# Captain Kangaroo **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 11, 2002, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-kangaroo/136228 "2002-11-11T03:42:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-kangaroo/136228/1 "2002-11-11T03:42:39Z")
Who is Bob Keeshan? ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-kangaroo/136228/2 "2002-11-11T03:44:02Z")
You don’t know? Tripler Aw man, that’s everyones best childhood memory. . . ---
**Author:** ![Skerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Skerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skerri)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-kangaroo/136228/3 "2002-11-11T03:45:41Z")
**racer72** , that is correct. Pick another category! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Pebs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Johnny\_Pebs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Pebs)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-kangaroo/136228/4 "2002-11-11T03:54:41Z")
Damn Hamsters! Ok, I suppose this could be a general question, but it’s so mindless and pointless that I think it fits better here. On the old Capt Kangaroo show, what used to cause the ping pong balls to fall on Mr Moose’s head? My wife and I were talking about this the other day and I’ll be damned if either of us can remember. So I put it to the teemings to save our sanity. Was it a certain word? I think it was, but I can’t remember what it might have been. ---
**Author:** ![donkeyoatey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@donkeyoatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donkeyoatey)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-kangaroo/136228/5 "2002-11-11T05:21:28Z")
Wasn’t it on the Captain’s head when the punch line of a knock knock joke was delivered? ---
**Author:** ![I\_am\_Sparticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@I\_am\_Sparticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_am_Sparticus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-kangaroo/136228/6 "2002-11-11T08:03:33Z")
Mr. Moose dropped ping pong balls on the Captain’s head whenever he wanted to IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Pebs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Johnny\_Pebs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Pebs)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-kangaroo/136228/7 "2002-11-11T14:59:42Z")
I’m pretty sure that there was a reason, and I would swear that they fell on Mr Moose, my wife and I remember it the same way, we just don’t remember why. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-kangaroo/136228/8 "2002-11-11T15:02:54Z")
I can’t remember why, either – although they referred to it on an episode of MST3K, where they used the same excuse to drop ping pong balls on the head of Joel. Bob Keeshan used to be “Clarabelle the Clown” on “The Howdy Doody Show”, I understand, before he became the educator-friendly Captain Kangaroo. I grew up on The Captain in the 1960s. He was easily more fun and more interesting that “Ding Dong School” or even “Romper Room” (but not “Mr. Wizard”). ---
**Author:** ![WSLer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@WSLer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WSLer)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-kangaroo/136228/9 "2002-11-12T00:26:54Z")
The ping-pong balls were dropped by Mr. Moose onto the captain. I f I remember correctly, Mr. Moose was always in a little alcove that stuck out from the wall and was condemned to stay there, since he had no legs. He would get the Captain to say a certain word, which would cause the ping-pong balls to drop. ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-kangaroo/136228/10 "2002-11-12T01:04:04Z")
My aunt’s friend’s dad was the guy who actually dumped the ping pong balls. With this lofty connection, I wonder why I don’t get better tables when dining out. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-kangaroo/136228/11 "2002-11-12T01:11:59Z")
From: [http://www.tvparty.com/lostterrytoons.html](http://www.tvparty.com/lostterrytoons.html) - it’s about halfway down the page > [@](#): > > Regular features on both Captain Kangaroo shows included visits from zoo animals and a torrent of falling ping-pong balls brought on when Mr. Moose asks the Captain a knock-knock joke (the dropping of balls comes along with the punchline - usually “ping pong balls”).