Dallas-Fort Worth Kids' TV Legend Passes

September 26, 2011 1:03 PM

So long Mr. Peppermint Generations of North Texas men and women remember Mr. Peppermint for his three decades of entertaining children. He passed away today. (Entertainment runs in his family).
posted by punkfloyd (24 comments total)

wow, just learned about this guy last night. Lived near my friends.

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posted by Ironmouth at 1:06 PM on September 26, 2011

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Another one of those important pieces of murky early childhood, gone. I haven't been to Peppermint Place for at least 25 years, but I still remember Mr. P's repartee with Muffin the bear, and science experiments with Dr. Laserbreath.
posted by no mind at 1:18 PM on September 26, 2011

Oh, hey, the guy from RoboCop! Rest in peace, citizen.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 1:21 PM on September 26, 2011 [1 favorite]

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My first and best (of 3) TV appearance was on his show when I was 8.
posted by activitystory at 1:21 PM on September 26, 2011

In action.
posted by crunchland at 1:22 PM on September 26, 2011

...he is the father of musician and lead singer Gibby Haynes of the group Butthole Surfers.

I would not have guessed that.

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posted by dances_with_sneetches at 1:31 PM on September 26, 2011 [1 favorite]

:( Thanks. I remember watching the show as a little kid. :(

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posted by zarq at 1:31 PM on September 26, 2011

So Mr. Greenjeans wasn't Frank Zappa's dad, but Mr. Peppermint fathered Gibby Haynes???
posted by squalor at 1:32 PM on September 26, 2011

Oh wow, I grew up with him, and Muffin.

Sad day.

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posted by mudpuppie at 1:43 PM on September 26, 2011

As mentioned in the obit, he witnessed the Kennedy assassination.

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posted by evilcolonel at 1:53 PM on September 26, 2011

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:( I grew up with Peppermint Place on television in Ft. Worth. A little piece of my childhood died today. Thank you, Mr. Peppermint.
posted by kaseijin at 1:55 PM on September 26, 2011

I wish it had been an in-studio segment... I was in an arts and crafts class that was featured on his show. I remember that I looked right into the camera, exactly as we were instructed not to. I think it survives somewhere in my parents' attic in an ornately decorated Beta tape.

Meeting Muffin would have been a highlight of my childhood.
posted by activitystory at 1:56 PM on September 26, 2011

Augh, I just sent my condolences to Andy (that's his other son; we went to high school and college together, but I'm not close with his sister). I remember being shocked at the amount of swearing Jerry did off-camera; however, he was also a super-nice guy, and this blows.

I got the heads-up email a few hours ago and wondered if this would get posted. It's a sad day, indeed.

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posted by Unicorn on the cob at 2:26 PM on September 26, 2011

I will always remember him reading me the Sunday funnies. I was not a fan of Muffin*, honestly, but always thought Mr. P was a nice guy.


*I also found the puppets on Mr. Rogers creepy. They just were, ok?
posted by emjaybee at 2:43 PM on September 26, 2011

Fort Worth was better because you lived. Thanks.
posted by Senator at 2:49 PM on September 26, 2011 [1 favorite]

I definitely remember seeing this occasionally on TV in Northern Virginia in the late '80s, so he must have had some national distribution.

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posted by HeroZero at 3:13 PM on September 26, 2011

I will always remember him reading me the Sunday funnies.

Are you sure you're not thinking of Bill Kelly? (Perhaps Mr. Peppermint read the funnies, too.)
posted by azaner at 4:27 PM on September 26, 2011

(Kelley.)
posted by azaner at 4:27 PM on September 26, 2011

Mr. P was Dallas's own Mr Rogers. I am sadder than I thought I would be when the inevitable happened. He was a very nice man in person, and a lot more accepting of weird than you would think. My condolences to his friends and family. He was important to a whole lot of people.
posted by dejah420 at 4:30 PM on September 26, 2011

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My childhood is going away............
posted by bjgeiger at 4:47 PM on September 26, 2011

I remember when a friend of mine bought a Mister Peppermint album from our local shop, just because it had a sticker on it proclaiming this the album of the Butthole Surfers' singer's dad. It was red, translucent vinyl, and was mostly children's numbers on acoustic guitar. The lyrics to "Sarah the Whale" I remember were a little surreal - something about sitting on "your toothbrush, or your grandmother, or anything else that's helpless." But there was also some weird skit involving Ted Cassidy, a.k.a. Lurch from the Addams Family, who played an Indian chief. It was really fun imagining growing up with this guy as the host of a children's show I watched regularly. Sorry to hear he's gone, and I hope Gibby's holding up.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 5:04 PM on September 26, 2011

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posted by rosswald at 5:14 PM on September 26, 2011

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posted by ElDiabloConQueso at 6:08 PM on September 26, 2011

Aw damn

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posted by Sailormom at 6:21 PM on September 26, 2011