Little over a year ago, we offered a post called “Yogi Bear
Goes to Disneyland”. You can see it
HERE.
Of course, he didn’t REALLY go. It was just “Blog Post Title Hyperbole”,
designed to draw some additional hits.
But, imagine my surprise when I came across THIS AD! 
Click to enlarge all images!
Not only did Yogi Bear ACTUALLY GO to Disneyland (if one can
believe a semi-cheesy comic book print ad – and who among us would dare not?)
but he brought Huckleberry Hound, Top Cat, and an unnamed happy blonde boy who
is clearly wearing KEDS (Sound Alert in Link) along with him!
But, wait… What's that curious object in Yogi’s grasp? It’s not the expected Pic-a-nic basket! No… It’s YOGI BEAR WHITE PASTE!
Take a moment to un-slack your collective jaws, or reign-in your “Tex Avery Wild Takes”…
Okay? Ready? I said YOGI BEAR WHITE PASTE!
Can’t ya just hear him now:
“There’s no need for WASTE, when you use my WHITE PASTE! Hey-hey, hey!”
And, always the conscience of the group, Boo-Boo would likely add: “…As long as you don’t TASTE!”
 |
| Now, find some rhymes for "Baste" and "Haste"! |
But, here’s the really WEIRD PART… There’s a contest, promoted by these Hanna-Barbera characters, and the First Prize is… (wait for it) a TRIP TO DISNEYLAND!
Yes, really! I suppose it’ll probably turn out better than that time Yogi and Boo-Boo won a TRIP TO PARIS! At least at “The Happiest Place on Earth”, the worst Yogi could do is “cheese-off” Mickey!
This makes far less sense than the LAST TIME we spotlighted a "Trip to Disneyland" contest at TIAH Blog. But, I hope Yogi, Huck, TC, and the unidentified Keds Kid all had a great time!
And, from the “Recollections and Oddities Department”:
I actually had YOGI BEAR WHITE PASTE as a single-digit-ager! Though, I got the TOP CAT container. Probably because there were fewer items of Top Cat merchandise, particularly by 1965.
Um, What’s Huck got in the BAG?
In an ad for YOGI BEAR WHITE PASTE, you’d think that, if he were carrying the PRODUCT, it would be SHOWN!
It can’t be his LUNCH! The Disney concessionaires would never allow THAT! Maybe this time he’s a revolutionary intending to plant some explosives at “Wally (not Gator) World”! “VIVA Hanna-Barbera!” Why not? He’s been just about everything else!
 |
| Includin' a ly-ron tamer, folks! |
…And what’s with the HAT and STRIPED SHIRT? Yogi and Top Cat trotted-out their normal dress for the occasion. Did “his darling clementine” pick out his clothes for him?
This ad appeared in neither a Disney nor a Hanna-Barbera comic book, but in Harvey Comics’ MUTT AND JEFF NEW JOKES (November, 1965)!
Finally, take a good loooong look, because you’re probably never going to see the name of DISNEYLAND, with a COPYRIGHT attributed to “Hanna-Barbera Prod. Inc.” EVER AGAIN!
|
| Hey, hey hey... who could have PASTED that copyright on there? |
27 comments:
Rumor has it Yogi ate the entire contents of several Disneyland restaurants—and is still working nights at the rival park to pay back damages!
Yogi still contends he was framed, but...
RANGER WOODLORE: "Tut-tut-tut! How dare you blame poor, pathetic Humphrey, Yogi? He can't even talk as well as you can!"
YOGI: ">Sigh!< Goodness gracious... just call me loquacious!"
HUMPHREY (a la Scooby): >Hee-HEE-hee-hee-hee!<
Hey, Joe!
I, too, have come across this ad in some of the vintage comics I have collected in recent years. I agree totally with your take on it--bizarre, to say the least!
And this was back in an era when cartoon characters from different stables NEVER mixed! Of course, there are no actual Disney characters in this ad--unless the kid in the background is moonlighting--but to juxtapose the Disney name in any way with anything non-Disney was simply not DONE!
