Cartoon of the Week - "Robin Hood Yogi"

[Kolbar]

I've decided to revive the forgotten Cartoon of the Week discussion in hopes of starting more discussion. So, what better than to start with one of Yogi Bear's finest cartoons: "Robin Hood Yogi." I hope everyone remembers this one.

Yogi has devised a new gimmick to steal picnic baskets. He will be Robin Hood and Boo Boo will be Little John, and together they will steal goodies from the tourists and give them to the poor, namely themselves. They make many attempts, all of which result in injury for Yogi. He ends up crashing into trees and trailers, getting run over by a car, and being abused by a woman with a frying pan. After the bears are reported to the Ranger, Yogi gets Ranger Joe to come to his cause and become Friar Tuck.

http://www.hbshows.com/images/robinhoodyogi01.jpg http://www.hbshows.com/images/robinhoodyogi02.jpg http://www.hbshows.com/images/robinhoodyogi03.jpg


This cartoon has always been one of my favorite Yogi cartoons probably because it spoofs a classic story, Robin Hood. There are many funny and cute moments, namely the "My name's Boo Boo" running gag throughout the cartoon and at the end when Ranger Joe adds "But Yogi, my name's Joe." Other great scenes are when Yogi gets run over and the driver tells his wife, "They need to fix these bumpy roads," and several of the failed attempts to steal picnic baskets like when Yogi goes to swing down and steal food, the rope ends up being too long. Another reason, I thought of this cartoon is because of an old commercial on Boomerang where they showed a clip from the cartoon.

"Robin Hood Yogi" is a great Yogi cartoon that I recommend to any classic cartoon fan. It is currently available, remastered on "The Huckleberry Hound Show: Volume 1" DVD set.

Any thoughts on this cartoon?

[ToonFanForever]

I've decided to revive the forgotten Cartoon of the Week discussion in hopes of starting more discussion. So, what better than to start with one of Yogi Bear's finest cartoons: "Robin Hood Yogi." I hope everyone remembers this one.

Yogi has devised a new gimmick to steal picnic baskets. He will be Robin Hood and Boo Boo will be Little John, and together they will steal goodies from the tourists and give them to the poor, namely themselves. They make many attempts, all of which result in injury for Yogi. He ends up crashing into trees and trailers, getting run over by a car, and being abused by a woman with a frying pan. After the bears are reported to the Ranger, Yogi gets Ranger Joe to come to his cause and become Friar Tuck.

http://www.hbshows.com/images/robinhoodyogi01.jpg http://www.hbshows.com/images/robinhoodyogi02.jpg http://www.hbshows.com/images/robinhoodyogi03.jpg


This cartoon has always been one of my favorite Yogi cartoons probably because it spoofs a classic story, Robin Hood. There are many funny and cute moments, namely the "My name's Boo Boo" running gag throughout the cartoon and at the end when Ranger Joe adds "But Yogi, my name's Joe." Other great scenes are when Yogi gets run over and the driver tells his wife, "They need to fix these bumpy roads," and several of the failed attempts to steal picnic baskets like when Yogi goes to swing down and steal food, the rope ends up being too long. Another reason, I thought of this cartoon is because of an old commercial on Boomerang where they showed a clip from the cartoon.

"Robin Hood Yogi" is a great Yogi cartoon that I recommend to any classic cartoon fan. It is currently available, remastered on "The Huckleberry Hound Show: Volume 1" DVD set.

Any thoughts on this cartoon?

The reason that I vividly remember this cartoon is that it is one of many
early H-B cartoons that I have heard more times than seen. It was included on the Colpix LP record album YOGI BEAR, back in the pre-video
age of the 1960s. I must have listened to those records close to a hundred
times over the past 40 years or so; and they were so well-written (and the
dialogue is so much a part of the humor) that they are still entertaining today (to me, anyway). It's like listening to a classic old-time radio show;
you just have to use your imagination to paint the pictures.

