Ted Zeigler(1926-1999)

Ted Zeigler played the character "Johnny Jellybean" on Canadian television in the mid 1960s. It was on CFCF Tv out of Montreal, Quebec. After school and for a period of time it also aired at lunchtime. It was a huge hit for children. Ted Zeigler became the third and the last performer to play Johnny Jellybean. He did the show for Canadian kids only. The two classic routines that Ted Zeigler did on "The Johnny Jellybean Show" were: The "Squawk Box" which he continually hit with a hammer and a wooden birdhouse, that was hanging on a rope. He did this in many episodes until each time it was literally smashed to a few splinters and left hanging. Every time the "Squawk Box" was hit you'd hear sounds of gasping, screeches or hacking. Every episode would start off with a new "Squawk Box". "Toomey the Duck", Johnny Jellybean would talk & talk to him and Toomey would quack away like crazy, but you couldn't understand what it was saying at all. You could tell though, by the way the fake feet were moving, that he was rocking back and forth in a rocking chair. Bill Britten was the first children's TV host to play "Johnny Jellybean". He was this character on a show in the United States called "Time For Fun". Keith Hefner (Hugh Hefner's Brother) became the second performer to play "Johnny Jellybean" on the same show. Ted Zeigler was a regular on "The Sonny & Cher Comdey Hour" from 1971-1974 and then again on "The Sonny & Cher Show" from 1976-1977. Unfortunately Ted Ziegler passed away on December 12, 1999. He will be sorely missed by all who grew up with him.