The Wallace and Ladmo Show facts for kids

The Wallace and Ladmo Show was a super popular kids' TV show. It aired in Phoenix, Arizona, on KPHO-TV (Channel 5). The show was also known as It's Wallace? and Wallace & Company. It ran for a very long time, from April 1, 1954, to December 29, 1989 – that's 35 years! Most of the time, it was shown live on weekday mornings.

The Famous Ladmo Bags

A Ladmo Bag

The Ladmo Bag was a very special prize on the show. It first appeared in the mid-1960s. Before the bags, kids who won contests would come on the show. They got to pick a prize from the "Toy Cottage." But it often took a long time for kids to choose. This slowed down the show.

Wallace gave credit to Pat McMahon for a great idea. Why not put items from the show's sponsors into a bag? Then, winners could get the bag instead of picking one toy. The Ladmo Bag could also be won by kids in the studio audience. Sometimes, kids at live performances could win them too. These were paper grocery bags filled with fun things. They often had candy, potato chips, cans of soda, and coupons.

For fans and collectors, an original Ladmo Bag is very special. It can be worth a lot of money today. But most kids who won them ate the treats inside. Then they threw the bag away. So, very few complete bags still exist. Some people from Phoenix joke, "I never got a Ladmo Bag when I was a kid." This means they felt like they missed out on something cool.

The very last Ladmo Bag was given to Wallace by Ladmo. This happened on the show's final day. Ladmo (Ladimir Kwiatkowski) passed away on March 2, 1994. But even after that, some people still won Ladmo Bags. This happened at events like the Arizona State Fair as recently as 2014. Bill Thompson (Wallace) passed away on July 23, 2014.

In 2015, Pat McMahon shared a secret. The chart used to pick Ladmo Bag winners was actually blank! Wallace would just pick a seat at random.

Plays About the Show

In recent years, two plays have been written about The Wallace and Ladmo Show. The first play is about Wallace, Ladmo, Pat, and Mike Condello. They try to keep the show going. This happens when their funny band, Hub Kapp and the Wheels, gets a record deal. The second play talks about Ladmo's passing from cancer.

The first play was performed twice. It was shown at the Herberger Theater Center in downtown Phoenix. Many famous people came as "Time Machine" guests. One of them was Alice Cooper. Both plays were written by Ben Tyler. He got ideas from both Bill Thompson and Pat McMahon.

Museum Exhibits and Legacy

The Wallace and Ladmo Show has been featured in several museum exhibits. In 2009, two different exhibits were open. One was at the Arizona Historical Society in Tempe. This museum has over 2,500 items from the show! The other exhibit was at the Mesa Historical Museum. There is also a permanent display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix.

On April 1, 2015, the show's 61st anniversary, something new was announced. It was the creation of The Wallace and Ladmo Foundation. This foundation helps children in Arizona who love performing arts.

Images for kids

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  A mural featuring Wallace, Gerald, and Ladmo