Editing Howdy Doody (section)

==Peanut gallery==
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2013}}
[[File:Howdy Doody peanut gallery circa 1940 1950s.JPG|thumb|The peanut gallery, circa 1949]]
A distinctive feature was the [[Peanut gallery|Peanut Gallery]], onstage bleachers seating about 40 children. Each show began with Buffalo Bob asking, "Say kids, what time is it?" and the kids yelling in unison,<br />"It's Howdy Doody Time!" The kids then sang the show's theme song (to the tune of "[[Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay]]"):

:It's Howdy Doody time,
:It's Howdy Doody time,
:Bob Smith and Howdy, too,
:Say "Howdy do" to you.
:Let's give a rousing cheer
:'Cause Howdy Doody's here.
:It's time to start the show
:So kids, let's go!

It was thus one of the first television shows with audience participation as a major component.

In many of the 1949–1954 episodes released on [[DVD]] by Mill Creek Entertainment in 2008, the children also can be heard singing jingles for commercial breaks, with Buffalo Bob or Howdy leading them and the lyrics appearing on screen. [[Colgate (toothpaste)|Colgate]] toothpaste, Halo Shampoo, [[3 Musketeers (confectionery)|3 Musketeers]] candy bars, [[Tootsie Rolls]] and [[Poll Parrot Shoes]] are among the products advertised this way, as well as series-long sponsor [[Wonder Bread]].
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The popularity of Howdy Doody and its Peanut Gallery led executives at [[United Features Syndicate]] to use the name ''[[Peanuts]]'' for syndication of [[Charles M. Schulz]]'s ''Li'l Folks'' comic strip, reportedly to the lifelong chagrin of Schulz.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uta.edu/english/tim/lection/080105.html|title=Schulz and Peanuts|last=Morris|first=Tim|date=January 5, 2008|access-date=November 17, 2008|archive-date=January 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117062220/http://www.uta.edu/english/tim/lection/080105.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>