Yesterday I got a rusty, old, busted up Flipper lunchbox! I’m going to use it for art supplies.

There are few trivial things from my childhood that I hold on to, but Flipper, of all things, is one of them. I love that show! A couple years ago the first season came out on DVD, and I got nostalgic about it, but there was something about the acoustics of my grandmother’s living room and the crappy mono speaker of her TV that can’t be matched.

I might have left Flipper as just a small part my past if it wasn’t for a couple years ago when I came upon a TV Guide article from June of 1965 featuring Ivan Tors, the producer of the show. I was at first surprised to see it allude to his interest in human consciousness and mention him experimenting with LSD. I’ve scanned this snippet from it. I later learned that he also worked alongside John C. Lilly, who pioneered much research in the realm human consciousness and invented the isolation tank which he used in conjunction with LSD to communicate with dolphins. (Fucking 60′s, huh?) Lilly is credited as “scientific adviser” on the 1963 Flipper movie, because of this incident.

So, sure the show is loaded with camp and cheese, but as an adult it’s just cool to know that it was born of deeper ideas of consciousness expansion and inter-species communication. It’s also nice to now watch Bud share an in-depth conversation with Flipper – effortlessly understanding his every squeak, whistle and splash – and not worry so much for his sanity.

As the TV Guide article continues… Francis the Talking Mule was a gimmick – mules can’t talk and never will. Flipper, an animal which responds to man, is a fact. Ivan can jack up a fact and slip 39 episodes of a series under it.