The Tomfoolery Show
The Tomfoolery Show is a 1970-1971 American animated comedy television series, based on the works of Edward Lear. The animation was done at the Halas and Batchelor Studios in London and Stroud. Though the works of other writers were also used, notably Lewis Carroll and Ogden Nash, Lear's works were the main source, and characters like the Yongy-Bonghy-Bo and the Umbrageous Umbrella Maker were all Lear creations. Other characters included the Enthusiastic Elephant, the Fastidious Fish, and the Scroobious Snake. Some original material was also written based on characters created by Lear, although  much of the material was a straight recital of poems and limericks or songs using Lear's poems set to music. A recurring joke had a delivery boy running around trying to deliver a large plant and shouting, "Plant for Mrs Discobolus!" The show also included characters from Gelett Burgess' work, including "The Purple Cow" and the Goops. Some of the gags were based on Abbott and Costello skits which involved one of the regular characters in troubling situations. A cooking lesson for a silly recipe was also presented in each episode. Two memorable examples were:- The series was produced  by Rankin/Bass, and Videocraft International, who also made the "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman" television specials. The series was made in England, featuring the voices of Peter Hawkins, Bernard Spear, and the Maury Laws Singers. Reception. The series received mostly mixed and negative reviews for not using original material. The series was not renewed after one year on the air. In "Children's Television: The First Thirty-five Years", George W. Woolery said, "A bit too literary and lofty, "Tomfoolery" was a noble failure." David Perlmutter agreed in "The Encyclopedia of American Animated TV Shows , saying that the show was a failed attempt... The problem was that the approach to the material did not do it justice — the program was structured in the style of a revue à la "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" rather than a proper narrative...The odd mélange lasted only a year on the air despite its noble intent."