The BJ and Dirty Dragon Show facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The BJ and Dirty Dragon Show |
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Host Bill Jackson with Dirty Dragon and other cast members.
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| Genre | Children's program |
| Created by | Bill Jackson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 1.311 |
| Release | |
| Original network | WFLD WGN-TV WNBC-TV (as BJ's Bunch) |
| Original release | 1968 – 1974 |
The BJ and Dirty Dragon Show (also known as Cartoon Town) was a popular Chicago children's TV show. It aired from 1968 to 1974. The show featured Bill Jackson, who was "BJ" in the title, and his fun puppet friends.
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The BJ and Dirty Dragon Show
Bill Jackson had a show called Clown Alley before this one. It was praised by critics. However, it didn't get many viewers because it aired very early in the morning. Even so, the TV station WFLD was impressed. They offered Jackson a new time slot. This new show would compete with a popular show on WGN-TV.
For his new show, Cartoon Town with Bill Jackson, Bill Jackson appeared as himself. He brought many of his puppets from Clown Alley. The most popular puppet was Dirty Dragon. Dirty Dragon was a grumpy creature. He would snort smoke. This character was based on an old co-worker of Jackson's.
Welcome to Cartoon Town
The show's main idea was that Bill Jackson was the mayor. He was the mayor of a make-believe place called Cartoon Town. All the puppets were residents of this town. Dirty Dragon worked as the postmaster. But he often ended up eating most of the mail!
Another character was the Blob. The Blob was a large blob of clay. It was the town's monument. The Blob spoke in a strange, unclear voice. Only Bill Jackson could understand what the Blob was saying. Jackson would shape the Blob into different forms. He did this based on what the Blob seemed to want that day.
Show Changes and Success
Cartoon Town helped more people buy UHF-compatible televisions. These TVs could pick up signals from more channels. But the show faced tough competition from WGN-Channel 9. Because of this, Jackson changed the show's format in 1971.
The show moved to a noon time slot. It was renamed The BJ & Dirty Dragon Show. It also got a big makeover. The show started having a live audience. The puppet characters were played by full-size actors in costumes. This new style was like Jackson's live stage shows. But it didn't work as well on TV.
Soon, the show went back to its original puppet format. It kept the new name, though. Bill Jackson and his producer won local Emmy Awards for their work. They won for the season when live actors were used. The BJ & Dirty Dragon Show aired its last episode on WFLD on July 27, 1973. There were 1,311 episodes in total.
The show then moved to WGN-TV Channel 9. It ran there for one year, ending in August 1974. During this time, Jackson also worked in New York City. He performed a version of the show called BJ's Bunch for WNBC. Later, Jackson used the characters in a holiday special. It was called A Gift For Granny.
Other TV Shows
Gigglesnort Hotel
In January 1975, WLS-TV Channel 7 picked up the show. It became a weekly Sunday morning series. The format changed again. The new title was Gigglesnort Hotel. Jackson created this show to be educational. This helped meet rules from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission).
Jackson played the hotel's desk clerk. "B.J." and his puppet friends were employees or guests. The hotel was owned by a new character, Captain Gigglesnort. Gigglesnort Hotel ran for three years. They made 78 half-hour episodes. The series was shown all over the country.
More Chicago Shows
Jackson's last TV series in Chicago was Firehouse Follies. This show had a similar format. It ran for 13 episodes in 1980. WLS-TV aired each episode twice. Then they went back to showing reruns of Gigglesnort Hotel. These reruns continued until 1985. In 1995, Jackson gave the show's puppets to the Museum of Broadcast Communications.
Bill Jackson's Retirement
Bill Jackson is still a favorite in Chicago. He made a special appearance in December 2009. It was for the Museum of Broadcast Communications. The event was called "Saturday Morning with B.J. and Dirty Dragon: Bill Jackson, Live in Person—One Last Time". All the tickets sold out quickly. Jackson had also won two Iris Awards. These awards were for the best local children's show in the United States. He said this would be his very last time performing.
