Originally posted by defstarsteve
Time for Timer was the collective title for a short series of public service announcements broadcast on Saturday mornings on the ABC television
network starting in the early 1970s. The animated spots featured Timer, a tiny yellow, blob-shaped cartoon character usually wearing a bow tie and top
hat, who promoted healthy eating and personal hygiene using clever songs and animation. Like ABC's The Bod Squad series, the segments never carried
official titles, but are referred to by memorable catch phrases in the songs' lyrics. Perhaps most memorable was "I Hanker for a Hunk of Cheese" in
which Timer, strangely recast as a cowboy with a thick Western accent, suggests "little cheese sandwiches" made with cheese slices and crackers as an
easy and nutritious snack. Others included "You Are What You Eat" (a simplified explanation of nutrients and how the body uses them), "Quickie
Breakfast" (leftovers and other premade foods as an alternative for kids who don't have time, or are unable, to cook breakfast), and "Sunshine on a
Stick" (how to make ice pops with fruit juice, an ice tray, and toothpicks). Time for Timer ran concurrently and interchangeably for many years with
ABC's other educational spots, primarily The Bod Squad and Schoolhouse Rock!. They generally appeared between cartoon programs on the hour and half
hour marks interspersed with regular commercials. Timer's voice was provided by actor Lennie Weinrib. The spots themselves were produced by the
cartoon studio DePatie-Freleng Enterprises. Timer first appeared in the 1973 ABC after school special The Incredible, Indelible, Magical, Physical
Mystery Trip, where he was voiced by Len Maxwell. Timer also appeared in the 1974 ABC after school special The Magical Mystery Trip Through Little
Red's Head (now voiced by Lennie Weinrib). Trivia: In the season 4 episode of Family Guy titled 'Petarded' Timer is portrayed as a crack smoking
lunatic, dancing around in his apartment singing the 'cheese' song at three thirty in the morning |
