The Magilla Gorilla Show facts for kids

The Magilla Gorilla Show is a fun animated TV series about a friendly gorilla named Magilla. It was made by Hanna-Barbera Productions, famous for many classic cartoons. The show first aired in 1963 and ran until 1967. It was sponsored by Ideal Toys.

Besides Magilla Gorilla, the show also featured other cartoon friends. These included Punkin' Puss & Mushmouse and Ricochet Rabbit & Droop-a-Long. Sometimes, characters from Peter Potamus also appeared in reruns. Magilla Gorilla, like many Hanna-Barbera animal characters, wore human clothes. He had a bow tie, shorts with suspenders, and a small derby hat.

The show was shown on the Boomerang channel until 2012. It even returned for a few days in November 2020, bringing back its classic opening and closing songs.

Meet the Characters

Magilla Gorilla

Magilla Gorilla is a big, friendly gorilla who acts a lot like a human. He spends his days in the front window of a pet shop. The shop is owned by Mr. Peebles, who tries to sell Magilla. Magilla loves bananas and costs Mr. Peebles a lot of money because he eats so much!

Mr. Peebles often lowers Magilla's price, but Magilla is usually only bought for a short time. For example, thieves might buy him to help them break into a bank. Or an advertising company might want him as a mascot. But no matter who buys him, they always bring Magilla back. This means Mr. Peebles has to give them their money back. Magilla often ends each episode by saying, "We'll try again next week."

Magilla's only true friend is a sweet little girl named Ogee. She loves Magilla very much. In the show's opening song, Ogee asks, "How much is that Gorilla in the window?"

Ricochet Rabbit & Droop-a-Long

Ricochet Rabbit is a super-fast sheriff in a town called Hoop N' Holler. His deputy is a slow Coyote named Droop-a-Long. Ricochet Rabbit is not only fast, but he also uses special trick bullets to catch bad guys. For example, one bullet might have a mallet that pops out! He likes to introduce himself by saying, "Sheriff Bing! Bing! Binnnng! Ricochet Rabbit!"

Punkin' Puss & Mushmouse

This cartoon is a funny take on old family feuds. It features an orange cat named Punkin' Puss, who lives in the hills. He is always trying to catch a tricky mouse named Mushmouse. Punkin' Puss often uses a shotgun in his attempts to catch Mushmouse.

Where the Show Aired

The Magilla Gorilla Show first started airing on January 15, 1964. When it first came out, it wasn't shown on the same day or time everywhere. In some big cities like New York City and Los Angeles, it aired on local independent TV stations.

The show was also popular in other countries. It aired on CBC Television in Canada when it first started. In Australia, the show began airing in April 1965. From 1965 to 1967, new episodes and reruns were shown on ABC's Saturday morning schedule in the United States. Canada and Australia continued to show reruns until 1969.

After its original run, the show continued to be rerun on various channels. For example, WPIX in New York City showed it until 1984. In the early 1980s, it was also shown in the United Kingdom and Australia. Later, in the United States, it came to cable channels like USA Network and Cartoon Network. Cartoon Network aired the series until 2004. After that, its sister channel, Boomerang, continued to air it until 2012. The show made a brief return to Boomerang in November 2020 for a special Thanksgiving weekend.

Voice Actors

• Mel Blanc – Droop-a-Long Coyote
• Allan Melvin – Magilla Gorilla, Punkin' Puss
• Howard Morris – Mr. Peebles (1964–1965), Mushmouse
• Don Messick – Mr. Peebles (1966–1967), Ricochet Rabbit
• Jean Vander Pyl – Ogee

See also

In Spanish: Maguila Gorila para niños