Unless otherwise noted, all graphics are from Charlie Baxter's scrapbooks, courtesy of Charlie and Tim Baxter!
Click on thumbnail photos to view larger images.
Click here to see lots more pictures from Charlie Baxter's Kid Shows!
Click here to see pictures from Charlie Baxter's career as a TV Horror Host!
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Besides hosting horror and sci-fi movies,
Charlie Baxter had many other shows for kids on Florida TV stations WCKT and WKID.
We list them here in the order we think they appeared.
If you can provide corrections or additional information, please do!
Send us YOUR memories!
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Laff Lab
Charlie Baxter’s character Professor Klinker introduced cartoons on this show early on Sunday mornings.
Years later, Charlie Baxter used this character (with his name changed to "Professor Jupiter") to educate kids about astronomy
in his live shows at Buehler Planetarium.
See this page for more information about Charlie's planetarium days.
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Bozo’s Buddies! / Willy the Moose and Charlie
There was another kid show on Channel 7, Mary Jane and Melvin, that starred a young woman and a talking giraffe.
When she and the giraffe left the show,
she told the viewers that a very nice man named Charlie Baxter
and a talking moose named Willy would soon be appearing on Channel 7 on week-day afternoons -- Bozo’s Buddies!
That's when I discovered Charlie & Willy, when I was 12 years old. Bozo’s Buddies, starring "Willy The Famous Talking Moose" and Charlie Baxter,
was on Channel 7 Monday through Friday at 4 or 4:30 pm.
Willy the Moose was a big puppet operated by Herb Hirsch. What a wonderful puppeteer he was!
Willy and Charlie had the best conversations anyone could have,
and at the end of every show, Charlie ended up with a pie in his face from Willy.
Felix The Cat, Bozo the Clown, Clutch Cargo and other cartoons were featured.
Later the name of the show was changed to Willy The Moose and Charlie --
most likely because they no longer showed Bozo The clown cartoons!
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Saturday Morning Fun Club
This show started on WCKT after Charlie and Willy were established.
Boys and girls visited the set and joined in the fun.
Cartoons were shown between Charlie & Willy’s adventures just like on Bozo’s Buddies.
"Orville & Wilber the Singing Worms," who lived in a nearby well, were also featured.
The Humane Society brought pets to show to the kids.
There was a Fun Club membership kit too.
Later they renamed the show The Royal Castle Fun Club
and advertised Royal Castle hamburgers and root beer from a Royal Castle
counter set -- later yet they changed sponsors again and the show became
the Burger King Fun Club. Of course, whatever the title of the show was, Willy always had a pie to throw into Charlie’s face!
One of my favorite memories from this show:
When I was around 14 or 15, My stepmother Dorothy and my sister Georgette and I visited Channel 7.
Charlie Baxter had invited us to visit and watch the Saturday Morning Fun Club
being recorded on (I think) a Thursday night.
That’s when I first met Charlie in person!
We had come from Fort Lauderdale on the greyhound bus and a cab to get to the TV station in Miami.
After the show, he drove us all the way home in rainy weather in his Chevy Impala convertible!
But first he drove us around to sightsee.
He wanted us to see the Miami skyline from a bridge
(I think it was the Rickenbacker Causeway Bridge),
then he drove us through the downtown section of Miami Beach,
past the place where they filmed the TV show Surfside 6 and
through the Miami Airport.
Then he took us all out for ice cream sundaes at Jaxon’s Ice Cream Parlor in Dania, Florida,
and drove us home on U.S. Highway 1!
We all sure had a nice time!
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Bowery Theatre
This showcase for movies starring "The Bowery Boys" came on Channel 7 on Saturday or Sunday afternoons,
with both Charlie Baxter and Herb Hirsch entertaining on the set during the breaks in the films.
Herb and Charlie clowned around and had great chemistry in their comedy routines
just like Charlie & Willy.
Herb wore an old-fashioned newsboy cap and a pullover sweater and was a little chubby and comical;
Charlie wore his signature hat that he wore on Bozo’s Buddies
and was zany and charming as always --
slap-stick comedy like an Abbott & Costello routine.
