Topo
Gigio, a longtime TV hit in his native Italy, was
a mouse-puppet character first introduced to American
audiences in 1963 on The Ed Sullivan Show. Created
by puppeteer Maria Perego and manipulated by three
people (a fourth provided his high-pitched voice),
Topo was called the most popular mouse since Mickey.
His very first performance on the show inspired an
avalanche of viewer mail, and a merchandise line of
puppets, toys, keyrings, cookie jars and just about
anything else that could be cranked out sold like
mad.
Of course, Topo Gigio (topo means mouse in Italian,
while Gigio is the Italian nickname for Louis) was
but one of many acts Sullivan introduced to a large
American audience in his roles as newspaper columnist
and TV showman.
The Ed Sullivan Show, which began life as Toast of
the Town, enjoyed an incredible 23-year run on CBS,
debuting in June 1948 and leaving the air in June
1971.
By
the time it was over, the list of stars who crossed
the Sullivan stage, most of whom had never been on
network TV before, included Jackie Gleason, The Beatles,
Elvis Presley, Rudolf Nureyev, Humphrey Bogart, Maria
Callas, Richard Burton, Grace Kelly, Helen Hayes,
Phil Silvers, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Sammy Davis
Jr. and many, many more.