For the record (pardon the pun), the other episodes on the YOGI LP are
"Big Brave Bear," "Brainy Bear," and "Buzzin' Bear." Howard Berk wrote and
recorded what little narration was needed for the album. The back of the
album includes complete voice credits for all four episodes and a brief bio
and photo of Daws Butler and Don Messick (who provided all the voices)
and creators Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera.

It also mentions some interesting toon trivia (and reveals how popular these
characters were with all ages during their original run). "Yogi's popularity is
international. He has been adopted as mascot for the Duke of Wellington's
Regiment in Wales, England; has a 12,000 member fan club in Australia;
receives a large amount of fan mail from youngsters (from 6-60) from all over South America."

[rodineisilveira]

São Paulo - SP, Brazil, August 7, 2006.

Hello, Kolbar and HB-fans from the whole world!

This episode from the classic Yogi Bear is anthologic!
I remember of having seen several times here in Brazil, by Cartoon Network (http://www.cartoonnetwork.com.br or http://www.cartoonnetworkla.com/english) and its co-sister, the classic Boomerang (http://www.cartoonnetwork.com.br/boomerang or http://www.cartoonnetworkla.com/english/boomerang).
There's another passage from this episode which I remember: it's on the beginning of this episode, where a tourist walks patiently thru the Jellystone Park, singing Oh my darling Clementine. He enjoys to stop and takes some photos of the nature wonders from the Park. Note: he carries a pic-nic basket. Yogi, from the top of a tree, attempts to steal that "pic-a-nic" basket from that entertained tourist. And when the tourist goes out, Yogi ends failing, falling direct on the ground!
The layout and the animation from this episode are very familiar to me. Ed Benedict made the layout, while Kenneth Muse did the animation. Both would be involved in the making-of from another Hanna-Barbera production: The Flintstones (specially on the overture and the closing from the two first seasons from this series).
Boomerang Latin America (before the modifications happened on last April) showed the Yogi Bear commercials, which features scenes from this episode. And this beloved Hanna-Barbera classic toon will return on this channel in September, on the late night schedule.
Well, that's it!
Ciao!

Cheers from this faithful friend who always writes 4 U,

Rodinei Campos da Silveira (from São Paulo, Brazil)
Meet me on my e-mails: mailto:rodinei@starmedia.com (rodinei@starmedia.com), mailto:rodineic@excite.com (rodineic@excite.com), mailto:rodineisilveira@bol.com.br (rodineisilveira@bol.com.br) or mailto:rcsbrasil@mort.zzn.com (rcsbrasil@mort.zzn.com). You're always wellcome!

http://ghjellystone.com/ranger.gif "Here's Ranger Smith. Welcome to Jellystone Park! I hope that you enjoy the visit in our park!"

HANNA-BARBERA - SPACE GHOST - 40 YEARS

http://www.cartoonscrapbook.com/01pics/yogibear032.jpg http://www.retrotv.com.br/dublagem/hannabarbera/HannaBarbera_logo.jpg This was just to give an atmosphere from the old times...
http://web.archive.org/web/20010623124155/desenhos.com.br/artes/hbs02.gif Escaping from Ranger Smith, on the Ed Benedict's artwork.

Attention, HB-fans! Enjoy to visit the Hanna-Barbera official site (http://hanna-barbera.com) and have some fun!

LONG LIFE FOR WILLIAM HANNA & JOSEPH BARBERA!

:)

[Eric Brown]

I did find "Robin Hood Yogi" in my video tape archives and sat down to watch. Not to bad. They reused some of the routine in "Hey There It's Yogi Bear". However, when continuing to scroll through the archives I came across "Hide and Go Peek". The story of Elephant Rock. An elephant escapes a circus trailer and Yogi hides him out in Jellystone Park.
I thought this one was more of a "classic". The dialog between the two elephant keepers, Charlie and Joe (Daws Bulter / Don Messick), is just great. "We gotta form and elephant posse or sump'n", "have you seen an elephant?---- what color striped, checkered, polka dot", "parks bug me, to many trees", etc. Back in the early '70s I even heard some of these quotes used as "sound bites" on a radio station.
Commentary???