I caught on very young that while Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck could share an adventure or a gag, Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny would never appear together--which made it a shocker to me years later when in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" they actually DID share a scene! In fact, from that point on, several cartoon characters have mixed it up with very diverse other characters--the "Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue" comes to mind.
But that was in more recent times. Back in the old days, there were certain lines that never crossed--and anything Disney would not be connected to Hanna-Barbera. The closest they came was when the Flintstones paid tribute to Mary Poppins in a record album that still mainly concentrated on a Fred and Barney plot.
Cartoon characters often crossed over within their own universes--Woody Woodpecker had his whole gang represented in "Spook-a-Nanny" and the Huckleberry Hound interstitials contained interactions among Huck, Yogi, Pixie, Dixie, and Jinks. On "The Bugs Bunny Show" the Looney Tunes characters interacted with each other outside of their respective cartoons. But such a blatant cross-pollination of Disney with H-B--unheard of for its time!
I guess I never really thought much about this ad before, mainly because of its sheer improbability.
Thanks for the fascinating, detailed look at a true anomaly for its time.
Aw, David… You’re juxtaposing JACK HANNAH with BILL HANNA again!
But, YEAH… Come to think of it, JACK did the “Bear and Ranger” thing first, didn’t he?
Scarecrow:
It was exactly that “sheer improbability” you cite, that makes this so unusual and worthy of attention!
That and the fact that you’d NEVER see something like this in later years! Particularly, that copyright attribution in this age where lawyers seemingly outnumber creative types!
And, outside of the memorable comic book “Magilla Gorilla vs. Yogi Bear for President” (1964), how often did you ever see Top Cat alongside Huck and Yogi?
It's all starting to add up...
*Paper bag full of glue
*Raver outfit
*Omnipresent bags under the eyes
*Slow, halting speech
*Different occupation in every cartoon (can't hold a job)
"Jes' call me HUFFERberry Hound, folks!"
There were a few occasions--Top Cat appeared on the cover of a Yogi Bear album titled "How to be a Better-than-the-Average-Child-Without-Really-Trying" because the Top Cat theme was an added special feature. And of course, Top Cat joined Yogi, Huck, and many other H-B characters including the Flintstones at the NY World's Fair.
Later, T.C. and the gang joined Yogi and Huck for "Yogi's Ark Lark" and subsequently Top Cat was the Cluemaster for every episode of "Yogi's Treasure Hunt." There also was a Marvel oversized comic book album "The Flintstones' Christmas Party" which united the major H-B stars, including Top Cat, Yogi Bear, etc.
So, while still a relatively uncommon occurrence, T.C. did join his H-B cohorts from time to time.
And to answer your query to Scarecrow-TC co-starred with Yogi and Huck in Yogi's Ark Lark, the pilot for the Yogi's Gang series.
“Yogi’s Ark Lark” and “Yogi’s Treasure Hunt”?!
Oh, dear… Oh, my… as Hardy-Har-Har would say.
You guys have entered territory into which I fear to tread. It’s kinda like Tex Avery’s “Technicolor Ends Here” gag, only with humor and quality. It’s not part of MY canon, though it should be SHOT FROM a cannon.
Awesome observation on Huck, TCJ! I guess that explains that last unproduced Huck cartoon from 1962 – “Rehab Hound”!
Oh, and while I’m commenting, isn’t it funny that, even in this “semi-cheesy comic book print ad”, the H-B characters are drawn (at least SOMEWHAT) better than they were in those wretched Charlton Comics!
The possibilities are endless as to which H-B characters would mingle with which Disney characters. Can you imagine Top Cat trying to con money from Uncle Scrooge?
The appearance of the paste containers is neat. If I were you are age at that time, I would have gone for the Top Cat paste as well. I hope you didn’t eat it. I could hear Daws Butler as Yogi when reading “There’s no need for WASTE, when you use my WHITE PASTE! Hey-hey, hey!”
Huck’s hat looks odd, the style resembles that of Goofy’s. Maybe Huck is dressed to impress him. Another explanation of Huck’s clothing is, that he is in disguise as an T.S.and S.L.T.T agent.
I hope the Keks kid, T.C, Yogi, and Huck had an enjoyable time too. The rarity of these three characters paired, makes it all more enjoyable. Thanks for sharing!
