If I say “Yogi Bear” to you, you’ll likely think of pic-a-nic baskets and “The ranger won’t like it, Yogi.” But that isn’t how Yogi started out.
Warren Foster came to Hanna-Barbera in 1959 to take over writing The Huckleberry Hound Show in its second season. Because all the players are dead, we don’t how it specifically happened, but there seems to have been a conscious decision to calcify the Foster stories into the bear-vs-ranger template.
Yet it was different in the first season. By various accounts, Joe Barbera himself came up with the storylines, fleshed out by writer Charlie Shows, with Barbera’s old Van Beuren studio buddy Dan Gordon sketching out the story (though Shows could draw). Their versions of Yogi were a little different. Frankly, I find them appealing. TV audiences must have too, as the following year, Yogi found his way into the closing animation on the Huck show, and a costumed Yogi joined a costumed Huck on personal appearances. And there were Yogi clubs in addition to Huck clubs.
What kinds of Yogi did they come up with?
1. The Helpful Bear.
In a number of cartoons, Yogi altruistically aided less fortunate creatures. He saved a little fox from a hunter and clever dog Yowp in Foxy Hound-Dog and a duckling from the same pair in Duck in Luck.
He reluctantly gave a home to the same duck in Slumber Party Smarty and tried to teach a little eaglet to fly in High Fly Guy. .
Yogi assisted larger animals in distress, like the escaped circus elephant in Hide and Go Peek.
He rescued children as well, such as Li’l Tom-Tom in The Brave Little Brave and a toddling boy in Daffy Daddy.
Boo Boo is absent in all of these, which makes for a cleaner plot.
2. The Hungry Bear.
This is one aspect Foster carried over. The very first Yogi cartoon put into production deals with the subject as he tries to get past a guarding dog in Pie-Pirates and a bull to taste some honey in Big Bad Bully. Closer to his behaviour with Ranger Smith, he feigns illness to get food from the home of a Professor Gizmo (of Ruff and Reddy) lookalike in Tally Ho Ho Ho.
3. The Spot Gag Bear.
In a couple of cute cartoons, Yogi loses against an adversary in spot gag cartoons. One involves a wily fish in The Stout Trout and the other is against semi-humanised cars in Baffled Bear. Both have humorous narration by Don Messick, but no Boo Boo. I really wish more of these kinds of cartoons had been made.
4. The Disobedient Bear.
Foster’s Yogi found convenient ways to get around Ranger Smith’s rules. Various generic rangers appeared in the first season as Yogi did what he felt like and suffered the consequences. He stole a motorised scooter in Scooter Looter and a helicopter in The Buzzin’ Bear. In both, generic rangers try to stop Yogi before he causes much more damage. He tries to get past a ranger and escape from Jellystone in Yogi Bear’s Big Break, where he learned things weren’t great on the outside.
At least one cartoon goes in the direction Foster would head. In Robin Hood Yogi, our hero endeavours to steal “goodies,” including a picnic basket. This cartoon has two rangers, one of whom Yogi cons into pretending to be Friar Tuck.
There were other Yogi cartoons in that first season, but this gives you an idea of the variety of plots. I think this made him a stronger character, but the studio disagreed, and Yogi went on to become one of the A-listers at Hanna-Barbera, even eclipsing poor old, Tex Avery-inspired, Huckleberry Hound.
Some time ago, reader Richard Holliss graciously offered to send scans of the Yogi Bear and Flintstones weekend newspaper comics he had collected over the years. There are a number I don’t believe I’ve shared with you, so I’m going to do that now.
First up, we have three tabloid Yogis from January 3, 1971, March 7, 1971 and April 27, 1969. The first comic reflects the ’70s environmental movement, the second has a guest shot from Quick Draw McGraw (and a cringing pun) and the third shows Yogi is smarter than the average bear. A couple of silhouette drawings add some stylishness. Bill Hanna’s name is borrowed in two of the comics and Ranger Smith looks less and less like he did in the TV cartoons (note the huge overbite).
I’ll put the date below each of the Flintstones comics. It strikes me as rare that Fred doesn’t appear in some of them. One centres around Wilma and Betty, another around Dino. Oh, and that horrible hippie-type long hair!
