“FLOPPY” TO BE INCLUDED IN INTERNATIONAL PUPPETRY MUSEUM
Duane Ellett surrounded by his creations, including Floppy. The “Floppytown Gazette” program aired on Sunday mornings in the 1980s, and featured a variety of puppets who produced the local newspaper, “The Floppytown Gazette”.
Iowa television icon Floppy always said he was a big star.
Now, officials at the International Puppetry Museum agree.
Curators at the Pasadena, Calif., facility have requested copies of the three DVDs in “The Duane & Floppy Collection” for inclusion in their permanent collection.
Duane Ellett and his dog puppet Floppy were fixtures on Des Moines television station WHO for 30 years, from 1957 to 1987. The beloved duo also toured the state making up to 200 personal appearances a year, and were well known for their daily stage shows during the Iowa State Fair each August.
The DVDs include segments from television programs “The Floppy Show”, “Floppytown Gazette”, and “Duane & Friend”, as well as stage appearances.
The International Puppetry Museum features more than 6,000 pieces collected over the past 70 years.
“So much of what has gone before is lost to today’s seekers and enthusiasts,” collection coordinator Steven Golden said. “Even though I grew up in Chicago, I had never ‘met’ Floppy. I look forward to adding his presence to our library.”
The newest volume in the DVD collection, “Floppytown Gazette”, was just released this month and features eight programs from the pair’s 1980s-era Sunday morning program.
The original DVD, “Where’s Floppy”, contains the classic “Floppy’s Christmas Adventure” program, as well as an original one-hour documentary produced by award-winning Iowa broadcast historian Jeff Stein. The second DVD in the set, “Floppy and the Stars”, includes full episodes of “The Floppy Show” featuring Bill Cosby and Adam “Batman” West, as well as the “30 Years of Fun” special which aired shortly before Ellett’s death in 1987.
All three DVDs, as well as official retro-style Floppy t-shirts, are available for purchase at www.TheFloppyShow.com and at www.TotallyIowa.com.