Adel:
I could see Top Cat setting Scrooge and Glomgold against each other, or goading Donald into some scam against his uncle. Better than that, imagine the meeting of TC and Gladstone!
Eat PASTE? Not with all those delicious SUGAR CEREALS that were around in the sixties – many of which proudly BOASTED their sugar content as part of their names! Mmmmm! Hyperactivity!
Good question. It is just a long-time joke, or did anyone ever ACTUALLY EAT PASTE? …Ralph Wiggum aside, of course.
Hopefully, there isn’t really an addictive secret in Huck’s “magic (paper) bag”, and that it IS one of those other reasons. But it SURE is an odd image – from the extra clothing, to the suspicious paper sack! But that’s just another part of what makes this ad truly stand out as Blog Fodder!
…Blog Fodder, I need a favor.
The term blog fodder is a neat creation!
You have stumbled on what could have been an interesting crossover. Maybe the Hillbilly Bears could have joined the Country Bear. I don’t think Don would have welcomed Yogi, based on his anti- bear stance in “BEARLY ASLEEP”. It could have been triggered bu his experience in “CHRISTMAS ON BEAR MOUNTAIN”.
The clothes Huck is wearing and the paper sack makes it more intriguing. I don’t expect a pic-a-nic basket is in there.
Nobody but Huckleberry would understand the term sticktoitiveness better than him! Especially now that he has his own paste.
When I saw the paste containers immediately I thought of Ralph Wiggum eating it. I am not sure how it was inspired, could it have been from one of the writer’s childhood?
I am guessing if eating paste was an action that children did, maybe one suggestion the ad could have stuck on is - FUN TO EAT WITH.
The H-B copyright next to the Disneyland copyright alone makes the ad more interesting.
As far as Top Cat goes, as long as he was voiced by Arnold Stang, he fits my criteria for authentic. Same with Daws Butler as Yogi. I'm pretty accepting of the late H-B output of their classic characters--not the same as their original appearances, granted, but those older cartoons are still available for viewing whenever desired, and the newer ones--well, at least they kept the characters in front of audiences into the 70's, 80's, and even early 90's.
I agree about the Charlton comics. Some day I would like to see an article specifically dealing with the H-B Charltons. I have so many questions about them. Why were they so bad? Why were the characters drawn so poorly? Why did they say and do things that were way out of character? One of the Yogi Bear comics depicts Yogi actually beating up on his little buddy, Boo Boo. And in the Flintstones, Fred constantly refers to Barney as "runt" or Gazoo as "Needlenose"--and a story where Fred accidentally kisses Creepella, and triggers Wilma's jealousy? Give me a break! And Elroy's little friend Sum Toi just did not belong in the Jetsons universe!
Yet for some reason I still bring them out and read them occasionally. They do not improve through multiple re-readings. Sometimes I just do it for the contrast, and follow it up with a Gold Key issue--whatever flaws the Gold Key stories may have had, they had nothing on the Charlton ones for sheer out-of-character-ness.
Yet someone at Charlton must have loved the H-B characters--or hated them. There was a seemingly endless stream of them throughout most of the 70's--until Marvel brought out their much improved versions.
Adel:
It’s the SHEER NUMBER of odd elements in this single illustration, as well as the H-B / Disneyland combination - let alone the unusual (for today, at least) product being marketed, that really make this the oddity that it is! I mean, you’d actually HAVE TO TRY (maybe even TRY HARD) to make this more bizarre than it is.
Having HAD that particular brand of paste – and other brands of white paste, in general – I can safely say that both the SMELL of it and its “chunky, white consistency” would certainly have prohibited me from even attempting to EAT it! Of course, I can only speak for myself!
Funny thing is, as my grade school years rolled-on, RUBBER CEMENT came to replace white paste for whatever functions that may have required us to affix one scrap of brightly colored paper to another. It was smoother, flatter, and less “mushy”. And its adhesion lasted longer than a day or two!
Though, we might have been more inclined to “consume” it, though through the NOSE, rather than the mouth. …Hey, it was the SIXTIES, man! Groovy!
