Gumby Origin

The iconic 1950s era claymation character Gumby was the inspired result of a 1953 three-minute student film called Gumbasia created by Art Clokey while he attended the University of Southern California. Later, in 1955, the pilot episode of Gumby was seen by an NBC executive, which quickly led to it being picked up and turned into a popular children’s television show.
by Jason Fitzpatrick via How-To Geek