Wee Willie Webber Colorful Cartoon Club

The Wee Willie Webber Colorful Cartoon Club was an after-school local children's television program which aired on WPHL-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for 10 years from 1965 to 1975. It was hosted by local Television/Radio personality Bill "Wee Willie" Webber. Webber was the first voice and face of WPHL-TV when it signed on the air on September 17, 1965.[1] The show ran for 3–4 hours in the late afternoon (typically 3:00 PM–6:00 PM) and was one of the first successful programs on UHF.[2]

Webber introduced a variety of Japanese anime cartoons, including 8th Man,[3] Astro Boy,[4] Marine Boy,[5] Prince Planet,[6] Kimba the White Lion[7] and Speed Racer.[8] Other shows included Ultraman,[9] Spider-Man,[10] The Patty Duke Show,[11] The Brady Bunch, Gilligan's Island, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,[12] The Friendly Giant,[13] Casper the Friendly Ghost,[14] Milton the Monster,[15] Rocket Robin Hood,[16] George of the Jungle,[17] The High Chaparral,[18] The King Kong Show,[19] Buck Rogers, The Three Stooges, The Lone Ranger and Daniel Boone. The theme song for the program was "Yakety Sax" by Boots Randolph.

Once a week, the show featured a live studio audience of kids. This "Peanut Gallery" played games on-air, including Musical Chairs, and won prizes for telling jokes or attempting to whistle after stuffing their mouths with Ritz Crackers.[20] At the height of the show's popularity, there was a one-year waiting period to get a ticket.[21]

Regular characters on the show included a bear puppet named Ralph,[22] Charlie ChinChopper (eyes drawn on Webber's chin, then the image inverted via a set of mirrors),[23] and the Bluebird of Happiness. Webber often took the show on the road, broadcasting from various locations, including Willow Grove Park, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, Hershey Park, the Mann Recreation Center, Hawaii and Rome, Italy. In 1970, the show traveled to Bavaria Film Studios in Munich, Germany for a behind the scenes look at the filming of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.[24]

From 1976 to 1979, Webber hosted a similar show on WKBS-TV.[25]