Scarecrow:
It’s exactly that sort of “personal canon” that makes fandom interesting!
Some folks limit their Disney Ducks to just Carl Barks – or Carl Barks and Don Rosa – while others take the entirety of the Duck Cosmos, or any subset therein. Same with Gottfredson, Murry, etc.
To me, “true” Hanna-Barbera pretty much ended with the sixties, with a few exceptions made for Scooby-Doo, and Dyno-Mutt. And much later, Dexter’s Lab and Johnny Bravo! I certainly get that the original voices form the thread of continuity for you. While, for me, every “sequel series” (after a certain point) only made things worse.
Though I DID just order “The Good The Bad, and the Huckleberry Hound” from Warner Archives. Despite my steadfast belief that little good emerged from H-B during the ‘70s and ‘80s, I’ve consistently heard good things about that one, and will see for myself.
Another reason the sixties were such a definitive point of demarcation for Hanna-Barbera in my mind, is that the Charlton H-B comics started in August of 1970! Just imagine THAT shock to my then-more-delicate sensibilities!
In all my years of research, I’ve never uncovered a reason for why this occurred, beyond the fact that someone at H-B wanted MORE NEW COMIC BOOK MATERIAL to sell overseas – and that Gold Key was doing primarily reprints, and not producing enough new stuff to suit them.
Recall that, post 1966, there were no new Jetsons, Top Cat, Magilla, etc. material. Sporadically new Huck, a bit more new Yogi, and pretty much only new Flintstones. Sure, there were lots of new Dastardly and Muttley, Scooby-Doo, H-B TV Heroes, and other more contemporary stuff. But, I’d guess the classic characters were under a separate license – and that license went to Charlton. Presumably, because they were the most… um, “cost effective”.
What I never learned was why they were so BAD!
…Not unusual, but outright BAD! As I said about the “paste ad” above, you’d have to TRY to make them that bad!
That’s a story I’d like to hear someday!
There's a lot here to take in, from post to comments... I'd like to note that not only did H-B pull over the "fastidious Ranger vs. hungry park bear" thing from Jack Hannah's Ranger Woodlore & Humphrey shorts, Hannah HIMSELF took the concept over to Walter Lantz when he left Disney's, right down to voicing bear grunts and growls for the Humphrey clone "Fatso" as he did for the *other* Walt! The Lantz substitute for Ranger Woodlore was their own Droopy-esque Inspector Willoughby.
There were a few Fatso shorts in the Lantz series: such as "Hunger Strife" "Bear and the Bees" and "Eggnapper"... all likely held-over concepts and gags from unproduced Humphrey and Ranger Woodlore shorts.
There are a few more Disney/H-B connections beyond what's posted here and in the comments: in the special (and delightful) "Flintstones Visit the World's Fair" souvenir comic book, Fred climbs W.E.D. designer Rolly Crump's Tower of the Four Winds kinetic sculpture.
Though Disney's Carousel of Progress attraction for GE didn't feature in that comic book, it's well known that WB and H-B stalwart Mel Blanc voiced both Cousin Orville in the bathtub, as well as the parrot in Act I. Mel's characterizations can still be heard in the current version of Carousel of Progress playing at Walt Disney World, in which Judy Jetson herself, Janet Waldo can be heard as Grandmother in Act IV—I believe Janet *also* voices an off-scene neighbor who complains when a fuse blows out the power to the neighborhood!
Another H-B player John Stephenson (Mr. Slate) did his only Disney v/o job as the antagonist Major Synapse on a 1991 Darkwing Duck episode "Heavy Mental"
I'm sure there's MORE examples just like these out there! A question I would have asked Walt Disney's daughter Diane was what her Dad's opinion of Hanna-Barbera was during their TV output of '57-'66. I don't think he saw Bill and Joe as a threat, but I wonder what he thought of the HUGE market appeal of their I.P. at the time.
