Classic claymation character Gumby has been acquired by Fox Entertainment, with live-action and animated movies planned. First created in 1953 by Art Clokey, the character grew into a cultural phenomenon after appearing on NBC in 1955 and running for two seasons on the Howdy Doody show. Though this first look at the character and his orange pony sidekick Pokey was a brief one, it brought syndication for The Gumby Show, running from 1957-1969 with new episodes added along the way.

Arguably part of why Gumby became such a hit was his strange appearance. The character was tall and green, with large clumpy legs and a head tapered to one side. Clokey originally stated that he got the character’s name from the muddy clay present at his grandparent’s farm. His family referred to this as “gumbo,” and given Gumby’s status as a claymation character, the name stuck. As for the character’s green color, Clokey wanted to make him as racially ambiguous as possible, and green also felt like a symbol of life to the young artist. In time, Gumbo and Pokey’s popularity expanded into other claymation characters, including flying blue mermaid Goo, Gumby’s sister Minga, and Gumby’s parents, Gumbo and Gumba.

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With the vast array of popular animated characters currently enjoying success in their respective franchises, there’s certainly never been a more competitive time for animation. But as reviving old franchises and series’ becomes increasingly popular, Fox Entertainment has decided not to waste any time in acquiring one of the greatest claymation characters of all time. In a recent press release, Fox stated that it had acquired all rights to the franchise, including the entire library of the Gumby animated series, movies, specials, and assorted content. Fox is already hard at work on the IP, with much planned for Gumby and his friends’ future. In a statement regarding the purchase, Gumby personally stated:

“Picking a new home was important to me, and I’ve found great partners in FOX Entertainment. They have a vision for my modern, multi-platform reemergence, which is thrilling. Throughout our conversations, Pokey and I reiterated that we are talent they can mold. Literally.”

It’s clear that Fox wants to push the IP into new directions, and there is still much to be done with a character like Gumby. One area that is still rife for Gumby and friends to explore is a feature film franchise. To date, there has only been one outing for Gumby on the big screen, in 1995’s Gumby: The Movie. The film was a massive box-office bomb, bringing in just $57,100 on an estimated $2.8 million budget. The failure of Gumby: The Movie made it clear that at the time, the character was very much not in demand and that his days as a pop culture icon may have passed. Today, however, there’s plenty of room for a retooling of the brand, which is exactly what Fox plans to do with its latest acquisition.

It remains to be seen if Fox can rescue Gumby and make the IP relevant with an all-new era of viewers. One advantage that the character has is bein made genderless easily. Fox can and should lean into the original characteristics that helped form Gumby – being green and its link to life and multi-culturalism. In this way, the character can continue to welcome new fans while keeping its core values and purposes alive.

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Source: Fox Entertainment

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Mike Jones
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Mike Jones is an author, screenwriter, world traveller and cinephile. His work has been featured in print and online in a variety of publications, and he’s also a Berlinale Talents alumnus. Cinema has always moved him in a big way and aside from having seen The Talented Mr Ripley more times than any other living person, he maintains a pretty darn healthy physical media collection. His favourite filmmakers include: Jordan Peele, David Lean, Alfred Hitchcock, Mike Leigh, Steven Spielberg, the Dardenne Brothers, Noah Baumbach, Michael Haneke, Barry Jenkins and Andrea Arnold. Often jet-lagged, Mike once turned down a certain A-list celebrity’s offer to join them for a night of partying after a strange encounter in an airport.

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