Time for Timer
Encyclopedia
Time for Timer was the collective title for a short series of public service announcements broadcast
on Saturday mornings on the ABC
television network
starting in the early 1970s. The animated spots featured Timer, a tiny (often ranging on microscopic) cartoon character who represented the sense of "time" in the human body. Timer was in charge of when a person felt it was time to eat, time to sleep, etc. He carried a large pocket watch inside of him, which would often set off an alarm whenever something was about to happen.
Usually wearing a bow tie
and top hat
, Timer looked somewhat like a little yellow blob with long arms and legs, and a face. Timer also had limited magical powers, such as instant transportation, which he often used to exit his host body from time to time if things got too exhausting. A wise-cracker as well as a song-and-dance man, Timer promoted healthy eating and personal hygiene
for children, using clever songs and animation.
Like ABC's The Bod Squad
series, the segments never carried official titles, but are referred to by memorable catch phrases in the songs' lyrics. Perhaps most memorable was "I Hanker for a Hunk of Cheese" in which Timer, recast as a cowboy with a thick Western accent, suggests "wagon wheels," sandwiches made with cheese slices and crackers as an easy and nutritious snack. (When Timer prepares one on a kitchen counter, he rolls it down the counter on its edge and proclaims, "Look! A wagon wheel!") Others included "You Are What You Eat" (a simplified explanation of nutrients and how the body uses them), "Quickie Breakfast" (leftovers and other premade foods as an alternative for kids who don't have time, or are unable, to cook breakfast), and "Sunshine on a Stick" (how to make ice pop
s with fruit juice, an ice tray, and toothpicks).
Time for Timer ran concurrently and interchangeably for many years with ABC's other educational spots, primarily The Bod Squad and Schoolhouse Rock!
. They generally appeared between cartoon programs
on the hour and half hour marks interspersed with regular commercials.
Timer's voice was provided by actor Lennie Weinrib
. The spots themselves were produced by the cartoon studio DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
. During the final five seconds or so of each segment (sometimes the first 5 seconds), the following end credit appeared on the bottom of the screen:
Timer first appeared in the 1973 ABC Afterschool Special
"The Incredible, Indelible, Magical, Physical Mystery Trip", where he was voiced by Len Maxwell. Timer also appeared in the 1974 ABC Afterschool Special "The Magical Mystery Trip Through Little Red's Head" (now voiced by Lennie Weinrib). In Mystery Trip, he was working inside the body of a man named "Uncle Carl". In Little Red, he was working inside the (Teenaged) Red Riding Hood.
episode "Petarded
," reprising the "cheese" segment. In the gag, Timer performs the song and dances around his apartment, when there is a knock on the door; Peter
, clad in a bathrobe, expresses his annoyance at Timer's behavior and tells him that it is 3:30 a.m.; Timer replies cheerfully, "I just smoked a whole bunch of crack
!" Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane
attempted to hire Weinrib to voice Timer for the gag, but MacFarlane — on the Family Guy Season 4 DVD commentary, said that Weinrib "... was a little old and he didn't remember doing it." Weinrib died about a year after the "Petarded" first aired.
Timer is parodied in The Venture Brothers episode "Handsome Ransom". Also, in the episode "Sausage Fest" of Robot Chicken
, Timer filed an assault case against Chester Cheetah in a cat version of The People's Court
, stating "He hankered for a hunk of my ass!"
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
on Saturday mornings on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
starting in the early 1970s. The animated spots featured Timer, a tiny (often ranging on microscopic) cartoon character who represented the sense of "time" in the human body. Timer was in charge of when a person felt it was time to eat, time to sleep, etc. He carried a large pocket watch inside of him, which would often set off an alarm whenever something was about to happen.
Usually wearing a bow tie
Bow tie
The bow tie is a type of men's necktie. It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar in a symmetrical manner such that the two opposite ends form loops. Ready-tied bow ties are available, in which the distinctive bow is sewn into shape and the band around the neck incorporates a clip....
and top hat
Top hat
A top hat, beaver hat, high hat silk hat, cylinder hat, chimney pot hat or stove pipe hat is a tall, flat-crowned, broad-brimmed hat, predominantly worn from the latter part of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century...
, Timer looked somewhat like a little yellow blob with long arms and legs, and a face. Timer also had limited magical powers, such as instant transportation, which he often used to exit his host body from time to time if things got too exhausting. A wise-cracker as well as a song-and-dance man, Timer promoted healthy eating and personal hygiene
Hygiene
Hygiene refers to the set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living. While in modern medical sciences there is a set of standards of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not can vary between...
for children, using clever songs and animation.
