October 22, 2001

'Davey & Goliath' may return to TV
___WASHINGTON (RNS)--Before the dancing produce of "VeggieTales," there was a little boy named Davey Hansen and his talking dog, Goliath, who spread Christian-themed moral parables through an animated series.
___Now Davey and Goliath may be returning to television, and eventually the big screen.
___The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is trying to revive the beloved children's series "Davey and Goliath" by marketing and selling existing episodes to raise funds to produce new ones.
___The ELCA recently entered an agreement with two companies and the series' creators, Art and Ruth Clokey, who also created the Gumby and Pokey characters. One company, Heat Licensing of Sequiem, Wash., will create Davey and Goliath merchandise to raise money--and possibly try to convince the Walt Disney Company to sign on to the project. Another company, Program Source International, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., will market existing programs.
___"Davey and Goliath" developed a loyal following from the 1960s to the early 1980s with the "stop-motion" animation that was similar to claymation technology. Using characters made from foam rubber, the studio could produce one minute of usable film per day and about one 15-minute episode per month.
___Sixty-five episodes and six 30-minute specials were produced before the final special aired in 1975. Funding was provided by the Lutheran Church in America, and the series was distributed with help from the National Council of Churches.
___"We hope to introduce a new generation to 'Davey' and bring quality children's programming to television and video, programming with a moral center and a Christian theme," said Eric Shafer, the ELCA's director of communication.
___Shafer said he would need to raise $3 million to $4 million from merchandise to produce 26 new 12-minute episodes--which would translate into a season of half-hour shows for weekend morning network television.
___

Get printer-friendly version of this story


Send this story to a friend

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

---

Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!/ Signup for FirstLook