What's on Gumby's Skateboard?

In different episodes of Gumby, his skateboard says CLAY POWER on top of it with a picture of himself.

I think it's an interesting question to dig a little deeper into the meaning of the power of clay, and what Gumby represents.
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Clay has its roots in bringing things to life, from Biblical sources to stories of the golem. Art Clokey would animate clay objects and bring them to life. In the beginning of the film Gumby Dharma, Art Clokey says, "In the Shakespearean plays, all the characters are Shakespeare. Like we are all a god, they’re all me. All of it is in me. All of these characters. Don’t know how it happened, but that’s life."

Gumby himself has some spiritual associations. Clokey discovered the works of Alan Watts and starting seeking Eastern religions. He brought the Gumby figure to Sathya Sai Baba, a famous guru from India. Clokey explained:

"I stood there with Gumby and he did this circular motion with his arms... Out of nowhere he materialized this sacred ash. He plopped it right on top of Gumby. When we came home again, things started to happen." Afterward, sales from Gumby toys started going up. 

Would you expect a cartoon skateboard to carry serious meaning? It gets more interesting when you you see how Clokey used Gumby as a vehicle to spread love. Clokey was given a drug that caused him to go on a shamanic journey, and his trip was so marvelous he wanted to share it on TV. The episode was called "Moon Trip." I think Clokey’s role with using Gumby to inspire love is similar to a spiritual healer.

Clokey says, "When people watch Gumby, they get a blissful feeling. Gumby loves you. We love you. That's about all I can say."

I think Clay Power is like saying Flesh Power: no matter what color you are, we all have that life force inside us that connects us all together.

To me, “Clay Power” is a symbol for the spark of the divine within us!

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