- Dan
“YOGI’S TREASURE HUNT” was my favourite due to the crossover of "H-B" characters. While the cartoons were being shown, a new series had brought the characters into the spotlight. Thankfully writers John Luddin, Tom Ruegger, and the late Earl Kress were familiar with the characterizations of the characters. The final season was very interesting due to the fourth-wall being smashed, and how their were interesting character interactions i.e. (Hokey Wolf and Officer Dibble). Daws Butler, Don Messick, Arnold Stang, and Paul Winchell reprised their roles.
You would not be disappointed by “THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE HUCKLEBERRY”. It has a similar tone to a Tex Avery cartoon, with fourth wall being demolished. The humour is very enjoyable. It has a soft spot for me, due to it being Daws’ last performance of his characters. Check out Tom Reugger’s blog on the production of the film. http://cartoonatics.blogspot.ca/search/label/The%20Good%20the%20Bad%20and%20the%20Huckleberry
Dan:
Oh, yeah! I *do* seem to vaguely remember a Humphrey-like Bear in a Lantz cartoon. Makes sense it would have occurred during Jack Hannah’s time there!
It WOULD have been fascinating to learn what Mr. Disney thought of Bill and Joe’s great success in the sixties. And, why he was pretty much willing to let his own animated stars slide into near-obscurity during that period.
I recall that, occasional and sporadic appearances on the Disney Sunday night TV series aside, once THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB was completed (and not in syndicated reruns), it was the many and varied products of Western Publishing (Gold Key Comics, Little Golden Books, Whitman coloring and activity books, games, puzzles, etc.) that REALLY kept those characters alive in the USA during the early to mid-sixties. Coincidently, at the same time, Hanna-Barbera became a merchandising juggernaut as a result of mass television exposure!
What would have been so wrong with a foray into television exposure for the classic Disney animated stars, I sometimes wonder?
A daily animated serial chapter for Mickey Mouse and Goofy, owing to the monthly adventures in WALT DISNEY’S COMICS AND STORIES, might have been an interesting experiment. It WAS a popular format, a la Rocky and Bullwinkle, Ruff and Reddy, and Felix the Cat. I really think it would have worked – and kept Mickey more centered in the young TV generation’s consciousness.
Oh, and speaking of THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB, if you have even a passing interest in The Mouseketeers (...and who doesn't?), go check out Dan’s amazing feature on former Mouseketeer Lonnie Burr!
Adel:
You make YOGI’S TREASURE HUNT sound interesting, and the writers do have their “cred” in subsequent endeavors, but wasn’t that the series where the characters would stop what they were doing to go “disco dancing”? Or, was that YOGI’S SPACE RACE? The horror of such a pandering element being injected into the “lives” of such cherished characters still lives in my own personal infamy decades later!
I *am*, however, looking forward to “The Good, the Bad, and the Huckleberry Hound”. Although the comics-scripting, compulsive re-writer side of me would have titled it “The Good, the Bad, and the Huck-ly”. Less awkward, more funny, and more directly relatable to the gag’s source reference.
…Hey, ya think I could become one o’ those “editor-type-folks”?
If you HAD to have the full name of the starring character to sell the DVD (or original VHS tape), then call it “Huckleberry Hound in The Good, the Bad, and the Huck-ly”.
The presence of Tom Reugger, and consistent reports of an unusually high humor quotient (especially for Hanna-Barbera at the time), are primarily responsible for my taking this uncharacteristic plunge into ‘80s H-B world. I’ve seen that post you link to, and it was one of the things that helped convince me.
Yes, you mixed up the two shows. “Heavens to Murgatroyd!” I shrudder at the mention of Yogi discoing.
A radio station I enjoy listening to is “Stu’s Show”, usually he invites animation related guests. One episode, Stu the host talks with Mark Evanier and Mark Wolfman about the history of comic books, here is the link. http://www.stusshow.com/archives.html
Recommend that you download it, it’s a very informative discussion.
I also thought about how “Huckly” would have been a better substitution, because it’s concise.
You would have been perfect as one o' those "editor type folks" for thar comical-booklets with the “H-B” characters.
Thanks for the complement, Adel. …Know of any job openings?
Seriously, after the Disney/ Barks/ Gottfredson comic book characters, I’d most like to work with the Classic H-B set. And, Huck more than any other. I can dream, can’t I?
