Winky Dink and You CBS TV 1954

Winky Dink and You was a CBS children's television show that aired from 1953 to 1957, on Saturday mornings at 10:30 a.m. Eastern / 9:30 Central.
It was hosted by Jack Barry and featured the exploits of a cartoon character named Winky Dink (voiced by Mae Questel) and his dog Woofer, with sound effects provided by Joseph Scholnick.
The show, created by Harry Prichett, Sr. and Ed Wyckoff, featured Barry and his sidekick, the incompetent Mr. Bungle (veteran children's show voice actor Dayton Allen), introducing clips of Winky Dink, who was noted for his plaid pants, tousled star-shaped hair, and large eyes.
The central gimmick of the show, praised by Microsoft mogul Bill Gates as "the first interactive TV show", was the use of a "magic drawing screen"-a piece of vinyl plastic that stuck to the television screen via static electricity.
A kit containing the screen and various Winky Dink crayons could be purchased for 50 cents. At a climactic scene in every Winky Dink short film, Winky would arrive on a scene that contained a connect-the-dots picture that could be navigated only with the help of viewers. Winky Dink then would prompt the children at home to complete the picture, and the finished result would help him continue the story.
Examples included drawing a bridge to cross a river, using an axe to chop down a tree, or creating a cage to trap a dangerous lion.Another use of the interactive screen was to decode messages. An image would be displayed, showing only the vertical lines of the letters of the secret message.
Viewers would then quickly trace onto their magic screen, and a second image would display the horizontal lines, completing the text.A final use of the screen was to create the outline of a character with whom Jack Barry would have a conversation. It would seem meaningless to viewers without the screen, further encouraging its purchase.

[@dragonmeddler2152]

My cousins had the magic crayons but didn't have the plastic overlay so they just drew directly on the glass with no problem. I don't know why I remember that after 66 years but can't remember what I had for lunch today.

[@lorimidwife]

Mom wouldn't send away for a kit, so I just wrote on the screen and blamed baby brother! Tried taping plastic wrap to the screen, it didn't work, I was so frustrated!

[@TheTruthResearchers]

This is a bizarre adorable classic! What a rare gem! Thank you so much for the nostalgic sweet childhood memories!

[@obertstephenjr]

I put two quarters in an envelope and sent it off. My older sisters made fun of me because they saw me waiting for the mailman the same day for a reply. But when it eventually came, I was over the moon with happiness. Ha! I loved this silly show!

[@Mac-ww1vm]

I've been looking for this program for years! I remember this years ago but nobody else remembered this program. CBS REPEATED THIS PROGRAM IN THE 60'S. That's when I saw this show.

[@haileyshannon7548]

actually they made an updated version in 1968

[@Mac-ww1vm]

Oh, okay.. I thought the version I saw in 1968 was a Lil more modern? Thanks

[@mu2freighter]

Oh man, I had a Winky Dink kit in the 1960s. I remember well my 'magic screen' was green plastic. The shows must have been reruns, and my memory must be off since I swear they were in color. As I recall, it appeared with other kids' shows on WPIX-11 in NYC, but that's a pretty misty memory too. Still, I remember how mind-blowingly cool its interactive factor was to the little kid that I was!

[@glennso47]

I remember going with my dad to someone's house in the early 1950s and I swear I saw a TIDE Detergent commercial on their tv set in color. This was prior to 1954 when color tvs didn't even exist. :-/ (Did they have drugs for little kids back then? )

[@gabrielbennett5162]

There was a later revival of "Winky Dink and You" in the 60s that was in color. You may be remembering that. Here's an episode of it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYG6cpyldpxjm6c&feature=share

[@everettduncan7543]

There were two runs: this one from 1953-1957 and the other from 1969-1973

[@cojaysea]

My god what a memory I had one of these kits . Send 50 cents . Can you imagine sending two quarters in an envelope ??.

[@cubantoro]

Isn't the voice of Winky Dink, Mae Questel who voiced Betty Boop? Just confirmed it.. it is Mae Questel.

[@kbobdonahue1966]

From Olive Oyl and Winky Dink to the crazy grandma on National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Mae Questel was very talented.

[@bryanloveseighties]

That explains why Winky talks like Betty Boop.

[@AllieJ123]

I am sure that I am just one of many who drew on the TV without magic crayons or a magic window

[@kbobdonahue1966]

This was way before my time but a fun show, obviously.

[@elijahvincent985]

I have a 16mm print of a 1969 episode from this show in glorious Technicolor! It's fascinating to watch an early interactive show decades before it became a thing.

[@jasonbeeanimation]

You should definitely scan it and post it on this site if you get the chance, I’d love to see how this kinda show would look in color

[@gsnfan]

By the time Winky ended in 1957, Jack Barry was hosting Tic Tac Dough and Twenty One on NBC.

[@haileyshannon7548]

and he was involved in the infamous rigged game show scandal.

[@missclimpson]

I remember this. I had the kit and I remember sticking it on that old Capehart tv.

[@DanyTV79]

My dad had the crayons! I never imagined a program like this existed, since I'm in another country.

[@fcontitwo]

✨🏆’Sending for my kit -Today’ !!!✌🏼😃✨

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

I could see why my mom wanted the kit and ruin her TV.

[@MisterGreenDuck]

A show from the 50’s coerced me to draw on my cellphone screen lol

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Nice!

[@swingman5635]

😂

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Seriously, that would be a nice way to reboot this for today's tots.

[@ferociousgumby]

Mae Questel? Sounds like her!

[@Bill23799]

Hey Boys and Girls ( and all others ), raise your hand if you wanted to help Winky Dink so much you wrote on your family TV screen with NOT magic Crayola Crayons?

[@glennso47]

I can remember that some kids didn't have the overlay or the special crayons and they just drew on the tv screen. Never did that fortunately because I know the the consequences would have been.

[@Bill23799]

I wish my 1990 Plymouth Grand Voyager Mini Van with 163,000 miles on it looked as good as Edgar.

[@glennso47]

I wish anything looked as good as Edgar. Like the burgers that you actually buy at the restaurant that never look as good as they do in the billboard or tv ads.

[@thewkovacs316]

the winky dink that i saw was the reboot that didnt have jack barry

[@psalm37v4]

Sure it looks creepy now but back then it was pretty popular. There’s another episode from a few years later on here, and Winky himself isn’t in it much. I’m trying to figure out what kind of animation they used during the sequences when Winky appeared.

[@torgman]

Ohmigod, he was coming after me at the end!

[@bryanloveseighties]

1:40 I believe Winky got back at Jack for fixing the Twenty One game show.

[@allenjones3130]

It wasn't just Jack. Jack's colleague Dan Enright, the sponsor (Geritol) and the NBC network were no doubt involved in the rigging of "21".

[@theloyalorderofclassictv5435]

Did Winky Dink ever forgive Jack Barry for being involved in the Game Show Scandals? :)

[@thewkovacs316]

yes, but parents never forgave barry for the number of kids that took crayon and drew right on the tv screen because their parents wouldnt shell out the buck for the plastic screen

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

@@thewkovacs316 I bet!

[@everettduncan7543]

​@@thewkovacs316a buck 68 to be exact

[@annemarieacosta8775]

I got the winky dink kit for christmas. Got to use it once and the show went offvfc the air ! 🙄

[@nusratjamia7953]

Hi