Editing Howdy Doody (section)

==Cultural references==
Long after its cancellation, ''Howdy Doody'' has continued to be referenced (directly and indirectly) in various cultural media, particularly in the United States.

===Music===
In 1969, [[Bubblegum music|bubblegum pop]] band [[1910 Fruitgum Company]] recorded a song called "Bring Back Howdy Doody" pleading broadcasters to return ''Howdy Doody'' to the air. The song was included as the "B-Side" for their hit single "[[Indian Giver (song)|Indian Giver]]" but deliberately [[Reverse tape effects|pressed backwards]] as a way of deterring radio stations from playing it, and labeled with a different title, "Pow Wow".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL4MRSnwEbU |title=The 1910 Fruitgum Company - "Pow Wow" (Reversed) |publisher=[[YouTube]] |date= |accessdate=2016-10-02}}</ref>{{why|date=July 2024}}. The song was later recorded by another group called Flying Giraffe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DakZz8Fi9E |title=Bring Back Howdy Doody |publisher=[[YouTube]] |date= January 2009|accessdate=2016-10-02}}</ref>

The 1975 ''[[Chicago]]'' song ''[[Old Days]]'' mentions the show in the lyrics.

In the 1982 musical ''[[Little Shop of Horrors (musical)|Little Shop of Horrors]]'', during the song "Somewhere That's Green", the character Audrey sings, "The kids play Howdy Doody as the sun sets in the west".

===Television===
''[[Pee-wee's Playhouse]]'' drew from ''Howdy Doody'' during its successful run on CBS from 1986 to 1991.

In "Wally's Gang", a 1989 episode of ''[[Hard Time on Planet Earth]]'', Control shows Jesse the ''Howdy Doody'' intro as an example of Earth's "most highly revered" electronic teachers.

In 1999, Howdy Doody made a [[cameo appearance]] in  ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "''[[Make Room for Lisa]]''.

In a 2014 episode of the American horror anthology television series ''[[American Horror Story]]'' titled "[[Edward Mordrake (American Horror Story)|Edward Mordrake]]", the character Dandy flies into a rage when his mother gifts him a Howdy Doody costume for Halloween.

===Film===
Time travel and flashback scenes in the 1988 film ''[[Scrooged]]'', the 1990 film ''[[Back to the Future Part III]]'',  and the 2008 film ''[[Hellboy II: The Golden Army]]'', featured television broadcasts of the show to place the setting in the 1950s.

The toy character [[Woody (Toy Story)|Woody]] from the film franchise ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]]'' (launched in 1995) draws heavy inspiration from Howdy Doody.<ref>{{cite web|last=Furnal|first=Nicholas|date=February 24, 2021|title=Toy Story: Andy's Toys & Their Real Life Inspirations|url=https://www.cbr.com/toy-story-real-life-inspiration/|url-status=live|access-date=November 5, 2021|website=[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]]|archive-date=November 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105132615/https://www.cbr.com/toy-story-real-life-inspiration/}}</ref>

In the 2008 film ''[[Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull]]'', [[Indiana Jones (character)|Indiana Jones]] stumbles into a [[nuclear test]] facility where the show is playing in one of the houses. He takes cover in a refrigerator as the explosion slowly drowns out the sound of the Howdy Doody theme song.