We don’t generally see too many other bears in Jellystone Park. Boo Boo, yes. Maybe the occasional rival for Yogi. (My favourite is the hammy bears at the start of the animated “Be My Guest Pest” in the first season of the Huck show). But we get a couple of comics with bear extras in the month of July 1970.
I’m really believin’ Yogi gets even. Okay, Yogi doesn’t have one of those hokey rhymes in the July 5th comic, but Yogi gets his revenge on a practical joker. Cigars? Firecrackers? Great things to have in a national park, Chuck.
Yogi’s French is très magnifique in the July 12th comic, which has a nice punch-line. His French is better than when he caused an international incident of “fillet mignonnies” in “A Bear Pair,” Warren Foster’s light satire on diplomacy. Incidental character bears are chowing down on unidentified berries in this comic.
“Refrig”?! Who says “refrig”? Yogi does in the July 19th comic. Anyway, the Baydos only have themselves to blame for Yogi snipping out parts of the carpet. If they had told him where the diapers were, it wouldn’t have happened. I like the silhouette panel with the fox trotting along on all fours.
More bears chowing down on berries in the July 26th comic. Except Yogi, naturally, which is the punchline here. Excellent perspective on the final panel.
Yogi Bear’s world is filled with good intentions but things don’t quite work out for him in the newspaper comics this month 49 years ago. He tries to help Ranger Smith wake up, he comes up with an idea to save a wedding and he finally protects other animals in Jellystone Park from a jerk.
You can click on the comics to enlarge them.
June 7, 1970. An owl is perched on the ‘Yogi’ sign in the opening panel and there are two silhouette panels. This is Mr. Ranger’s only appearance this month.
June 14, 1970. Me see-um stereotypes from reservation at Jellystone. Lonesome Coyote’s plan does have a certain type of logic to it.
June 21, 1970. Yogi is back to talking in rhyme. His attempt to be helpful isn’t appreciated. Hey, he did better than any of the humans did; why dump on him?
June 28, 1970. Talking squirrel last week, talking bird this week. Anyone hear Allan Melvin as the biker? A lot of detail in the long panel in the second row. I admire how the artist can draw cartoon-style animals and a realistic-looking motorcycle.
Some nicely drawn expressions and some well-composed final panels highlight the Yogi Bear comics that appeared in Sunday papers this month in 1970.
Gene Hazelton’s designs are getting more stylised, just as they did in the Sunday Flintstones comics. Other than Yogi and Ranger Smith, everyone has big eyes. The spelling leaves a bit to be desired in the May 3rd comic. “Sandwhich”? The hat on butt is a nice touch in the final panel as Mrs. Chester beats the pic-a-nic out of him.
May 10th: Look! It’s spelling bees! (I wonder if that was intentional). A squirrel is being fed by Art in the opening panel.
The bear in the opening panel on May 17th is almost coy enough to be a Chuck Jones character. Yogi comes to his senses at the end. Women? Bah! Stick with cartoons and food. It would have been cool if he’d been watching a Hanna-Barbera cartoon. This is Boo Boo’s first appearance for the month.
How many kids does Ranger Smith have? The one in the May 24th comic looks different than the one earlier this month. Lots of detail in the final panel and in the first one on the second row. How can you give a bear a traffic ticket? One-Warning Watson is played by Hal Smith (just kidding).
More squirrels in the May 31st comic, note how one is looking in the game warden’s bag in the second row. I love the splashing fish; they’re reminiscent of the trout Yogi battled in Stout Trout (1958) which, quite possibly, were Dan Gordon designs. Boo Boo makes a return appearance and there’s a silhouette panel.
In case you didn’t notice, Yogi doesn’t rhyme once this month.
Yogi Bear provides a great example of the power of press kits.
Movie studios sent (at least they did at one time) news releases, publicity photos and other paraphernalia to help get free newspaper ink for their latest feature. 1964’s Hey There, It’s Yogi Bear was no exception. A peek through number of archives shows an unbylined “story” about the cartoon film soon to arrive on screens. Paragraphs are identical, showing some papers simply took the Columbia handout and put it in type, while others did a bit of a re-write, perhaps to fit space.
