Time for Beany debuted in a Los Angeles area TV station but proved so popular that the show went national after its first season. The main character was a puppet, a happy, smiling boy named Beany, named after the beanie hat he always wore. Beany had a best friend, a sea serpent named Cecil, who was brave but not too smart and suffered from constant bouts of seasickness.

Other puppets included Beany's uncle, Captain Horation Huffenpuff (or Uncle Captain to Beany), Dishonest John, a villain clad in a villain cap and sporting a villain mustache, Marilyn Mongrel, Lone Shark and Tearalong the Dotted Lion. Many of the supporting characters were spoofs of celebrities and famous figures; even President Harry Truman appeared on the show in puppet form.

The show was created by Bob Clampett, a veteran of Bugs Bunny shorts who infused Time for Beany with wry humor and clever puns that appealed to both adults and children. It was rumored that Albert Einstein was a big fan of Beany and you won't find a better endorsement than that.

Time for Beany aired in 15 minute segments from 1950 to 1955, recounting the adventures of the boy and his serpent as they traveled the seas in the Leakin' Lena, under the dubious command of Uncle Captain. It wasn't long after the show's cancellation that Beany and Cecil return to television in their own animated series in 1962.