Thank you all very much, you have made my day(s)! And of course it wasn't only the 1950s that spawned novelty songs, they were being sung before and after too. But in my memory it's the the 1950s songs that I remember, probably because I was young at the time and they appeal to children as well as adults. I used to sing some of them to my sons - 'Beep Beep (the little Nash Rambler), 'Purple People Eater" were two they liked, also Allan Sherman's 'Hello muddah hello faddah'.

Only yesterday morning the local radio played another song I remember as a kid - Danny Kaye's "Tubby the Tuba' - novelty classical music!

Cheers
JennieG