This version was found in the Messenger-Inquirer of Owensboro, Kentucky on July 19, 1964.
'Hey There, It's Yogi Bear'
Is Cartoon Character's 1st Movie
Yogi Bear, that brashly unconventional cartoon character who is the delight of vistors to Jellystone National Park—when, that is, he isn't stealing baskets—makes his motion picture debut on Thursday at the Malco Theatre in the Hanna-Barbera production, "Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!" A Columbia Pictures release in color, the full-length cartoon feature also stars Yogi's Jellystone Park friends— Cindy, the demure little lady bear; Boo Boo and Ranger Smith.
Supplementing the comic romantic antics of television's favorite cartoon hero in his first full-length picture are six sparkling new songs written by Ray Gilbert and Doug Goodwin. They are the title song, "Ven-e, Ven-o Ven-a," "Like I Like You," "Wet Your Whistle," "St. Louie" and "Ash Can Parade." The music score is by Marty Paich.
Yogi's troubles begin with the advent of spring, when he decides to challenge Ranger Smith's "No Feeding the Bears" signs. Either the signs must go, or Yogi will go. Ranger Smith arranges to send him to the San Diego Zoo.
At the final hour, Yogi changes places with another bear and determines to remain incognito in Jellystone National Park. He will be "The Brown Phantom," raiding picnic areas forever, to the continuing consternation of Ranger Smith. Unfortunately, Cindy Bear doesn't know about Yogi's plans; she arranges to follow him out of the park. Lovesick, Yogi must now find Cindy; his sidekick Boo Boo helps. Ultimately, they do catch up to the lady bear, now with the Chizzling Brothers circus. Yogi's efforts to rescue her lead to his own capture.
"Hey There, It's Yogi Bear" reportedly gives Yogi the kind of role he likes. As he puts it, "It's a great part, with lots of heart. I play myself—brave, darling and smart!"
Joseph Barbera, Warren Foster and William Hanna penned screenplay for "Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!" Hanna and Barbera directed and produced the cartoon comedy.
Daws Butler is the voice of Yogi Bear and Don Messick co-stars as the voices of Boo Boo and Ranger Smith.
Naturally, there were all kinds of tie-ins. Perhaps the nicest one was a 45 that Kellogg’s sent fans. Want to hear it? You can thank our friend Mark Christiansen, a fine artist and a fan of the old Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
In case you havent read it, Greg Ehrbar went into great detail about the Hey There soundtrack in this post on Cartoon Research some time ago.
Now you just knew that we’d have other old Yogi merchandise to show you. None of this is related to the movie, but comes from around the time Yogi got his own series.
Whitman made a punch-out book of the Huckleberry Hound show characters (Yowp included, I hasten to add). They did one for the Yogi Bear show, too. Hokey Wolf got included because, well, they had to put him somewhere. You can see the pre-“Hey There” design of Cindy was used.
During the ‘60s Transogram had a number of Yogi Bear toys and games it licensed from Hanna-Barbera. There was a ball toss, a ring toss, a Go Fly a Kite board game, and this Pencil-by-Number set.
There was a Yogi bubble pipe from Transogram in 1963.
Hey There, It’s Yogi Bear wasn’t a huge success when it came out in 1964 or in its re-release in 1986. But it seems to have attracted more than kids, according to this story in Variety, September 2, 1964:
Color Them Adult
Californians are different.
This became apparent to members of Columbia's home-office publicity people when they recently reviewed the entries submitted in a nation-wide cartoon coloring contest held in connection with "Hey There, It's Yogi Bear."
Approximately 5,000 entries were received and most, understandably, were from tots. However, among those sent in from California were more than a handful from people who, one might assume, should have other things on their minds. The winning entry was submitted by a gent of 77. Other contestants included a housewife, age 44; a man of 29, and another guy, age 19.
Latter included a statement on the back of his entry attesting to the fact that "I drew this picture myself."
This shows you that Hanna-Barbera cartoons (at least the early ones) are for everyone.
