Billy Bean built a machine to see what it could do.
He made it out of sticks and stones, and nuts and bolts and glue.
The motor sang Chuffaty Bang, Rattata Rattatarator,
And all of a sudden a picture appeared on the funny old cartoonerator
Billy Bean built a machine to see what it would do,
It did the funniest things he'd seen,
So he called it his funny machine, machine,
Billy Bean and his funny machine.

Billy Bean first aired in July 1953. If Billy wanted the machine to make something he would draw it on the screen. The machine then drew pictures to indicate what raw materials were required. When these were placed in the mixerator, levers pulled and buttons pressed the machine got to work with suitable mechanical sound effects.

Needless to say there were 'bugs' and the possibility of misunderstanding the graphical communication gave rise to considerable amusement. Some of the things the machine made were very surprising.

Yoo-Hoo, the stupid cuckoo bird, laid an egg at intervals, never more than one per programme, which rolled down a series of zig-zag channels on the machine.