Like ABC's The Bod Squad
The Bod Squad
The Bod Squad was the collective title for a series of short public service announcements broadcast on Saturday mornings on the ABC television network, from the late 1970s through the first half of the 1990s...
series, the segments never carried official titles, but are referred to by memorable catch phrases in the songs' lyrics. Perhaps most memorable was "I Hanker for a Hunk of Cheese" in which Timer, recast as a cowboy with a thick Western accent, suggests "wagon wheels," sandwiches made with cheese slices and crackers as an easy and nutritious snack. (When Timer prepares one on a kitchen counter, he rolls it down the counter on its edge and proclaims, "Look! A wagon wheel!") Others included "You Are What You Eat" (a simplified explanation of nutrients and how the body uses them), "Quickie Breakfast" (leftovers and other premade foods as an alternative for kids who don't have time, or are unable, to cook breakfast), and "Sunshine on a Stick" (how to make ice pop
Ice pop
An ice pop, also referred to in the United States as a popsicle, and in the United Kingdom as an ice lolly, lolly ice or ice lollipop, is a frozen, water-based dessert. It is made by freezing flavored liquid around a stick. Often, the juice is colored artificially...
s with fruit juice, an ice tray, and toothpicks).
Time for Timer ran concurrently and interchangeably for many years with ABC's other educational spots, primarily The Bod Squad and Schoolhouse Rock!
Schoolhouse Rock!
Schoolhouse Rock! is an American interstitial programming series of animated musical educational short films that aired during the Saturday morning children's programming on the U.S. television network ABC. The topics covered included grammar, science, economics, history, mathematics, and civics...
. They generally appeared between cartoon programs
Saturday morning cartoon
A Saturday morning cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated television programming that has typically been scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American television networks from the 1960s to the present; the genre's peak in popularity mostly ended in the 1990s while the popularity of...
on the hour and half hour marks interspersed with regular commercials.
Timer's voice was provided by actor Lennie Weinrib
Lennie Weinrib
Lennie Weinrib was an American actor, voice actor and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show H.R...
. The spots themselves were produced by the cartoon studio DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises was a Hollywood-based animation production company, active from 1963 to 1981. They produced theatrical cartoons, animated series, commercials, title sequences and television specials. Notable among these is The Pink Panther film titles and cartoon shorts and the Dr....
. During the final five seconds or so of each segment (sometimes the first 5 seconds), the following end credit appeared on the bottom of the screen:
- An ABC Presentation
- Consultant: Dr. Roslyn B. Alfin-Slater
- UCLA School of Public Health
Timer first appeared in the 1973 ABC Afterschool Special
ABC Afterschool Special
The ABC Afterschool Special is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC from 1972 to 1996, usually in the late afternoon on week days. Most of the episodes were dramatic presentations of situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers. Several episodes were...
"The Incredible, Indelible, Magical, Physical Mystery Trip", where he was voiced by Len Maxwell. Timer also appeared in the 1974 ABC Afterschool Special "The Magical Mystery Trip Through Little Red's Head" (now voiced by Lennie Weinrib). In Mystery Trip, he was working inside the body of a man named "Uncle Carl". In Little Red, he was working inside the (Teenaged) Red Riding Hood.
In popular culture
Timer makes an appearance in the season 4 Family GuyFamily Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
episode "Petarded
Petarded
"Petarded" is the sixth episode of Fox's fourth season of Family Guy, which originally broadcast in the United States on June 19, 2005. It was written by Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild and directed by Seth Kearsley. The episode sees Peter taking the MacArthur Fellows Program to see if he is a...
," reprising the "cheese" segment. In the gag, Timer performs the song and dances around his apartment, when there is a knock on the door; Peter
Peter Griffin
Peter Griffin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the patriarch of the Griffin family. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998....
, clad in a bathrobe, expresses his annoyance at Timer's behavior and tells him that it is 3:30 a.m.; Timer replies cheerfully, "I just smoked a whole bunch of crack
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
!" Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
attempted to hire Weinrib to voice Timer for the gag, but MacFarlane — on the Family Guy Season 4 DVD commentary, said that Weinrib "... was a little old and he didn't remember doing it." Weinrib died about a year after the "Petarded" first aired.
Timer is parodied in The Venture Brothers episode "Handsome Ransom". Also, in the episode "Sausage Fest" of Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
, Timer filed an assault case against Chester Cheetah in a cat version of The People's Court
The People's Court
The People's Court is a US television court show in which small claims court cases are heard, though what is shown is actually a binding arbitration....
, stating "He hankered for a hunk of my ass!"
External links
- Saturday Morning Brain Food Extensive collection of Bod Squad and Time for Timer videos.
- Bio of Dr. Roslyn B. Alfin-Slater, UCLA nutrition professor and consultant to Time for Timer