THANX

[ToonFanForever]

"Hide and Go Peek" is another classic cartoon that turned up on a Colpix record. In fact, it was the first cartoon on the first HUCKLEBERRY HOUND
LP record album (and the very first record album I bought; I still have it).
The most surprising thing about it (for me and my nephew and niece at the
time) was that the voice of the elephant was the same one Don Messick used
for Professor Gismo on RUFF & REDDY!

[Eric Brown]

Have been watching some more of the HH DVD. We know that "Huck Meets Wee Willie" was the first HH cartoon, but which one was the first Yogi cartoon?
Just on speculation, I would guess it to be "High Fly Guy". I don't know if it's on the HH DVD, but I have it in my video archive. In this cartoon, Yogi assists a baby eagle in learning to fly. My speculation is based on the evidence that, 1). Yogi is not established in his Jellystone park routine, 2). Boo Boo is not present, 3). The early character design of Yogi, & 4). the use of some Ruff and Reddy series backround music. This cartoon was animated by Lew Marshall, but if you watch closely, the animator changes at the time Yogi uses a rock and a slant board to get the eagle airborne. That piece of animation looks the work of Michael Lah.
With Michael Lah brings the Yogi cartoon "Pie Pirates", which Michael animated. This cartoon would be my guess as the second Yogi cartoon for the reasons of #1 & #3, from above. ANY speculation from out ther????
MY similar speculation follows about "Pixie & Dixie" on the Huck Hound DVD review thread.

THANX

[Kolbar]

Have been watching some more of the HH DVD. We know that "Huck Meets Wee Willie" was the first HH cartoon, but which one was the first Yogi cartoon?
Just on speculation, I would guess it to be "High Fly Guy". I don't know if it's on the HH DVD, but I have it in my video archive. In this cartoon, Yogi assists a baby eagle in learning to fly. My speculation is based on the evidence that, 1). Yogi is not established in his Jellystone park routine, 2). Boo Boo is not present, 3). The early character design of Yogi, & 4). the use of some Ruff and Reddy series backround music. This cartoon was animated by Lew Marshall, but if you watch closely, the animator changes at the time Yogi uses a rock and a slant board to get the eagle airborne. That piece of animation looks the work of Michael Lah.
With Michael Lah brings the Yogi cartoon "Pie Pirates", which Michael animated. This cartoon would be my guess as the second Yogi cartoon for the reasons of #1 & #3, from above. ANY speculation from out ther????
MY similar speculation follows about "Pixie & Dixie" on the Huck Hound DVD review thread.

THANXYes, but do you have any comments on "Robin Hood Yogi," the featured cartoon?

[ToonFanForever]

Have been watching some more of the HH DVD. We know that "Huck Meets Wee Willie" was the first HH cartoon, but which one was the first Yogi cartoon?
Just on speculation, I would guess it to be "High Fly Guy". I don't know if it's on the HH DVD, but I have it in my video archive. In this cartoon, Yogi assists a baby eagle in learning to fly. My speculation is based on the evidence that, 1). Yogi is not established in his Jellystone park routine, 2). Boo Boo is not present, 3). The early character design of Yogi, & 4). the use of some Ruff and Reddy series backround music. This cartoon was animated by Lew Marshall, but if you watch closely, the animator changes at the time Yogi uses a rock and a slant board to get the eagle airborne. That piece of animation looks the work of Michael Lah.
With Michael Lah brings the Yogi cartoon "Pie Pirates", which Michael animated. This cartoon would be my guess as the second Yogi cartoon for the reasons of #1 & #3, from above. ANY speculation from out ther????
MY similar speculation follows about "Pixie & Dixie" on the Huck Hound DVD review thread.