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The Batman Show
Reruns of the Batman television series were featured on this WCKT show, hosted by Charlie Baxter and his sidekick (Charlie Folds),
sharing adventures in their very own Bat Cave Headquarters, a la Laff Lab Routines.
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Super Heroes
This was a Saturday morning adventure show (with cartoons) starring "Commander Baxter" and "Toby The Robot" (Charlie Folds).
(Charlie Baxter remembers "Wore brown sweater and kid cap for this. Got a uniform later." -- E-gor)
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7’s Circus
This show came on Channel 7 early Sunday mornings.
Ringmaster Charlie Baxter and "Duffo The Clown"
hosted the show in a circus ring set, featuring a variety of performing acts by children.
A young woman called "Miss Nancy" assisted them.
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Charlie & Toby
Who else? -- Charlie Baxter and Toby the Robot (Charlie Folds, of course)!
The zany pair hosted this Channel 7 cartoon show at 4:00 or 4:30 pm on weekdays.
Charlie & Toby shared a very special bond that the young viewers shared too!
Charlie kept his famous robot in good working order and put a sparkle in Toby's shine,
and Toby kept Charlie busy with his robot antics and put a sparkle in Charlie's smile!
Toby had a habit of getting himself tangled up in all kinds of schemes and things, but
the kids knew that Charlie would always come to their favorite robot's rescue!
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Charlie Reads The Comics
Charlie Baxter and Toby the Robot (Baxter & Folds -- together again!),
hosted this great WCKT Sunday morning children's show from their Charlie & Toby set.
Toby produced the sound effects as Charlie read the Miami Herald Sunday comics with visiting children on the set.
The kids joined in reading each comic character’s comments in the funnies.
Charlie was very good at bringing out giggles and smiles from the kids
with his kind and entertaining way.
And their favorite robot’s beep beeps and funny sound effects added to the fun.
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Kaptain Kid
After Charlie Baxter left WCKT, he joined WKID, Channel 51 in Hollywood,
Florida. Along with a new horror movie showcase for M.T. Graves, Charlie
Baxter started a new children's program on Channel 51 as Kaptain Kid. Boys
and girls were invited to visit with the Kaptain and his sidekick on a pirate
ship set. Kaptain Kid wore a bright red coat, black boots, a dignified large
captain’s hat, and his usual charming Charlie Baxter smile. Special guests
would visit and share information and fun with the Kaptain and his crew.
After watching Charlie Baxter all those years on Channel 7, this fan was
very glad to see Charlie Baxter back on TV again!
Note from E-gor: Charlie Baxter's son Tim, who supported his dad as "Gore the Guard" on
M.T. Graves Presents, played "Seaman Second Class Crunch" on this show.
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She's Quick on the Draw!
G.G.
the Cartoonist gives us a rare glimpse at some of her favorite characters
relaxing after work at an Almost-Halloween 60's Reunion Party -- M.T. Graves,
M.T. Space, Willy the Moose, Orville & Wilbur the Singing Worms, Professor
Klinker, Miami deejay Rick Shaw and Toby the Robot's head!
Click on the cartoon to see a larger version (may be slow to download).
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The Golden Age of Children's Television!
Professor Klinker, M.T. Graves, Count Down the Vampire, Reginald, Gore the Guard, the Warden,
Captain M.T. Space, Garby the Robot, Toby the Robot,
Commander Baxter’s crew of Super Hero Cadets and
TV crime fighters against the Mysterious Stranger and
other forces of evil in childrens TV show land!
All the wonderful TV characters that Charlie Baxter created will always be an inspiration to me as
I create my own imaginary cartoon shows about my life.
-- G.G. The Cartoonist (Garnette Glenda Faircloth)
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Join G.G. for another archaeological dig in the Gravesyard, M.T. Graves & Charlie Baxter Present The Dungeon
See lots more pictures from Charlie Baxter's Kid Shows
See pictures from Charlie Baxter's career as a TV Horror Host
Go to E-gor's Chamber of TV Horror Hosts
Last update July 7, 2003 by George "E-gor" Chastain. E-mail E-gor!
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