Art Clokey, who turned a small clay figurine named Gumby into a worldwide sensation, died Friday at his home in Los Osos, Calif., at the age of 88.
Clokey and his first wife, Ruth, created Gumby and his orange horse pal Pokey in the 1950s shortly after Clokey had finished film school at USC. The idea began with an abstract claymation short called Gumbasia ‘ a sort of parody of Disney’s Fantasia ‘that movie producer Sam Engel encouraged Clokey to develop by adding figures.
Clokey made three pilot episodes, the first on his own and the second and third at the request of NBC, which planned to test audience reaction by showing them on its popular Howdy Doody Show. The pilot, Gumby Goes to the Moon, was shown on Howdy Doody in August 1956 and was a success, prompting NBC to produce a Gumby series that began airing in 1957.
The character was popular and aired on television through the 1960s. His popularity was revived in the 1980s thanks to Eddie Murphy playing the character in sketches on Saturday Night Live.
Clokey also created the stop-motion animated series Davey and Goliath in conjunction with the Lutheran Church.
Gumby’s revival lead to a movie released in 1995 that was produced and directed by Clokey.
Clokey was born Arthur Farrington. His father died when he was 8 and he was later abandoned by his mother and new step-father, eventually being adopted at age 11 by Pomona College music teacher and composer Joseph W. Clokey.
Clokey also served in World War II, conducting photo reconnaissance over North Africa and France.
Clokey divorced his first wife, Ruth, and remarried in 1976. His second wife, Gloria, died in 1998. Clokey is survived by his son, Joseph, a step-daughter, three grandchildren, a sister and a half-sister.
