Gumby’s Best Pal Pokey
The Gumby series was successful because it presented its audience with the engaging duo of Gumby, an adventurous hero, and his pony pal Pokey, who’s usually more reluctant to go on adventures. Gumby may have his feet on the ground, but his head is in the clouds. Pokey, on the other hand, is tied to the earth. That’s why he has the colors of earth, orange and black, which together make the color of the rich soil that is the basis for all growth on earth.
Where Gumby is idealistic, Pokey is skeptical. Where Gumby is trusting, Pokey asks questions. When Gumby takes chances, Pokey often gets dragged along against his will, but ends up appreciating the experience. The two save each other with regularity. In every episode Pokey gives advice, and sometimes, Gumby listens to him.
At times Pokey is just plain cranky and pessimistic, poking and gibing at Gumby. He loves to be sarcastic. He mutters under his breath, drags his feet, and doesn’t like it when Gumby takes advantage of him, as in “Pokey Minds the Baby.” When Gumby decides he wants to find the Hidden Valley, Pokey mutters, “I don’t see how we can find Hidden Valley if no one else ever did.”
Pokey loves to have the last word. In the episode, “A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts,” Gumby’s trees produce watermelons instead of coconuts. Pokey points out that the crop was a little different from the expected by saying, “Some coconuts,” before a watermelon falls on him and covers him with the crushed fruit. “Not bad,” mutters Pokey as he licks his lips.
Pokey
Pokey’s personality
How Gumby and Pokey Met
In about the third episode, Gumby went into a western town out in the desert. There were two sets of railroad tracks, and Pokey had his hoof caught in the switch mechanism where the tracks shifted over. To save him, Gumby had to throw the switch, and he did so just before the train went by. Pokey was saved, and they became buddies from then on.