Dan,
"Another H-B player John Stephenson (Mr. Slate) did his only Disney v/o job as the antagonist Major Synapse on a 1991 Darkwing Duck episode "Heavy Mental""
He also appeared as Professor Krakpotkin in the TALESPIN episode "Gruel and Unusual Punishment," the year before.
Chris
Thanks for promoting my Q&A with Mouseketeer Lonnie, Joe! Let me second Adel in nominating you as a perfect writer for new H-B comic book stories... in fact, I have a germ of an idea for one that could use the flair of the ol' Torcivia "turn-of-phrase"! But first, you should get writing on the EPIC Jetsons team-up of Jet Screamer and Uniblab the robot.
Walt Disney regularly producing limited (or "planned" animation) for TV in the 50s-60s certainly turns the key of imagination on what could have been: I agree that the Dell/Gold Key WDC&S of that era was likely the format it would have been based on.
Of course, we're all still waiting on a straight-on Barks or Gottfredson adaptation. There's still TONS to pull from, even the abandoned "Morgan's Ghost" feature which turned into our Barks debut of "Pirate Gold"... it'd sure be swell to see Old Yellow Beak animated and peg-legging around the big screen!
One Disney/H-B connection that I should have mentioned last comment was that Iwao Takamoto came in to H-B as the Art Director, right after many years as the assistant to master animator Milt Kahl! You can really see Milt's influence in Iwao's women, such as "Scooby's" Daphne and the title character from the '66 H-B "Alice in Wonderland"
All this Humphrey business has inspired a new bear of a blog post. But first, I gotta finish up things with "The Disney Implosion" don't I? OK, I'm on it...
- Dan
Not sure how I’d combine Jet Screamer with Uniblab, Dan! Though Uniblab’s sequel (“G.I. Jeston”) was really one of my faves – certainly one of my “most-watched”. Having him turn up as George’s “Space Guard Reserves” sergeant, after their previous meeting, was a stroke of genius!
Maybe I could pit Knuckles Nuclear (one version of him, anyway) against Muggsy Megaton, with poor George somehow in the middle!
And why NOT adapt the Fallberg / Murry Mickey Mouse serials to late ‘50s – mid ‘60s TV style animation? Throw a Donald ten-pager adaptation in the middle of two Mickey chapters, and you’d have yourself a show!
Oh, yes... That “Disney Implosion” thing! I’ll have to start creating new superlatives for it in advance, because I’ve used up all the existing ones. How does “fabumendous” sound? Or, “awecredible”? …Looks like I’ve got some work to do!
You brought up an interesting topic about how the period where the love of “H-B” dipped. The era I enjoyed was 59-69.
Bill and Joe utilized the limitations of television animation by: The simplistic yet effective character design, rather than showing an off-screen action (i.e. El Kabong swinging through a window) a SFX was used that conveyed the consequence. Top voice talents Daws Butler, Don Messick, Doug Young, Jean VanderPyl, etc were hired for the new stars emerging. Undaunted by executive interference from the suits, creativity bursted from Mike, Warren, and Tony.
It was five years ago, when I had watched cartoons from season two of Huck, Yogi, Meeces, Quick Draw, Snooper, and Augie. I had a blast watching these cartoons for the first time. I noticed Maltese and Foster would rework situations in Looney Tunes, but the revised gags came off very fresh.
I started reading the following: How the animation started to be generic, the music did not match the short, the cartoons were becoming formulaic (How everyone laughs in the end, the “wise guy character” vs. authority figure), character designs were being recycled. The negative aspects to the “H-B” shorts were becoming apparent.
I could not enjoy their work, until early this year when watching season three of “BEWITCHED”. I saw Tabitha’s room adorned with Pebbles, Breezly & Sneezly, Ricohet Rabbit & Droop-along, and Peter Potamus toys. In my break from exam preparation, I would watch either “THE JETSONS”, “TOP CAT”, “QUICK DRAW”, AND “HUCK” it was entertaining as ever.
