Animated Commercials from the ’50’s about Tolerance and Diversity
The things we watch on TV when we’re kids can stay with us for our whole lives. I grew up in the 70’s and I’ll never forget the Saturday morning Schoolhouse Rock cartoons that taught about history, grammar and math. I recently learned that there’s a whole generation of kids who grew up in the 50’s who remember a series of cartoons, put out by the US government, promoting racial harmony and tolerance.
These cartoons were first brought to my attention when I was asked about a song called, “The Big Bow-wow and the Little Meow”. It turns out that this song came from one of these commercials. Here’s what Barry Leibowitz wrote to me about it:
“In the early 50’s, there were these animated TV commercials that must have been government sponsored, meant to promote “brotherhood” and tolerance in our changing post-WWII society. The song I’m thinking of sounded like a sea chantey and involved an old salt and his cat and dog and how they got along so well on the boat.”
Steve Welch sent the lyrics to the song in this commercial. It went like this:
Oh commodore Bob had a dog and a cat
With a big bow-wow and a little meow.
They both got along without ever a spat!
How in the world did they ever do that,
With a big bow-wow, and a little meow…
Meow…Bow-wow…meow…Bow-wow, Meow.
He also said, “Another cartoon promoting racial harmony went like this:”
You can get good milk from a brown-skin cow,
The color of its skin doesn’t matter no-how.
Ho ho hee, can’t you see:
The color of your skin doesn’t matter to me.
Ooh-ooh, wee awee wee.
Steve continued, “They are probably not politically correct these days, but they were cute and must have made an impression on me.”
Barry told about another of these commercials:
“I remember another animated spot from that time that was about ethnic diversity. Maybe you remember it, too:”
I have a little friend,
His name ends with a “ski”
And this is what my father said
As I sat on his knee:A ski, a witz, an off or cu
When added to a name,
Just teaches us the family
Or town from which it came.A name like Thomas Jefferson
In some lands o’er the sea
Would not be Thomas Jefferson,
But Thomas Jefferski.Or Jefferwitz, or Jefferoff or maybe Jeffercu,
So do not let a ski, a witz or off seem strange to you.I feel the same towards every name
No matter how it ends,
‘Cause people with the strangest names
Can be the best of friends!
Barry said, “The animation was fairly primitive but it was a little boy and a little girl with their lunch boxes and hers said Mary Jones on it, while his said Tommy Popski. In the end, I remember them walking away together holding hands (innocently, of course). Jog any memories? I’d LOVE to know if anyone but me remembers these Public Service Announcements and if copies of them exist in some government vault somewhere!”
If anyone knows if we can view these videos on the web, please let us know. You’re also welcome to share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
-Lisa
February 2nd, 2008 at 9:37 pm
I remember the spots. You have some of the lyrics wrong.
Verse one:
I have a little friend,
His name ends with a “ski”
AND YET MY LITTLE FRIEND LOOKS JUST LIKE YOU AND ME
I ASKED MY FATHER WHY A NAME LIKE THAT SHOUL BE
And this is what my father said
As I sat on his knee:
A ski, a witz, an off or cu
When added to a name,
Just TELLS us the family
Or town from which it came.
I feel the same towards every name
No matter how it ends,
‘FOR people with the strangest names
Can be the best of friends!
February 6th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
You don’t have the first verse right….yet. It went, ” I have a little friend, his name ends with a ’ski’, and yet my little friend, looks just like you and me.
THAT NIGHT I asked my father how…….etc.”
I remember that one vividly. There was another called “Sit down and write a letter”. It was crudely animated and was about the American freedom to express ourselves. If you think something is unfair, you can “sit down and write a letter”.
Also, there was another verse from the one that goes “you can get white milk from a brown-skinned cow”. It went (in part), “the engineer said to the railroad track, don’t care if passengers are white or black. Oh ho ho, use your brain, you can learn common sense from a railroad train”.
There are others, but I was a little kid at the time and only remember snatches of them. I, too, would love to find a source for these public service commericals…they ran between regularly-scheduled TV shows back in the late 50’s to early 60’s. Can anybody else help?
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:38 am
another verse: The peach pit said to the apple core
The color of your skin doesn’t matter anymore
ha ha ha, haw, haw, haw,
the color of your skin doesn’t matter no more
April 19th, 2008 at 1:35 am
Yes, I remember the song about the “ski or witz or off or cu” very clearly. I have often thought about it over the years because it had a catchy tune and the lyrics were interesting. About 35 years ago (oh my God, can it be) I knew a woman who knew the words but, for some strange reason was reluctant to sing the song. She did it once but never again. I have wanted to know these lyrics for over 50 years and now, thanks to this web site, I have them. Thank you Mr. Ski or Witz or Off or Cu.
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:54 am
Tom Glazer sang the song “a Ski or Witz or Off or Cu” back so long ago. I remember hearing it on the old Allen DuMont television station Channel 5, WABD, in New York City (that’s for Allen B. DuMont, an early electronics pioneer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_B._Du_Mont). Also I heard it during the old “Captain Video” programs (”Captain Video and his Video Rangers!”) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Video). Seems like yesterday.
August 31st, 2008 at 6:47 am
I think that before being used for a commercial, the song “You can get white milk from a brown skinned cow” came from a record put out as part of a UNICEF programme. I can remembr my parents buying it for us.
Also, does anyone remember the song from the same record about becoming a blood doner. I think it was called “Close you eyes and point your finger”. It went something like this:
(Chorus)”Close your eyes and point your finger; on the map just let it linger; anywhere you point your finger to; there’s someone with the same type blood as you. ”
(Verse) “You may be A or AB, you may be B or O; whatever type you may be; there is one thing you should know”
…in China or Peru….
December 13th, 2008 at 1:42 am
It is the theme song of a new movie by neurologist Howard Weiner, called What Is Life? The Movie. He sings it and the film will be released soon.
January 7th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
Close your eyes and point your finger was a song we sang in school when i was a child. I always thought it was to teach that p[eople were alike and promote non-bias. I am surprised that its so scarce on the web.
April 28th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Ok, for what it’s worth, (and thanks to all who helped piece it together), are the pieced-together lyrics from “Brown-Skinned Cow” (corrections are welcome):
I have a little friend, his name ends with a “ski”
And yet my little friend, looks just like you and me.
That night I asked my father how a name like that could be,
And this is what my father said as I sat on his knee:
A ski, a witz, an off or cu, when added to a name,
Just tells us of the family, or town from which it came.
A name like Thomas Jefferson, in some lands ‘oer the sea,
Would not be Thomas Jefferson, but Thomas Jeffer-ski
Or Jeff-off, or Jeffer-wiscz or even Jeffer-cu
So please don’t let a ‘wiscz’ or ‘off’ or ‘cu’ seem strange to you.
I feel the same towards any name, no matter how it ends
For people with the strangest names can be the best of friends.
June 14th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Great to find this thread…I’ve been singing parts of that jingle for years. Does anyone remember one from the same time period that began: “What makes a good American, what do you have to be/ Am I a good American, let’s take a look and see…Oo, oo, oo, I don’t care where you’re from, I go by who you are…
I stand up for my rights…but do I stand up for yours!
October 17th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
Would anyone know if any of these old PSAs have made it to Youtube?