JOT

Synopsis

JOT was an American animated children's television program. The series consisted of 30 four-minute episodes, which were syndicated between 1965 and the 1980s. JOT was produced by the Southern Baptist Radio and Television Commission as a Baptist version of Davey and Goliath. The series was created by Ruth Byers, a graduate of Baylor University, and Ted Perry a writer at the RATC. Both had a background connected to the Dallas Theater Center, with Byers having been director of children's productions. The pair was commissioned by Dr. Paul Stevens, president of the RATC, to develop a television show that would provide simple moral lessons for young children. Production of the first episodes began in 1959, with the first episode released in 1965. The style of the show was kept deliberately simple, both as a cost-cutting measure, and to prevent the design from interfering with the delivery of the message. The main character, JOT, is a white circle with simple facial features, hands and feet. JOT's color and shape would change in response to the struggles presented. This was meant to represent changes in a child's temperament or emotional state, "somewhat like a thermostat," according to one critic. His hands and feet are only seen when he is still; when he is in motion, they disappear. Jot would sometimes be accompanied by Tug, a "bad" character who would learn a moral lesson in the end.