Just to chime in with another piece of obscure how-times-have-changed type trivia, remember children's favourite Muffin the Mule in the late forties? (Not that I was there, I hasten to add). One of Muffin's lesser known puppet companions was a friendly minstrel known as Wally the Gog. Quite unthinkable now.
Here's the only image I could find, apologies that it's small: