A screenshot of Gumby in all his animated glory
I’ll keep this brief, I love Gumby. I don’t know if I ever watched reruns of the original show, but I definitely spent the most formative part of my early adolescence sitting in front of the television with my eyes glued to the screen in awe of the 1995 movie. When it came to clay animation there was no competition, we were really content with the simple things back then!
I wouldn’t start thinking about Gumby again until the color green became trendy during the pandemic and writers went into overdrive making declarations about which shade would rule them all. There was no doubt in my spiraling mind that Gumby green was a contender, coming close to Kelly green. Then I started seeing Gumby pop up on Resident Objects in the form of a telephone, salt and pepper shakers, and even candlestick holders.
I recently found out that at some point, Sony produced a Gumby-themed collection of furniture which included a lounge chair with a matching ottoman. (Whoever has this in their home, please contact me because I have questions!) I don’t know if the power of nostalgia could ever compel me to invest in Gumby to that extent, but here are a few treasures that I discovered on eBay for your viewing pleasure:
Imperial Toy Vintage Giant 6 Ft Inflatable Gumby In Box, $165.73
1996 Gumby and Pokey Collectable Salt & Pepper Shakers, $59.49
Vtg 1986 Gumby University 10 oz Ceramic Coffee/Tea Mug, $11.20
May we all continue to casually drop Gumby GIFs into our conversations and rewatch Eddie Murphy’s iconic skits from Saturday Night Live in 1982 and 2019.
[UPDATE] 07/08/22 @ 11:18am EST: I’ve been informed that the photo featuring the Gumby chair was taken at A Bathing Ape’s 2013 exhibition “BAPELAND” in NIGO’s former home and studio in Tokyo. Here’s another angle of it: