's also "Yes."

The  "J." is a stand alone letter middle name as a tribute to Jay Ward.

But also,  Rocky's full name is Rocket Jet Squirrel, but the Jet derives from the J. not the J. being taken from Jet.

Bullwinkle J. Moose likewise has "J." as a tribute to Jay Ward. But it seems that no name was ever attached to it.

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

I too was TWELVE, (Hi Ya Rye) and have never tired of Rocky and Bullwinkle.  Love it when there re-runs and may just have to try and find the series on DVD.  JUST TOO MUCH FUN you betcha!!

[Rye Miles #13621]

5 minutes ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

I too was TWELVE, (Hi Ya Rye) and have never tired of Rocky and Bullwinkle.  Love it when there re-runs and may just have to try and find the series on DVD.  JUST TOO MUCH FUN you betcha!!

Hey  Coffimaker, remember Mr. Peabody and his boy Sherman? 😂😂

[Blackwater 53393]

“Hey! Rock! Watch me pull a rabbit outta my hat!!”

 

 

Today would have been my dad’s 97th birthday! He’d sit with me and watch Rocky and Bullwinkle and laugh his @$$ off!!

 

 

Edited November 19, 2025 by Blackwater 53393

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

I was born in 1955 and grew up watching this show.  Remember seeing all the characters shown in the picture.    Well not the two right behind Bullwinkle. 

[Subdeacon Joe]

"At the missile base there was general consternation and his staff."

[Alpo]

1 hour ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

“Hey! Rock! Watch me pull a rabbit outta my hat!!”

 

 

A-gaaiin?

[Blackwater 53393]

Don’t forget…

 

 

 

Fearless Leader!!

 

Edited November 19, 2025 by Blackwater 53393

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

Hey Rye!!

 

Your betcha!!  You remember the Perfesser and Sherman with the Wabac machine??  Too Kule fer Skuel it was.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

Every Fractured Fairy Tales, Peabody, and the Aesops (?) Fables ended in an incredible pun. 😁

[watab kid]

5 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

Well, it's "No" but it's also "Yes."

The  "J." is a stand alone letter middle name as a tribute to Jay Ward.

But also,  Rocky's full name is Rocket Jet Squirrel, but the Jet derives from the J. not the J. being taken from Jet.

Bullwinkle J. Moose likewise has "J." as a tribute to Jay Ward. But it seems that no name was ever attached to it.

now thats interesting , id head the J used and the JET used over the years but seldom thought a lot of this , i did watch back then - i was 9 - as an aside , my wife had just been born in september at pearl harbor 

Edited November 20, 2025 by watab kid

[Rye Miles #13621]

1 hour ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

Hey Rye!!

 

Your betcha!!  You remember the Perfesser and Sherman with the Wabac machine??  Too Kule fer Skuel it was.

Yes, that was one of my favorites!