The listing in the book I was using just said JASPER, and referred to a series of shorts directed by George Pal in the forties, so I decided to watch a handy sampling of them, specifically JASPER IN A JAM, JASPER IN THE HAUNTED HOUSE and OLIO FOR JASPER. These puppetoons are not likely to show up on TV these days, what with the broadly played black characters therein being quite stereotypical. Still, there is a real surreal charm to these things; they're certainly more like cartoons than full-length movies, and the jazzy music is a real treat. It's worth a look for anyone interested in the early years of George Pal.