THANX
According to Michael Mallory's book HANNA-BARBERA CARTOONS (1998),
"Yogi Bear's Big Breakout" (1958) was the first Yogi cartoon. (It's also the
first one on the HUCKLEBERRY HOUND DVD.) "High Fly Guy"
was the eighth one.

I would speculate that "Cousin Tex" was the first Pixie & Dixie (based on the
fact that it is the first one on the DVD and--like "Huckleberry Hound Meets
Wee Willie"--it was the first Pixie & Dixie story in the very first Dell comic).

[Howard Fein]

Someone else had the Colpix Yogi album!:D It's one of my earliest memories of records and cartoons. One of my older brothers must've had it first, because I was born in 1959 and all four episodes were from the first (1958) season. The album must've been pressed soon after because I remember the liner notes describing how Daws Butler would perform the various characters. Mention is only made of Reddy, Yogi, Huck, Jinksy, Quick Draw, Snoop, Blab and Augie- all of whom bowed prior to 1960. No Snagglepuss, Hokey or Fibber Fox yet.

Well into my teens, I had a blast playing the album on our four-speed portable record player. As funny as the voices, music and SFX are at regular speed, they're side-splitting at 16, 45 and 78RPM- especially the clucking chicken in BRAINY BEAR, the gunfire in BIG BRAVE BEAR, the frying pan in ROBIN HOOD YOGI and the many 'dashing off' ricochets pioneered by Hanna and Barbera in the :tomcat: :jerry: theatricals. For all I know, it may still be in my parents' basement but is probably inaudible by now.:(

It is surprising to realize how many early YOGI episodes not only didn't feature Boo-Boo but also seemed to take place in a generic wilderness rather than good old Jellystone. PIE PIRATES, BAFFLED BEAR, THE BRAVE LITTLE BRAVE, SLUMBER PARTY SMARTY and BIG BAD BULLY are but a few examples. In TALLY HO HO HO, RUNAWAY BEAR and DUCK IN LUCK, Yogi has to deal with a hunter- something that wouldn't happen to a Government protected bear! Boo-Boo wasn't even in second season entry STRANGER RANGER.

By the time Columbia was preparing the album, Boo-Boo and Jellystone were well established icons, so the four episodes used had to feature both- not as easy it as would seem. Of the four, ROBIN HOOD YOGI probably best adheres to Yogi's cheerful con-artist tendencies and the classic stealing of pic-a-nic baskets concept that would landmark the character. Even as an adult, I get a huge belly laugh out of "See how easy it is to get it, Boob?" immediately followed by the aforementioned frying-pan drubbing. While the scripts weren't as polished as subsequent seasons when Warren Foster took over as Yogi's exclusive writer, the writing, timing and direction had its low-key, low-budget charms.

As others have mentioned, most pre-1963 H-B shorts are done by only one animator. Virtually every single 1958 short was done by either Marshall, Muse and Vinci with a few by Lah. The early shorts YOGI BEAR'S BIG BREAK and BRAVE LITTLE BRAVE are done predominately by Muse, but each has a short scene in the middle by either Marshall or Lah. There might be a couple of early Meece shorts that fall into this category as well.

BIG BREAK is often listed as the first Yogi episode, but the presence of Boo-Boo and Jellystone imply it was made later in the production order.

One other early memory I have of initial H-B merchandising was a coloring/activity book with all the pre-1960 characters. The one-shot Indian boy from BRAVE LITTLE BRAVE was prominently featured and went by the name "Tom-Tom". Maybe Hanna and Barbera had aspirations to build a series around him that never came to fruition.:confused:

Several 'best of' home video collections hosted by Bill and Joe themselves were released in the late eighties. Some of the shorts were adapted into Little Golden Books. One was SLUMBER PARTY SMARTY, but with several liberties taken. The nameless Yakky-prototype duck from the short was officially acknowledged as Yakky Doodle in the text (and drawn to look like him). The gag in which the duck mistakes a sleepwalking Yogi for a burglar and blasts him several times with a shotgun ("I shot a burglar! I shot a-" "I know, Daniel Boob- I know!") is replaced in the book by Yakky merely tackling Yogi.:shrug:

Ah, great memories.

