Wonderama

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Wonderama was in need of a new host to succeed Sonny Fox who was leaving, so Bob went to New York to audition for the show and moved there in August 1967 once he got the gig. The shooting schedule consisted of 8-hour tape days, which was staged at WNEW Metromedia television studios at 205 East 67th Street in New York, just a few blocks away from the old Jim Henson shop. Most of the characters from Bob’s old WJZ show were also featured on the show, such as "Zip Code", "Thurmin", and "The Crazy Magician".

Bob's catchy and unforgettable songs, such as "Kids Are People Too", "Exercise", and "The Fingleheimer Stomp" became favorite parts of the show. The music was a perfect blend with such games as "Snake Cans", "Tongue Twisters", and "Guess Your Best". It's no surprise that Wonderama became New York city's most popular TV kidshow. For most of his run, Bob owned the Sunday morning airways, attracting half the Sunday morning audience, according to Nielsen ratings.

Two of Bob's favorite episodes of Wonderama was when legendary boxers Muhammad Ali and his nemesis Joe Frazier came on and shot a game of marbles right before their big fight (pictured above). The second was when one of Bob's idols, Jim Henson, came on and performed with a new muppet (pictured below). 

For ten years, Bob enthusiastically entertained the Wonderama studio audience and home viewers in-between all the cartoon reruns. Unfortunately, the show's final episode was broadcast on December 25, 1977. Metromedia attributed the cancellation to a ratings decline that had left the show with a meager 36-percent of the audience. Bob left the show due to creative differences with station management.