Davey and Goliath

My wife grew up watching an animated cartoon called Davey and Goliath. In short, this cartoon featured a little boy named Davey Hansen and his dog, Goliath ("Oh, Davey!"). Goliath could talk, but only Davey could hear him.

Davey and Goliath was produced by the United Lutheran Church in America (ULCA), then by the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) after the 1962 merger. (The LCA became part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America [ELCA] in the 1988 merger.)

The dream began in 1958 when Franklin Clark Fry, president of the United Lutheran Church in America (ULCA), put aside $1 million to fund production of a future television program. A contract with Clokey Productions, Inc., was signed in 1959. Clokey Productions was headed by Art and Ruth Clokey, who created the famous Gumby® creators. A new children's show was created--Davey and Goliath. Famed children's book author Nancy Moore wrote the scripts in consultation with the ULCA. In 1960 Davey and Goliath premiered with the 15-minute long episode, "Lost in a Cave."

Originally, episodes of Davey and Goliath were given, free of charge, to nearly 200 television markets in North America. Davey and Goliath was also translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and Cantonese as the show also appeared overseas.

In 1962 the ULCA merged with other Lutheran churches (Augustana and Suomi) to form the Lutheran Church in America (LCA). The LCA takes over funding of the show. By year's end, the first series of 30 episodes is completed. The first Davey and Goliath special appeared in 1965. This was a 30-minute Christmas special entitled "Christmas Lost and Found." In 1967 three more specials were created and aired: "New Year Promise," "Happy Easter," and "Halloween Who-Dun-It."

From 1969 through 1971 the LCA funded another run of 35 episodes. Davey's friends now include Jonathan Reed and Cisco, an African-American boy and a Hispanic boy as diversity became key to Lutheran evangelism efforts and focus on integration and racial tolerance, charity and community, as well as the spiritual theme of the original series. In 1971 a fifth special was made and aired: "School...Who Needs It?"

Davey and Goliath's run ended in 1975 with the final special, "To the Rescue." Not that Davey and Goliath have quietly gone away. In 1986 Program Source International secured marketing rights for existing Davey and Goliath episodes. The rights were retained in the 1988 merger of the American Lutheran Church (ALC), the Lutheran Church in America (LCA), and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC) into the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Davey and Goliath have also been referenced in pop culture venues such as Dead Man Walking, The Simpsons, Friends, Beavis and Butthead, Mystery Science Theatre 3000, and Mad TV. You may have also seen Davey, Goliath, and Davey's father, and Davey's friend in a recent Mountain Dew ad. Because the shows have been translated into seven languages and shown on every continent except Antarctica, millions of children have grown up with Davey and Goliath.

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