Yogi Bear

Yogi Bear is a fictional character who has appeared in numerous comic books, animated television shows and films. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in The Huckleberry Hound Show.

Yogi Bear was the first breakout character created by Hanna-Barbera and was eventually more popular than Huckleberry Hound. In January 1961, he was given his own show, The Yogi Bear Show, sponsored by Kellogg's, which included the segments Snagglepuss and Yakky Doodle. Hokey Wolf replaced his segment on The Huckleberry Hound Show. A musical animated feature film, Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!, was produced in 1964.

Yogi was one of several Hanna-Barbera characters to have a collar. This allowed animators to keep his body static, redrawing only his head in each frame when he spoke—a method that reduced the number of drawings needed for a seven-minute cartoon from around 14,000 to around 2,000.

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; his voice mannerisms broadly mimic Carney as Norton. Norton, in turn, received influence from the Borscht Belt and comedians of vaudeville.

Yogi's name was similar to that of contemporary baseball star Yogi Berra, who was known for his amusing quotes, such as "half the lies they tell about me aren't true." Berra sued Hanna-Barbera for defamation, but their management claimed that the similarity of the names was just a coincidence. Berra withdrew his suit, but the defense was considered implausible. At the time Yogi Bear first hit TV screens, Yogi Berra was a household name.

The plot of most of Yogi's cartoons centered on his antics in the fictional Jellystone Park, a variant of the real Yellowstone National Park. Yogi, accompanied by his constant companion Boo-Boo Bear, would often try to steal picnic baskets from campers in the park, much to the displeasure of Park Ranger Smith. Yogi's girlfriend, Cindy Bear, sometimes appeared and usually disapproved of Yogi's antics.

Catchphrases
Besides often speaking in rhyme, Yogi Bear had a number of catchphrases, including his pet name for picnic baskets ("pic-a-nic baskets") and his favorite self-promotion ("I'm smarter than the av-er-age bear!"), although he often overestimates his own cleverness. Another characteristic of Yogi was his deep and silly voice. He often greets the ranger with a cordial, "Hello, Mr. Ranger, sir!" and "Hey there, Boo Boo!" as his preferred greeting to his sidekick, Boo Boo. Yogi would also often use puns in his speech, and had a habit of pronouncing large words with a long vocal flourish.

Analysis
Animation historian Christopher P. Lehman considers the original concept of the Yogi Bear series to contain political symbolism relative to its era of production. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, racial segregation in the United States was still legally enforced, people were confined to living in their designated social "place", and attempts to venture outside it came with serious consequences. Yogi also has a designated social place, restricted to spending his life in Jellystone Park, under an overseer in the form of a white park ranger.

Yogi is living in social confinement, but tries to take advantage of his situation. People come to the Park to have picnics and bring with them picnic baskets. Yogi resorts to theft, stealing the picnic baskets, and enjoying their contents. Yogi's habitual criminality and preoccupation with his own nourishment and survival are not portrayed as negative traits. He is depicted as a sympathetic protagonist.

Yogi never actually challenges the social hierarchy of the Park, does not seriously challenge the authority of the ranger over him, and does not seek more autonomy in his life. Lehman contrasts Yogi's acceptance of the way things are with the activists of the series' contemporary Civil Rights Movement who did challenge the way things were. They wanted to move beyond their designated place and integrate into wider society. The press and politicians of the time were portraying these activists as radicals and opposed their efforts.

Voice actors


From the time of the character's debut until 1988, Yogi was voiced by voice actor Daws Butler. Butler died in 1988; his last performance as Yogi was in the television film Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears.

After Butler's death, Greg Burson stepped in to perform the role; Butler had taught Burson personally how to voice Yogi as well as his other characters. Worsening alcoholism led to Burson's firing in 2004 and eventually his death in 2008.

Jeff Bergman and Billy West also performed the character throughout the 1990s and early 2000s for various Cartoon Network commercials and bumpers.

In the Yogi Bear film, the character is voiced by actor Dan Aykroyd.

In the animated stop motion sketch comedy show Robot Chicken created by Seth Green, Dan Milano voiced Yogi Bear.

