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"Captain Kangaroo" puppeteer Cosmo Allegretti died of emphysema in Arizona July 26, at age 86. Allegretti, who started on the show as a set painter, offered to redesign a puppet producers were unhappy with and went on to give life to many more. He created and voiced Mr. Bunny Rabbit and Mr. Moose.
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He also voiced Dennis the Apprentice, Uncle Ralph, Miss Frog, Rollo the Hippopotamus, Miss Worm, Cornelius the Walrus, Mr. Whispers, and fan favorite Grandfather Clock. Allegretti's character Dancing Bear, another favorite, was mute and often waltzed to background music in short features.
Allegretti was also the artist behind the Magic Drawing Board.
"Captain Kangaroo" aired from October 3, 1955 until December 8, 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program of its day.
"Sesame Street," which holds the current record as it enters its 44th season, hired many of its original writers and producers from the "Captain Kangaroo" staff when the show launched in 1969.
