New Zoo Revue Interview: Doug Momary & Emmy Jo Peden Reflect On Revolutionary Children’s Show

Though it ended in 1977, the half-hour children’s program New Zoo Revue is still revered today for its fearless and innovative tackling of issues that children need help dealing with. The show was musical in nature, with creator Douglas Momary writing over 600 original songs for the 196 episodes that aired. The series came into being with the help of Barbara Atlas, a toy company executive who commissioned Momary to craft a show around Freddie the beanbag frog. From there, Momary went on to pinpoint a title, write a theme song, and add the characters of Henrietta the Hippo and Charlie the Owl (who was originally a giraffe).