Scott Innes performed the voice of Yogi, along with Boo Boo, in At Picnic, Forest, and Honey Lesson.

Television series

 * The Huckleberry Hound Show (1958-1960)
 * The Yogi Bear Show (1961–1962)
 * Yogi Bear & Friends, a syndicated animated series that aired between 1967 and 1968
 * Yogi's Gang (1973)
 * The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972), guest cameo on the giant balloon in The Caped Crusader Caper
 * Laff-A-Lympics (1977–1978), this show had Yogi Bear as captain of The Yogi Yahooeys team
 * Yogi's Space Race (1978–1979), this show had Yogi Bear paired up with Scare Bear opposite of Huckleberry Hound being paired up with Quack-Up the Duck.
 * Galaxy Goof-Ups (1978–1979), this show had Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Scare Bear, and Quack-Up working as bumbling intergalactic police officers.
 * Yogi's Treasure Hunt (1985–1986)
 * The New Yogi Bear Show (1988), a 30-minute weekday animated series which aired in first-run syndication
 * Wake, Rattle, and Roll (1990–1991), he and Boo-Boo appear in the Fender Bender 500 segment.
 * Yo Yogi! (1991)
 * A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, guest cameo in The Story Stick
 * The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (2003–2008), Yogi and Boo-Boo have a guest appearance in Season 3, Episode 7.
 * In the Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated episode "Howl of the Fright Hound", a wild and crazy bear resembling Yogi is taken away by a security guard inside of the Animal Asylum while Officer Johnson is talking to Sheriff Bronson Stone on the phone.

Films and specials

 * Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!, a 1964 animated feature released by Warner Bros. Pictures and Columbia Pictures
 * Yogi's Ark Lark, a 1972 made-for-TV movie for The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie
 * Hanna-Barbera's All-Star Comedy Ice Revue, a 1978 TV special honoring Fred Flintstone on his 48th birthday
 * Casper's First Christmas, a 1979 TV special featuring the characters from Casper and the Angels meeting Yogi and his gang
 * Yogi's First Christmas, a 1980 made-for-TV movie for syndication
 * Yogi Bear's All Star Comedy Christmas Caper, a 1982 TV special starring Yogi and friends
 * Yogi's Great Escape, a 1987 made-for-TV movie for syndication
 * Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose, a 1987 made-for-TV movie for syndication
 * Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears, a 1988 made-for-TV movie for syndication
 * The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound, a 1988 made-for-TV movie for syndication
 * Hanna-Barbera's 50th: A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration, a 1989 a musical TV film
 * Yogi the Easter Bear, a 1994 TV special for first-run syndication
 * Arabian Nights, a 1994 TV special for TBS (Aladdin segment)
 * Boo Boo Runs Wild and A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith, Back-to-back 1999 TV specials for Cartoon Network created by John Kricfalusi and his company Spumco.
 * Boo Boo and the Man is a 2000 short cartoon.
 * Yogi Bear, a live-action/animated film released in 3D on December 17, 2010, starring Dan Aykroyd as the voice of Yogi.
 * Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon, 2013 direct-to-DVD (cameo as picture)

Video games

 * Yogi's Frustration (Intellivision) (1983)
 * Yogi Bear (Commodore 64) (1987)
 * Yogi Bear & Friends in The Greed Monster (Commodore 64) (1989)
 * Yogi Bear's Math Adventures (DOS) (1990)
 * Yogi's Great Escape (Amiga) (1990)
 * Yo Yogi Bear (Tiger Handheld) (1991)
 * Yogi's Big Clean Up (Amiga) (1992)
 * Adventures of Yogi Bear (Super NES) (1994)
 * Yogi Bear's Gold Rush (Game Boy) (1994)
 * Yogi Bear: Great Balloon Blast (Game Boy Color) (2000)
 * Yogi Bear: The Video Game (Wii, Nintendo DS) (2010)

Albums

 * Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!, a 1964 music from the original motion picture soundtrack
 * Yogi Bear and the Three Stooges Meet the Mad, Mad, Mad Dr. No-No, a 1966 comedy album
 * Yogi Bear, a 2010 score soundtrack by John Debney

Live action/animated feature film
A live-action/computer-animated film titled Yogi Bear was released by Warner Bros. in December 2010. The movie featured Dan Aykroyd as the voice of Yogi Bear. The film, adapting the television series, follows the adventures of Yogi Bear and his pal Boo-Boo in Jellystone Park, as they avoid Ranger Smith who is trying to stop Yogi from stealing picnic baskets.

