HOPPY, Gene, and Roy

Hoppy, Gene, and Roy were the one name heros for many of us. I don't think the boys cared about Dale and Annie, but the girls did. I had an official Dale Evans cowgirl outfit. And I had an Annie Oakley outfit given to me by the neighbors when their daughter, Cecila, outgrew it. For years it was too big for me so my mother always had to pin it. It was black with white plastic fringe. Dale's was a series of rust colors and yellow. I loved both of those outfits and would run all over my neighborhood in Maryland. I imagine I even wore them when I went up and down the sidewalk wearing my skates. A tiny blond cowgirl on skates, must have been a site to behold.

I give you one little boys portrait in his Hop-a-long Cassidy outfit. He was surely proud to be Hoppy for a day. Now it's just an old faded yellowed photograph. The glory days of Hoppy are gone.