Yogi Bear
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| Yogi Bear | |
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Title card from a Yogi Bear cartoon. | |
| Created by | William Hanna and Joseph Barbera |
| Country of origin |  United States |
Yogi Bear is a fictional anthropomorphic bear who appears in animated cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera Studios.
History and origins of character
Yogi Bear made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in The Huckleberry Hound Show. He became popular, and in 1961 was given his own show, which also included the segments Snagglepuss and Yakky Doodle. Hokey Wolf replaced his segment onThe Huckleberry Hound Show. There was a musical animated feature film, Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!, in 1964. Over the years he appeared in many other spin-off series as well, including:
- Yogi's Gang (1973)
- Yogi's Space Race (1978)
- Galaxy Goof-Ups (1978)
- Yogi's Treasure Hunt (1985)
- The New Yogi Bear Show (1988)
- Wake, Rattle and Roll (1990)
- Yo Yogi! (1991)
In 1999, Canadian animator John Kricfalusi's Spumco company created and directed two Yogi cartoons, which were "A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith" and "Boo Boo Runs Wild". Both shorts aired that year on the Cartoon Network as part of a Yogi Bear special. "Boo Boo Runs Wild" features a fight between Yogi and Ranger Smith, which was heavily edited for broadcast for both violence and suggestive situations. A third Yogi cartoon from Spumco was planned and storyboarded, but was not finished. In 2003, Spumco created another Boo-Boo cartoon, "Boo-Boo and the Man", which was made with Macromedia Flash and released on Cartoon Network's website.
Personality
Like many Hanna-Barbera characters, Yogi's personality and mannerisms were based on a popular celebrity of the time. Art Carney's Ed Norton character on The Honeymooners was said to be Yogi's inspiration. Yogi's name is a nod to the famed baseball star Yogi Berra.
The plot of most of Yogi's cartoons centered around his antics in the fictional Jellystone Park, a takeoff on the famous Yellowstone National Park. There had been a 1941 Bugs Bunny cartoon, Wabbit Twouble, that used the more obvious name "Jellostone" Park, a play on both the name of the national park and the dessert Jell-O. Yogi, accompanied by his reluctant best friend Boo-Boo, would often try to steal picnic baskets from campers in the park, much to the chagrin of Park Ranger Smith. A girlfriend, Cindy Bear, turned up sometimes, and usually disapproved of Yogi's antics.
Stretching literary license significantly, the relationship of Yogi and Boo-Boo could be compared to that of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, in the context of the whimsical, adventurous leader and the practical sidekick. Hanna and Barbera would repeat this formula many times, notably in the later series Quick Draw McGraw.
Catchphrases
Besides often speaking in rhymes, Yogi Bear is well-known for a variety of different catchphrases, including his pet name for picnic baskets ("pic-a-nic baskets") and his favorite self-promotion ("I'm smarter than the average bear!"), although he often overestimates his own cleverness. He also liked to say, "Hey there, Booboo!" as his preferred greeting to his humbler sidekick.
Popular culture
- A Martian rock discovered in 1997 had the appearance of a little bear, and was named Yogi Rock after Yogi.
- A drinking song is called "The Yogi Bear Song."
- He has made cameos on animated television shows such as The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
- In the Family Guy episode "Hell Comes to Quahog", Peter Griffin stabs Yogi Bear.
- The Simpsons episode "When You Dish Upon a Star" begins with Homer's dream in which "Bart Bart" watches "Homie Bear" maul Ranger Ned.
- The Simpsons episode "Much Apu About Nothing" pays homage to Yogi Bear in a scene where Moe complains to Mayor Quimby, on a supposed bear outbreak, that "These bears are smarter than the av-er-age bear, they swiped my pic-a-nic basket!" (after which Mayor Quimby is seen to have taken said picnic basket).
- A music video made for a song called "Yogi Bear" airs on Boomerang. It is made of scenes from the Yogi Bear series and is credited as being performed by "High School Jim."
- Boog from Open Season was made to resemble Yogi.
