GUMBY And POKEY'S Flexible Return

(From The USA Today -- By Thomas K. Arnold)

GUMBY turns 50 this year, and RHINO HOME VIDEO is celebrating with the release of three DVD packages.

THE VERY BEST NEW ADVENTURES OF GUMBY, VOLUMES 1 AND 2 ($10) is scheduled to hit stores June 28th. Each contains a dozen GUMBY cartoons that appeared on television in the late 1980s and early 1990s but have never been available on DVD. Each volume is authorized by GUMBY creator ART CLOKEY and includes the original cartoons, music, sound effects, and voices.

Then, on September 30th, RHINO will issue a 50th anniversary boxed set ($40) with four DVDs of cartoons going all the way back to the 1950s, along with such extras as a documentary on Clokey and a historical retrospective.

The GUMBY DVD releases are part of a 50th birthday celebration that will see branded merchandise such as T-shirts, shoes, and plush toys appear in stores, along with the popular bendable "action figures." Six hundred PETCO stores will sell chew toys for dogs.

The MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE in New York City will install an 1,800-square-foot GUMBY EXHIBIT, and stadium sporting events around the country will host GUMBY and POKEY nights.