Gumby first appeared in the 1953 film short Gumbasia. Later, in 1956, Gumby and his horse friend Pokey hit the airways on The Howdy Doody Show in their first shorts. It was so popular that it became its own show in 1957 called The Gumby Show.

This show ran until 1967. In the 1970's Gumby and friends were totally ignored. The 1980's brought back new life to Gumby with tons of toys and new episodes in a new series called Gumby Adventures in 1988.

Clokey updated the take on Gumby. Gumby, Pokey, Prickle, and Goo get a farm and band of their own. Gumby gets a little sister and a grandmother. More and more of the important characters actually look like humans. The Blockheads appear more frequently, giving them official recurring villain status. They don't quite have the outrageously bizzarre appeal of the earlier cartoons, but it's still Gumby at heart.