A bit of fun trivia: When Gilligan's Island was at the height of its popularity sometime in 1965, the show's creator Sherwood Schwartz was visited by a Commander Doyle of the United States Coast Guard. Apparently, the Commander received many (jokingly) telegrams from his officers, asking why a more concerted effort had not been made to locate and rescue Gilligan and his missing colleagues. This story was confirmed in a 1967 interview with the Sioux City Journal, manually transcribed by MeTV.

Gilligan's Island, as TV history buffs may know, was a huge success in its first two seasons, garnering as much attention from audiences as it did scorn from critics. Many felt that "Gilligan's Island" was too soft and frivolous, with no apparent edge. The series took place in a colorful cartoon world where there was no real world death or pain or threats. The seven stranded missing on Gilligan's Island have never faced starvation, lack of resources, or insanity. Everyone was pretty much in agreementand their clothes were always clean. The physical and moral purity of "Gilligan's Island" may have robbed it of any sense of real drama or danger, but it was the most compelling detail for viewers. The worst affliction faced by the missing is boredom, and if you're looking for more like it, we have many recommendations.

Schwartz also revealed in that interview that "Gilligan's Island" is of particular interest to children. He has received many fan messages from younger viewers saying they love the show. The parents didn't mind, because there was nothing completely inappropriate about the series; it was a bloodless, sexless play easily consumed by first graders. He did, however, reveal that he had received an angry letter from the father of a young Gilligan's Island fan who, much to the father's dismay, took a slight liking to the show. also a lot. Indeed, he complained that his daughter refused to respond to her name and preferred to be called Gilligan's Island instead.

The usual reaction to Schwartz from children and parents was light and gentle, and usually quite positive. He said:

“(The kids) have nothing special to say about the show, just that they love it. (...) However, parents write. They're glad their kids like it because they say there's no sex or violence. "

But the angriest letter was from the girl's father who wanted it to be called Gilligan's Island. No, she didn't want to be called Gilligan. Neither did Mary Ann, the captain, the professor, or Ginger. She wanted to call it Gilligan's Island. Surely, it is a sign. If that little girl was 9 years old in 1965, she would be 70 years old now. I wonder where he is and if he still loves Schwartz's show. Unfortunately, Schwartz does not know how that saga unfolded. However, if there is a person out there who legally changed their name to "Gilligan's Island", I would guess it's the same person.

Schwartz intentionally made the seven missing to keep them simple, knowing that it was easier to determine favorites among cartoon characters. It's also easier to write about larger-than-life people, and it's definitely easier for little kids to pick their favorites. As Schwartz said:

“Okay, my characters are broad, but I have six types whose social behavior patterns make them react to type no matter where they are. the glamorous girl, the intellectual and the country girl, of course, is the innocent one.'

Schwartz himself admitted that Gilligan's Island was not a work of genius; he even admitted in 1965 that Gilligan was certainly not "the biggest thing on the wheel". But he can definitely be proud of the huge success of the show. The studio once wanted to fire himbut now it's 2025, and we're still talking about his show. He must have done something right.