Broadcasts
Yogi Bear is currently aired by Cartoon Network's sister channel, Boomerang, worldwide.
There was also a Hanna-Barbera Personal Favorites video where William Hanna and Joseph Barbera picked their favorite Yogi Bear episodes, including the very first one, "Yogi Bear's Big Break", and Yogi meeting some storybook friends: The Three Little Pigs, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Little Red Riding Hood.
Voice cast
The Classic Era:
- Daws Butler as Yogi Bear (1958-87)
- Don Messick as Boo-Boo Bear, and also Ranger John Francis Smith (using his natural voice) (1958-97)
- Julie Bennett as Cindy Bear (1960-1988)
The Modern Era:
- Greg Burson as Yogi Bear (1988-present)
- John Kricfalusi as Boo-Boo Bear (1999)
- Corey Burton as Ranger Smith (1999)
- Mary Ellen Thomas as Cindy Bear (1999)
Note: In two episodes of Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Yogi was voiced by Maurice LaMarche and Boo-Boo was voiced by Tom Kenny.
Comic books
Over the years, several publishers put out Yogi Bear comic books.
- Gold Key Comics was first, with a title that ran 33 issues from 1962-70.
- Charlton Comics then did a title for 35 issues from 1970-77.
- Marvel Comics did a title for 9 issues in 1977.
- Harvey Comics then did several titles for a total of 10 issues in 1992-94.
- Archie Comics regularly featured Yogi Bear stories in the anthology comics Hanna-Barbera All-Stars and Hanna-Barbera Presents. After the cancellation of both titles, Archie put out a separate Yogi Bear comic that only got one issue.
- DC Comics semi-regularly featured Yogi in Cartoon Network Presents.
DVD release
On November 15, 2005, Warner Home Video released the complete series on DVD R1.
| Cover Art | DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:The Yogi Bear Show CS.jpg | The Yogi Bear Show- The Complete Series | 35 | November 15 2005 |
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Video games
Yogi Bear featured in at least two video games on the Commodore 64: Yogi Bear and Yogi's Great Escape. In Yogi Bear, Boo Boo has been kidnapped by a hunter and it is up to Yogi to rescue his friend. Fortunately Boo Boo has left a trail of clues in the form of toffee apples which help the player decipher a stepping stone puzzle at the end of the game. This game features Yogi's odd ability to turn into a bush when he's being pursued by one of the game's many antagonists.
Yogi's Great Escape is based on the telefilm of the same name where Yogi Bear escapes Jellystone Park as he's going to be sent to the zoo and makes his way to New York City. This was also published on the Amiga.
Parks
Yogi Bear lends his name to a chain of recreational vehicle and camping parks, "Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts", with the first opening in 1969 in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and as of 2006, had over 70 locations in the United States and Canada. There is also one remaining restaurant from the chain bearing Yogi's name, "Yogi Bear's Honey Fried Chicken", in Hartsville, South Carolina. In both cases, Hanna-Barbera licensed the name and likenesses to the respective companies.
External links
- Yogi Bush
- The Yogi Bear Show at IMDb
- Template:Tv.com show
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- Yogi Bear at Toon Tracker
| Yogi Bear characters |
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| Yogi Bear television series |
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The Yogi Bear Show (1961-1963) • Yogi Bear & Friends (1967-1968) • Yogi's Gang (1973-1975) • Yogi's Space Race (1978-1979) • Yogi's Treasure Hunt (1985-1986) • The New Yogi Bear Show (1988-1989) • Yo Yogi! (1991-1992) • |
| Yogi Bear TV specials and movies |
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Yogi's Ark Lark (1972 TV movie) • Casper's First Christmas (1979) • Yogi's First Christmas (1980) • Yogi Bear's All Star Comedy Christmas Caper (1982) • Yogi's Great Escape (1985 TV movie) • Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose (1987 TV movie) • Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears (1988 TV movie) • Yogi the Easter Bear (1994) • |
| Yogi Bear films |
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Theatrical film: Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! (1964) |