Gumby and Pokey, Wherefore Art Thou?

Was there ever a more flexible fellow than Gumby? Born the eternally adaptable brainchild of California filmmaker Art Clokey, the Gumby series originally ran on the NBC network, with the first episodes appearing on the Howdy Doody Show in the mid 1950s. Our little green friend isn't just known for his elastic stunts, but for his emotional malleability. Perhaps not pliable in every sense of the word, but truly bendable, no matter the inevitable challenge ... and there's always a challenge ... like this episode where he was kidnapped by the evil Blockheads and turned into a robot: "Blessed are the flexible," the saying goes "for they shall not be bent out of shape." We salute Gumby, Pokey, Goo and Prickle for their decades of service, helping to make the world a better place. You don't have to be Mr. Fantastic to know that the ability to bend with the times and roll with the punches is a key not just to survival, but to happiness. If patience is a virtue, flexibility is truly a blessing.