ELCA Agreement May Lead to New 'Davey and Goliath' Episodes

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The producers of "Davey and Goliath," a popular, Christian-oriented children's television series that aired on commercial television in the 1950s through the early 1980s, may soon be making a pilot film and more episodes. New Davey and Goliath episodes could be created as a result of a licensing agreement between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and a Washington firm that helps market animated characters through merchandise creation.
Davey and Goliath is a stop-motion animated series starring Davey Hansen, his dog, Goliath, and other family and friends. The series were geared toward children and is well-known to many of today's so-called "baby boomers." Each story contained a Christian-oriented moral or theme. The programs were created through a partnership involving the Lutheran church and Art and Ruth Clokey. Sixty-five episodes and six half-hour specials were created.
Art Clokey is also the creator of Gumby and Pokey, another popular stop motion animation television series. Clokey and his son, Joe, are beginning work with the Disney Co. on a Gumby special, to be shown on ABC Television, Art Clokey said.
A similar goal -- to create new Davey and Goliath episodes -- is shared by the ELCA churchwide organization; Heat Licensing Co., Sequim, Wash.; Program Source International, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; and the Clokeys, whose company is Premavision, Los Osos, Calif. If new episodes are to be made, the Clokeys may oversee the project.
The ELCA's agreement with Heat Licensing, effective Sept. 11, is for creation of Davey and Goliath merchandise to raise funds to create new programs, said the Rev. Eric C. Shafer, director of the ELCA Department for Communication. Heat Licensing will also work with Al and Dave Eicher, Program Source International, to market existing Davey and Goliath episodes, he said. The agreement also enables Heat Licensing to seek partners to fund the creation of new episodes, Shafer said.
"We are looking forward to using the funds raised through 'Davey and Goliath' products to produce new episodes," Shafer said. "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."
Patrick Lauerman, president, Heat Licensing, said he has started the search for partners to manufacture Davey and Goliath products that focus on existing episodes. Merchandise could include, but is not limited to, such things as apparel, glassware, key chains, magnets and paper weights, he said.
The marketing contract is a "great way" for funds to be raised for Davey and Goliath programming, and for the positive messages from Davey and Goliath to be communicated to new audiences, Lauerman said.
"Our general strategy is to look for licensees for merchandise and help get existing programs on more stations," he said.
Heat Licensing markets other animated characters, such as Gumby and Pokey.
Program Source has the license to distribute existing Davey and Goliath episodes. Through various distribution channels, the company has sold more than 600,000 Davey and Goliath video cassettes since the early 1980s, said Al Eicher, company president through 1987. His son, Dave, is now president.
The idea of creating new Davey and Goliath episodes will likely benefit sales of existing episodes. "I think if Art Clokey is doing the new episodes, they've got to be good," Al Eicher said. "Knowing Art's and the church's influence on the program's Christian content, the product should be excellent."
Art and Joe Clokey, Premavision, have a new studio and are looking forward to the possibility of creating new Davey and Goliath episodes. "We have the best animators in the world and we're very excited about it," said Joe Clokey, Premavision president.
Advances in technology will add greatly to any new Davey and Goliath episodes, Joe Clokey said. The stop-motion animation technique, the same technique used for the original Davey and Goliath and Gumby and Pokey episodes "is still very much alive," he said. "It brings some 'realness' to the characters," Joe Clokey added.
Art and Joe Clokey both said the program's relationship to the Lutheran Church remains important and the popularity of the program remains strong today.
"Every week we hear from somebody who remembers Davey and Goliath," said Art Clokey, Premavision vice president.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html