It was on this date back in 1953 that one of Portland’s most
popular local children’s show’s…Mr. Moon hit the air on a
Monday afternoon at 4:30PM on KOIN-TV Channel 6.
The man behind the successful series was Ed Leahy,
a popular radio personality for many years. He started
the show and created the cast of characters that
included Harry the Heron, Rocket, Kitty, Mrs. Cow
and many more puppet friends designed by radio
legend, Bill Howlett of KVAN/KISN 910.
Another well-known Portland broadcaster, Art Morey
joined the crew as the voice of two animal character’s
along with Ed’s wife, Toni. Good habits like keeping
a kid’s room neat and clean to proper nail care and
a weekly honor roll day were some of the features
of the show that had a huge following of thousands.
Note: KOIN-TV had only been on the air for a month
when Mr. Moon joined the lineup.
Mr. Moon with some of his puppet friends.
I remember being really afraid of Mr. Moon when I was little….once he was in the Gateway Fun-O-Rama Parade and I started crying.
I remember him well, I really looked forward to his program. He had a comforting way with little kids like me.IM
I grew up in Coos Bay, Oregon and we received KOIN. I loved Mr. Moon and seldom missed an afternoon.