The Story Lady (Ruth Prins) in Televenture Tales, first
educational show on KING TV, Seattle, ca. 1950. Courtesy UW Special Collections, Image no. UW28925z)
The life of Ruth Prins, who starred as Wunda Wunda, the iconic KING TV personality and eponymous children’s show (1952-1972,) is chronicled in a new file at Historylink.org, the online encyclopedia of Washington State history.
We did the file on Prins, although we gotta be honest: we weren’t fans back in the day. Wunda was girl’s stuff by our unruly lights; we preferred watching the 1954 House UnAmerican Activities Committee Seattle hearings, or Sheriff Tex, or Stan Boreson.
Blatherwatch made its first-ever correction, when, in 2006 we referred to Wunda's “suspicious death.” Embarrassingly, it turned out that she wasn’t dead, and there was nothing suspicious. (Killing off Wunda, is not a great PR move in this town - doing the HistoryLink piece was an attempt at penance).We had a blast researching this piece and interviewing Ms. Prins who lives with her daughter Debra in her longtime Magnolia home. Especially fun was rooting through boxes in KING TV founder Dorothy Bullit Collections at the UW and finding a note dripping with verbal irony (may we say sarcasm?) from Prins and the response from Dorothy when Wunda was cancelled in 1972. The exchange showed the relationship between two strong women and a less saccharin side of Prins that we, as cynical young boys always hoped was there.
Oh this is so cool!!! I LOVED her when I was little. I also loved the Story Lady show she did ( in your photo)....I wish I could have sat in when you went to visit her...
Posted by: sparky | April 26, 2010 at 05:50 PM
You can bash Bush.
You can bash Obama.
You can bash Joannie.
You can bash me.
But god help you if you bash Wunda Wunda.
This is true, even though at the time we all thought she was totally fruity. But as a little kid I always watched her at noon. Providing I was visiting my aunt who had a tv.
Wunda Wunda is my name. Oh boys and girls I'm glad you came. We'll have fun and we'll play games..........or something like that.
Posted by: Ryder | April 26, 2010 at 05:50 PM
Nice piece! One correction to the H/Link essay you may want to consider: D. Bullitt's Galer st. home was near St. Marks, where she lived until her death. The Stimson-Green mansion was on Minor and was the family CHILDHOOD home. They are two different homes.
Posted by: Eric D. | April 26, 2010 at 07:01 PM
Let us know if you have any information on the backstabbing and scandals that were going on behind the scenes at "Boomerang".
Posted by: spinninmarty | April 26, 2010 at 09:41 PM
I liked Wunda Wunda but I preferred Stan Boreson. I never missed Stan Boreson and Nomo. I was so in love with that dog.
Yeah, I watched Wunda Wunda too. The costume was intriguing and her stories were fun. I always thought she was a librarian who became a tv storyteller. Any truth to that?
I know, read it on HistoryLink. Ok.
Interesting to hear the names of the old Seattle families. I never associated Dorothy Bullett with the Stimson family and yet I'm sure I knew her maiden name. Such wealth. I can't even imagine such wealth.
Posted by: joanie | April 26, 2010 at 10:14 PM
I idolized Wunda Wunda. She was like Princess Diana to me; so beautiful, well-spoken and I felt she was talking directly to me. Any idea where the name "Wunda Wunda" came from?
I believe Stan Boreson is still alive also. About 20 years ago a bunch of Seattle friends were together on New Year's Eve and we looked Stan up in the phone book and called him! He was home and we told him we were thinking of him. He was very cordial under the circumstances.
Posted by: AprilMayJune | April 27, 2010 at 07:01 AM
'Any idea where the name "Wunda Wunda" came from?'
Excellent question AMJ; I too wondered 'bout that. Did you come across this in your research, Bla'M?
Posted by: Duffman | April 27, 2010 at 07:42 AM
Way cool.
I was a "guest" on her show in about 1964.
Good stuff, but JP and Boris. S. Wart was my favorite.
Posted by: Tod | April 27, 2010 at 01:58 PM
Terrific piece, Bla'M! Stan Boreson is still singing but he just don't look good naked anymore!
Posted by: Fremont | April 29, 2010 at 10:41 AM
I just wish that there was a "like" button that I could hit for Fremont's post.
Posted by: Chucks (joanie is still one of them) | April 29, 2010 at 12:10 PM
By the way AMJ, I attempted to research (thru the Seattle Public Library) the origin and/or meaning/origin of the name 'Wunda Wunda' and they came up with nothing. I, too was curious. [smile]
Posted by: Duffman | May 04, 2010 at 02:48 PM
"will he, won't he, will he, won't he staaand up?
And that crazy little wind up alarm clock that walked across the table!
This is all just at the edge of my first TV memories
Posted by: Guy quiett | August 07, 2010 at 08:39 PM
I've been trying to figure out for ages who the lady in the harlequin outfit and pointy hat with curly dark hair was in the cobwebs of my mind, who sang the will he won't he song. I think I was too young to ever know her name or the name of the show, but I watched it all the time!!!!
Posted by: cleo777 | March 07, 2011 at 01:21 PM
When my Sister started first grade in Stanwood '62 I was the only one left at home so Wunda Wunda became part of my daily routine. She kept me from feeling alone and she was a nice diversion from my Mom's litany of talk and game shows.
"Wunda Wunda is my name
Boys and girls I'm glad you came
we'll have fun as I explain
how to play the Wunda game."
Thank you for being an integral part of my upbringing Ruth,
you got me interested in learning the alphabet and made me eager to start school.More than anything I was attracted to your kindness and
mellow personality. You were a calming force to a young boy terrorized by a middle aged foster Mother going through menopause.
Thank you and take care, Joe D.
Posted by: Joe Dollinter | September 18, 2011 at 12:20 PM
Ruth Balkema Prins was my mother's best friend from childhood (both were born in 1920), and is still "family."
When I last saw her a year or three ago, she was still a delightful, witty, very UN-saccharin person, as is her daughter Debra, who is roughly my age and whom I also regret not seeing more often.
Not living in Seattle at the appropriate age, I rarely saw Wunda Wunda on TV, but whenever I did I thought it was great fun, especially seeing "the real Ruth" occasionally peek through.
Posted by: Alan Winston | April 22, 2012 at 06:11 PM