Bob Keeshan, 'Captain Kangaroo,' Dies at 76

Jan. 23, 2004 -- Robert Keeshan, television's beloved "Captain Kangaroo," died today, ABCNEWS has learned. He was 76.

Known to millions of children as "Captain Kangaroo" because of his red blazer's pouch-like pockets on the CBS television show, Keeshan was also wrote several children's books.

With a jolly, grandfatherly demeanor, Keeshan welcomed generations of youngsters to the Captain's Treasure house for nearly three decades. For his young audience, the jangling of keys that began each program was music to the ears of his eager fans.

Long before Sesame Street, Keeshan combined entertainment with education for young minds.

With a program format that included music, casual conversations, puppets, laughter, and nature as learning tools, Keeshan was uncompromising in his standards for responsible children's programming and advertising.

His approach represented a rejection of the commercial pressures of children's programming and he was know to frequently clash with members of his program and production staff.

Longest-Running Kids Series in Network History

Born in New York City, Keeshan began his career as a receptionist at NBC-Radio's Manhattan office before he was given small roles, including the character of Clarabell — the mute clown who communicated by honking a horn — on The Howdy Doody Show.

He also played an Alpine toymaker on Tinker's Workshop for WABC-TV before joining CBS network, which was searching for innovative new approaches to children's programming.

Based on an idea by his friend, Jack Miller, Captain Kangaroo was first aired in October 1955 and continued until 1985, making it the longest running children's series in network history.

As the program's popularity grew, Keeshan took on an increasingly public role as an advocate for children, writing several books, including Hurry, Murry, Hurry as well as a column about children and television for a number of publications.

After his retirement, he became an advocate for children's issues, andjoined in the campaign to ban tobacco advertising.