If you’re really old you probably remember Checkers and Pogo.

They had a kids show on Channel 9 for years.

Practically everybody who worked at KGMB radio and TV took part in the show in one way or another.

Frankly, I don’t remember what I did.

Something to do with a dog costume and a lot of around jumping around I think.

But what I did is not what this is about.

Checkers and Pogo made a bunch of public appearances and were in just about every parade.

You had to be living here to really understand what a big thing their TV show was at the time.

They drove around in a Ford convertible that was painted in black and white checkers.

Maybe the most famous car in Honolulu.

Checkers drove it all the time and kids flocked whenever they saw it coming down the street.

One day KGMB decided to buy them a new car.

The old one was in perfect condition and well cared for – but it was time.

They got the new car and a sign went up on a bulletin board in the station.

Old C&P car for sale.
Make an offer.

So I did.
I now owned the Checkers and Pogo car.

I drove it home and people in cars and along the sidewalks were waving and yelling and I wanted to hide.

Good grief, I’d never be able to go to the hoochi-koochi bars with the whole town seeing me coming and going and thinking it was Checkers out ruining his reputation.

I didn’t have one but he did and I wasn’t going to ruin it with my hanky-panky.

So that weekend I bought 10 gallons of paint remover and poured it over everything and scraped off the checkers.

Then three coats of grey primer went on and I was incognito again.

Looking back on it – I’m surprised the skies didn’t open up and a bolt of lightning fried my butt.

It was blasphemy.

The thing belonged in Bishop Museum or some place like that.

It was like smearing paint over the Mona Lisa.

At the time I didn’t think anything about it.

It was a great car.
Ran perfectly and looked like it just came off the showroom.

Except for the grey paint.

I had great times in that car.

Many of which I would be horrified to talk about today.

I eventually traded it in when I bought a new car.
The sales guy didn’t believe me when I told him who owned it before.

The whole thing reminds me of a certain Seinfeld episode – if you’re old enough to remember that one.