Kitirik, 1960s

When KTRK-TV in Houston, Texas signed onto the airwaves on November 20, 1954, they were assigned Channel 13 by the Federal Communications Commission. Like other stations who were assigned the "unlucky 13" they chose a black cat as their mascot. In a viewer contest, the station chose the name Kitirik, a play on the station's call letters, for the station's mascot.

In 1958, a young woman named Bunny Orsak applied for a job at Channel 13 and station executives saw potential in her as the host for a new Children's Morning Television Series featuring their mascot. Orsak portrayed Kitirik from 1958 to 1974, entertaining many Houston children both at the Channel 13 studios and those watching at home with puppets, songs, stories, and guests.