Adel:
To me, the best of Hanna-Barbera breaks down into two periods:
1958-1964 (Huckleberry Hound thru Magilla Gorilla and Peter Potamus – syndicated versions of those latter shows)
1965-1970 (Sat AM Network version of Magilla Gorilla and Peter Potamus. Atom Ant and Secret Squirrel, the Great Gazoo season of The Flintstones, and Space Ghost and other “hero” shows thru the original Scooby-Doo Where Are You).
The demarcation line actually falls DURING the runs of The Flintstones, Magilla Gorilla, and Peter Potamus. And doesn't occur with the ending (or beginning) of any particular show. More like once they started doing things for Saturday Morning Network TV.
1958-1964 was the absolute best. 1965-1970 was still very good and watchable. A few exceptions (mostly with Scooby) occurred after that… but very few. Most of it is difficult to watch, until we reach the mid ‘90s and Dexter’s Lab and Johnny Bravo. After that, H-B was fully absorbed by Warner Bros., so we really can’t count anything else.
Of course, that’s just me – and it would differ for Scarecrow, Top Cat James, Dan, and anyone else.
During 1958-1964, “Mike (Maltese), Warren (Foster) and Tony (Benedict)” became for H-B what Mike (Maltese), Warren (Foster) and Tedd (Pierce) were previously for Warner Bros.
Were the H-B toys in Tabitha’s room seen THROUGHOUT Season Three of BEWITCHED? (Remember, I’m still at the end of Season One!) Or, were they only in specific episodes? If the latter, I’d like you to name some of them.
I find it interesting as to how you break the best of “H-B” into two periods. The former period was where I heartily enjoy all the productions, while the later is entertaining in a different manner.
Was there a difference between the syndicated and SAT AM network version of Magilla Gorilla and Peter Potamus? I read on a forum that new cartoons in the respective series were made.
Referring to this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oDaHRbIDH8
Joe Barbera’s explanation at the 0:46- 1:14, serves as the basis for my appreciation for the characters.
The beauty of the “H-B” library is that it appeals to a wide variety of tastes. If you prefer action there’s “JOHNNY QUEST” or funny animal “QUICK DRAW”.
Mark Evanier made a valid point about how “WHEELIE AND THE CHOPPER BUNCH” is his least favorite show. For people who have viewed the show for the first time, find it to be very enjoyable. It can be applicable to all their shows.
Throughout the third and fourth season episodes of “BEWITCHED” the “H-B” toys are present. There are many connections between Hanna-Barbera and “BEWITCHED”, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise by revealing them.
I wonder if THIS http://www.avclub.com/article/fox-releases-first-images-simpsonsfamily-guy-cross-204677 was one item that you may have missed. I was expecting that you would definitely have posted about this. What are your thoughts regarding this?
Adel:
Was there a difference in Magilla Gorilla and Peter Potamus over the syndicated vs. network periods? I’d say yes. Watch the ones with copyright dates of 1964 vs. the ones with copyright dates of 1965-66, and you CAN see a difference, particularly in the writing. It’s not easily definable, but similar to how the final season of The Flintstones is somehow “lesser” than those that preceded it. I’ve always regarded that as the difference in producing for Sat AM network vs. early evening syndication – not that this explains the decline in The Flintstones, though.
I blame A LOT of H-B’s eventual and SHOCKINGLY STEEP decline on accommodating Sat AM network mandates. Because, after a certain point at the end of the sixties, the other studios produced mediocre to outright putrid stuff too. It couldn’t ALL be completely coincidental. Filmation, despite their… um, “lesser” style of animation, bucked that trend slightly in the earliest years of their existence (Superman, Batman, even the first season of Archie, etc.), but they soon succumbed as well.
Yes, I absolutely agree, when it comes to Joe’s analysis of his and Bill’s earlier characters. That’s what made them great! Too bad they couldn’t continue that, after a certain point.
I know that Family Guy / Simpsons crossover is coming – and I can’t wait. In fact, tonight’s FG episode had Stewie “erasing his existence” as a Griffin, so he could be “born into another family”, and get away from that “family of morons”.
And, as we see Stewie being born to another mother (who ultimately turns out to be an upper-class British Lady). I was half expecting him to be born to Marge Simpson. Now, THAT would have been one heck of a crossover!
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