How many of you know of that green little guy who looks like he’s wearing bellbottoms? You know, the clay animated dude? Ok, Gumby, how many of you know who Gumby is?
I was having some trouble tracking Gumby down, he seems to move around a lot, mostly in a linear motion. After opening tons and I mean tons of Play-Dough containers, I found him. Gumby was kind enough to come out and let me ask him a few questions.
Me: Thank you for coming out of hiding.
Gumby: You’re welcome!
Me: Why were you hiding in a Play-Dough container?
Gumby: I was hiding from the kids in the daycare. I thought that I would be safe in the play-dough container because the teacher does not let them play with it much. Who would’ve thought you would’ve found me.
Me: How in the world did you end up in a daycare?
Gumby: When I decided to quit acting, I decided to go into a place where I thought I would be respected. These preschool kids are relentless about tearing me apart and putting me up their nose. I should’ve went to the old folks home!
Me: Who was Pokey?
Gumby: Pokey was my sidekick in the series. We worked well together and were best friends. Pokey moved to The Island of Old Ponies. Last I heard, he was happy and enjoying old age.
Me: How were you made?
Gumby: I was massed produced in a play-dough factory with molds for other “Gumbys”. Somehow, I was the only one that was brought to life the night the factory was struck by lightning.
Me: Why did you decide to go into acting?
Gumby: I went into acting only because I was accidentally discovered entertaining kids at a birthday party. The producer of Howdy Doody was at the party and thought I would be a good fit for a spin-off.
Me: What was it like when you were working on the set of your own television show?
Gumby: The people who were supposed to take care of me were very manipulative. They liked to push me around, roll me up into a ball, and squish me with a rolling pin! It was like I was piece of meat.
Me: Are you still acting?
Gumby: No, I’m done with being the object of manipulation. Do this, do that, hang on a second while I squish you back into the mold.
Me: But you are beloved by kids around the world. What was that like?
Gumby: It is actually pretty fun. The kids were the best part of the job!
Me: After all of these years, adults and kids both love to dress up as you. Why?
Gumby: I guess I evolved into a figure that represented happy memories for kids and adults. I never thought after all of these years I could be so popular.
Me: Did you think being famous would bring you riches beyond your wildest dreams?
Gumby: I thought I would have enough money to buy things and be comfortable, but most of the money I made was taken out in taxes and by my agent.
Me: What do you do in your spare time?
Gumby: Right now, when I am not hiding in play-dough containers, I like to travel and visit all kinds of places, and I like to play the guitar.
Me: As you know, play-dough comes in many colors. Why are you green?
Gumby: Green, back in the day was a very popular color for us “Gumbys”. If I had a choice, I would’ve chosen to be red!
Me: Do you play any video games?
Gumby: I live in a play-dough container, how would I do that?
Me: When browsing the internet, I found framework called “Gumby” used for web development. Did you have a hand in that?
Gumby: Absolutely not! How dare they use my name for something without asking? I should throw play-dough containers and assemble an army of me to crash it!
Me: Gumby, thank you for coming out of hiding to do this interview.
Gumby: You’re welcome, but please put me away before the kids find me!
