Beany and Cecil began in 1949 as a kids' puppet show titled "Time For Beany". It was created by legendary Warner Bros. cartoon director Bob Clampett and featured the voices of Daws Butler and Stan Freberg. The series followed the hijinks and adventures of the crew of the Leakin' Lena: Captain Horatio Huffenpuff, Beany (a little boy with a beanie cap), Beany's pal Cecil the Sea Sick Sea Serpent, and Dishonest John, their arch-nemesis. The show acquired a following of such luminaries as Jimmy Stewart, Albert Einstein, Frank Zappa and Groucho Marx during its seven-year run. In 1959, Clampett made a series of animated shorts featuring these characters, and these were screened in Canadian theaters (released by United Artists). In 1962, ABC picked up these shorts and issued an order for a weekly series which was aired in primetime as "Matty's Funnies With Beany &amp, Cecil" (sponsored by Mattel toys, of which Matty and sister Si