Captain Kangaroo Memorabilia Rakes In Over $700,000 [VIDEO]

At the time, it seemed like must-see TV. And I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that. So many of us grew up watching Captain Kangaroo  with all of  the regular guests like Mr. Green Jeans, Mr. Bunny Rabbit, Mr. Moose, and Dancing Bear among others. The estate of Bob Keeshan, who entertained kids for 30 years on TV as Captain Kangaroo, was auctioned off Tuesday in Los Angeles and grossed more than $711,000.

The most popular item turned out to be Keeshan's "Dancing Bear" costume, which sold for $207,019.

Nate D. Sanders, whose company auctioned off the estate, says “As people were bidding in the auction, they were telling us their favorite memories of the show, and their favorite characters. Dancing Bear was a favorite for many of them. He was definitely special to thousands of kids and the auction result...for his costume was unprecedented.”

I have to be honest with you. Dancing Bear was not my favorite character by a long shot. In fact, I found Dancing Bear to be just a little on the frightening side. I loved Mr. Moose! Nonetheless, Captain Kangaroo is a great memory.

Keeshan died in 2004 at the age of 74. Here's an interesting note. When the show first began, Keeshan had to wear make-up in order to look older. The show ran so long that by the end he was wearing make-up to make himself look younger.