Songs
"Yogi" by The Ivy Three (1960), sung in a voice mimicking Yogi Bear. The song reached no. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100

Spümcø Ranger Smith and Boo Boo shorts
In 1999, animator John Kricfalusi's Spümcø company created and directed two Yogi cartoons, 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 marathon. "Boo Boo Runs Wild" features a fight between Yogi and Ranger Smith, which was edited heavily for broadcast for both violence and torture situations.

In 2002, Spümcø created another Boo Boo cartoon, Boo Boo and the Man, which was made with Macromedia Flash and released on Cartoon Network's website.

A music video (known as a "Cartoon Groovie") for Yogi Bear used to air on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. It showcases clips of Yogi and Boo Boo stealing picnic baskets and annoying Ranger Smith.

Broadcasts
Yogi Bear aired on Cartoon Network from 1992 to 2004 and its sister channel, Boomerang until 2014. Additionally, Nickelodeon re-aired The Yogi Bear Show, Yogi's Gang, and Galaxy Goof-Ups under the umbrella title "Nickelodeon's Most Wanted: Yogi Bear" throughout the early 1990s. In the UK it aired on Cartoon Network from 1993 to 2000, CN TOO from 2006 to 2010 and Boomerang from 2000 to 2002.

In the Hanna-Barbera Personal Favorites video, 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.

Comics
Over the years, several publishers have released Yogi Bear comic books.
 * Dell Comics first published Yogi Bear comics starting in 1959 as part of their Four Color Comics line. The Four Color issue numbers were #1067 Yogi Bear (December 1, 1959), #1104 Yogi Bear Goes to College (June 1, 1960), #1162 Yogi Bear Joins the Marines (April 1, 1961), #1271 Yogi Bear's Birthday Party (November 1, 1961), #1310 Huck and Yogi Winter Sports (1962) (also featuring Huckleberry Hound) and #1349 Yogi Bear Visits the U.N. (January 1, 1962). In March 1961, Dell also published a 116-page one-shot entitled Huck and Yogi Jamboree (also featuring Huckleberry Hound). Starting in September 1961, Dell began publishing a regular comic under the title Yogi Bear which ran for 6 issues, the last Dell issue being July 1962.
 * Gold Key Comics took over publishing the Yogi Bear title in October 1962, continuing the issue numbering from the last Dell issue. Gold Key published 33 issues from 1962–70.
 * Charlton Comics next 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 Comics put out one issue of a Yogi Bear comic in 1997.
 * DC Comics semi-regularly featured Yogi in Cartoon Network Presents.
 * DC Comics Scooby-Doo! Team-Up (Bear-ly Scared)
 * DC Comics Deathstroke/Yogi Bear Special #1

The Yogi Bear comic strip began February 5, 1961. Created by Gene Hazelton and distributed by the McNaught Syndicate, it ran from 1961 to 1988.

Hanna-Barbera has also produced giveaway instructional Yogi Bear comics on first aid (Creative First Aid: Yogi's Bear Facts (1986)) and earthquake preparedness (Yogi, the Be-Prepared Bear: Earthquake Preparedness for Children (1984) and Yogi's Bear Facts: Earthquake Preparedness (1988)). These were issued in connection with Yogi Bear being used as the mascot for Earthquake Preparedness Month in California, an annual campaign that ran each April for over 10 years and also utilized Yogi in earthquake preparedness posters, advertisements, a cartoon, and other promotions including a special "Quakey Shakey Van" exhibit.

Home release
On November 15, 2005, Warner Home Video released the complete series on DVD.

Licensing

 * 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. As of 2011, over 70 locations have hosted the parks.
 * , one restaurant remains from the chain bearing Yogi's name, "Yogi Bear's Honey Fried Chicken," in Hartsville, South Carolina.