Sixteen years after Clarabell broken his silence to say "Goodbye kids", Howdy Doody returned in syndication in 1976.
Buffalo Bob Smith returned as host as well as the puppets Dilly Dally, Phineas T. Bluster, Flubadub and of course, the title character. Clarabell also returned, played by the same man in the latter run of the original show, Lew Anderson.
There were also some new characters added. Bill LeCornec, who played Chief Thunderthud, played the fictitious producer Nicholson Muir, named for the production company. Bobby Nicholson played Cornelius Cobb, Milt Neil played the artist Fletcher the Sketcher. Also, there was a new female character, schoolteacher Happy Harmony, played by Marilyn Patch.
The color barrier was broken on the show when Jack Davis served as the leader of the show's band the Doodlers.
Though it was great to see Howdy Doody and Buffalo Bob, two TV pioneers, the reason why The New Howdy Doody Show failed because it wasn't as intimate as the original. The Peanut Gallery on the original seated 40 members, while the new show held five to six times as much in Miami's Video City studio.
Second, the show tried to cater to kids as well as adults (referred to by Buffalo Bob as alumni) and it was hard to come up with material that catered to both aspects of the audience.
Unfortunately, The New Howdy Doody Show lasted only 26 weeks but it was a valiant attempt to revive a kids show classic.