Bertie the Bunyip
The friendly bunyip from Philadelphia television.
Bertie the Bunyip was the main puppet on the American children's show *The Bertie the Bunyip Show*, broadcast in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1954 to 1966. The series aired on KYW-TV, a station that had previously been called WPTZ (until 1956) and then WRCV-TV (from 1956 to 1965). Bertie was a brown puppet with kangaroo-like ears and a duck-bill-shaped snout, designed to appear cute and friendly to children as he got into harmless mischief.
The character was created by Australian-born ventriloquist Lee Dexter (1904–1991). Dexter described Bertie as a bunyip—a mythical Australian creature—and specifically "a cross between a bunny, a collie dog and a duck billed platypus." Bertie’s main antagonist was an aristocratic fox named Sir Guy de Guy, who resembled Pinocchio’s "Honest John." His friends included Nixie the Pixie, Humphrey the white rabbit, Winnie the Witch, Poochie the Pup, and the troublesome duo Fussy and Gussy.
A newspaper article published after Dexter’s death claimed that Sir Guy was named after the magazine *TV Guide*, but this was later revealed to be a false attempt to profit from the puppets' fame. A lengthy legal dispute arose over ownership of the puppets. In his later years, Dexter suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and lived in a nursing home in southern New Jersey, unable to clarify who should inherit his creations.
- Field
- Children's television puppet character
- Creator
- Lee Dexter (1904-1991)
- Nationality
- American (character based on Australian mythology)
- Known for
- Lead puppet on *The Bertie the Bunyip Show* (1954-1964)
- Network
- KYW-TV (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Lore & Background
Created by Australian born and raised ventriloquist Lee Dexter (1904-1991), Bertie was a bunyip (a mythological Australian creature), described by Dexter as 'a cross between a bunny, a collie dog and a duck billed platypus.' He was portrayed as a brown-colored character with the ears of a kangaroo and a duck-bill-type snout. For children he was cute and friendly, getting into harmless situations. Bertie's enemy was an aristocratic fox by the name of Sir Guy de Guy (who bore a resemblance to Pinocchio's 'Honest John'), and his friends included Nixie the Pixie, Humphrey the white rabbit, Winnie the Witch, Poochie the Pup and those terrible twos Fussy and Gussy.
Reader's Guide
A newspaper article published shortly after his death featured an interview with Lee Dexter, who noted that Sir Guy was named after the ubiquitous TV Guide - but this turned out to be just another bogus attempt to cash in on the notoriety of Dexter's puppets, and there was a protracted struggle for ownership of the puppets. Dexter suffered from Alzheimer's Disease in his later years and was confined to a nursing home in southern New Jersey; he was unable to shed any light on his puppets including who should get them.
Did You Know?
- The show aired on KYW-TV (and its predecessor stations) from 1954 to 1966.
- Lee Dexter died in 1991.
- A newspaper article published shortly after Dexter's death claimed he said Sir Guy was named after TV Guide, but this was later described as a bogus attempt to cash in on the puppets' notoriety.
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