Frazier Thomas invented his legendary puppet Garfield Goose in the late 1940s while working in Cincinnati. In 1952, Thomas brought his "Garfield Goose and His Friends" to Chicago where it appeared on various TV stations. In 1954, Thomas and Garfield Goose joined WGN-TV, where it remained until 1976. They were introduced as "Garfield, the goose who thinks he's king of the United States, and Frazier Thomas, his prime minister, who wouldn't tell him differently for the world."
The puppet characters Included Garfield Goose; Garfield's nephew, Chris (born on
Christmas day); Romberg Rabbit, a former magician's assistant; Ramona Rabbit, Romberg's
girlfriend; Beauregard Burnside III, a bloodhound; Macintosh Mouse; Mama Goose and Ally
Gator. The puppets never spoke. Garfield would clack his beak, and Thomas interpreted for
him.
Cartoons and live action segments included Clutch Cargo, Space Angel, Pow-Wow the Indian
Boy, Spunky and Tadpole, The Funny Company, Journey to the Beginning of Time, and, during
the holidays, Suzy Snowflake, UPA's Frosty the Snowman and The Three Little Dwarfs
(Hardrock, Coco and Joe). There were also live guests and hobby segments.
"Garfield Goose" was dropped from the schedule in 1976 when Ned Locke retired as ringmaster on "Bozo's Circus". Thomas was picked to replace him. As explained to the kids at that time, Garfield Goose "bought" Bozo's Circus and hired Frazier Thomas as General Manager. Garfield Goose continued as a regular character on the show until 1981. Thomas stayed on "Bozo" until his death in 1985.
I've encoded the opening to Garfield Goose and Friends in RealAudio and you can hear it
by clicking the link below.
