Not Everyone Can Be A "Propeller Head"

As a kid, I wished that I could be like Hopalong Cassidy and own my own white stallion. I wanted to fly faster than a speeding bullet just like Superman. I even saved Oveltine labels and begged my mom for fifteen cents so I could send away for an official Sky King code ring with a secret compartment. But, by the time I reached my fifteenth birthday, I had never owned a horse, flown outside an airplane, nor received a real encoded message except from my friend Anthony when I was seven years old. I never grew into one of those bigger than life super heroes of my childhood dreams. In fact, I just became a "propeller head."

Just like the TV character, Beany, I was a cherub-faced boy with a propeller beanie who was good-hearted, upbeat, and somewhat obnoxious at the same time. I navigated through childhood believing all things were possible. To fly, I needed my propeller beanie cap called a "Beanycopter", complete with helmet and propeller. And just like the famous big-eyed hero, I could survive any peril, scale any obstacle, and overcome any enemy. No matter what the real world threw at me, I would prevail. I only needed to cry out "Help, Cecil! Help!" and my imaginary friend Cecil, a seasick sea serpent, would reply "I'm comin', Beany-boy!" as he raced to my rescue.

I was a living version of the animated cartoon series created by Bob Clampett. Originally a puppet show entitled Time for Beany, the animated TV series aired for just one season in 1962. Those 26 original episodes were repeated for over five years. Along with The Jetsons and The Flintstones, it was one of the first three color television programs on the ABC television network. The concept and the characters survived many and varied adventures until 1988.