When I was a kid I was a huge fan of Captain Kangaroo. Remember his TV show with its cast of characters? Dancing Bear, Mr. Bunny Rabbit, Mr. Green Jeans, among others. This was the end-all of TV shows for me.

For Halloween one year, my mom made Captain Kangaroo character costumes for my two brothers and me. I’m in the center of the photo, outfitted as Mr. Bunny Rabbit. That’s my oldest brother Scott on the right, dressed as the captain. And Steve is on the left, dressed as Dancing Bear. The costumes were so wonderful that we won a contest of some sort at a store called Hinky Dinky (I think).

Part of my costume included real carrots. Although I don’t remember this specifically, the story of me sleeping with the carrots remains family lore. Apparently, unbeknownst to me, my mother would change the carrots when they got too rubbery.