Buffalo Bob Smith - The celebrity nickname of Bob Smith, the host of the classic children's puppet series HOWDY DOODY/NBC/1947-60. With the assistance of a silent clown named Clarabell, Buffalo Bob Smith, entertained the children in his audience (known as the Peanut Gallery) and interacted with all sorts of comic characters including the freckle-faced puppet star of the show, Howdy Doody. On earlier episodes Buffalo Bob Smith was just called Mr. Smith but by 1948 he was known as Buffalo Bob, a name given him by the Sycapoose Indians, a friendly tribe of American Indians who lived near the circus town of Doodyville. Buffalo Bob wore a yellow buckskin outfit with red fringe and buffalo insignias, supposedly because he was a descendent of Buffalo Bill. At the beginning of each program Buffalo Bob asked "Say, kids, What time is it? The kids then yelled "It's Howdy Doody Time!" Before taking on his role as host of THE HOWDY DOODY SHOW, Bob Smith was a member of the "Hi-Hatters," a radio singing group popular in the 1930s. Coincidentally, Bob Smith was born in Buffalo, New York. He died of cancer on July 30, 1998 near his home at Flat Rock, North Carolina.  A replica of Howdy Doody resides in the Smithsonian Institution.