[rodineisilveira]

São Paulo - SP, Brazil, August 9, 2006.

Hello, HB-fanatic Howie Fein!

I was reading your commentaries about an episode from the classic Yogi Bear, titled Pie Pirates, which had the animation and the layout made by the Tex Avery's workmate from the MGM era, Michael Lah. And I could notice that the Yogi drawn by Michael Lah, sounds quite Tex Avery-esque.
And here's a scene from this memorable episode (to refresh your memory):

http://clampettstudio.com/images/archives/hannabarbera/TW1118-Pie-Pirates.jpg

Ah, good memories...
Well, that's it!
Ciao!

Cheers from this fabulous "smarter than the average" friend who always writes 4 U,

Rodinei Campos da Silveira (from São Paulo, Brazil)
Meet me on my e-mails: mailto:rodinei@starmedia.com (rodinei@starmedia.com), mailto:rodineic@excite.com (rodineic@excite.com), mailto:rodineisilveira@bol.com.br (rodineisilveira@bol.com.br) or mailto:rcsbrasil@mort.zzn.com (rcsbrasil@mort.zzn.com). You're always welcome!

HEY-HEY-HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!

HANNA-BARBERA - SPACE GHOST - 40 YEARS

http://www.cartoonscrapbook.com/01pics/yogibear032.jpg
http://www.ghjellystone.com/yogisteals.jpg

Attention, HB-fans from the whole world! Enjoy to visit the official Hanna-Barbera site (http://hanna-barbera.com) and have some fun!

LONG LIFE FOR WILLIAM HANNA & JOSEPH BARBERA!

;)

[ToonFanForever]

Someone else had the Colpix Yogi album!:D It's one of my earliest memories of records and cartoons. One of my older brothers must've had it first, because I was born in 1959 and all four episodes were from the first (1958) season. The album must've been pressed soon after because I remember the liner notes describing how Daws Butler would perform the various characters. Mention is only made of Reddy, Yogi, Huck, Jinksy, Quick Draw, Snoop, Blab and Augie- all of whom bowed prior to 1960. No Snagglepuss, Hokey or Fibber Fox yet.

Well into my teens, I had a blast playing the album on our four-speed portable record player. As funny as the voices, music and SFX are at regular speed, they're side-splitting at 16, 45 and 78RPM- especially the clucking chicken in BRAINY BEAR, the gunfire in BIG BRAVE BEAR, the frying pan in ROBIN HOOD YOGI and the many 'dashing off' ricochets pioneered by Hanna and Barbera in the :tomcat: :jerry: theatricals. For all I know, it may still be in my parents' basement but is probably inaudible by now.:(

It is surprising to realize how many early YOGI episodes not only didn't feature Boo-Boo but also seemed to take place in a generic wilderness rather than good old Jellystone. PIE PIRATES, BAFFLED BEAR, THE BRAVE LITTLE BRAVE, SLUMBER PARTY SMARTY and BIG BAD BULLY are but a few examples. In TALLY HO HO HO, RUNAWAY BEAR and DUCK IN LUCK, Yogi has to deal with a hunter- something that wouldn't happen to a Government protected bear! Boo-Boo wasn't even in second season entry STRANGER RANGER.

By the time Columbia was preparing the album, Boo-Boo and Jellystone were well established icons, so the four episodes used had to feature both- not as easy it as would seem. Of the four, ROBIN HOOD YOGI probably best adheres to Yogi's cheerful con-artist tendencies and the classic stealing of pic-a-nic baskets concept that would landmark the character. Even as an adult, I get a huge belly laugh out of "See how easy it is to get it, Boob?" immediately followed by the aforementioned frying-pan drubbing. While the scripts weren't as polished as subsequent seasons when Warren Foster took over as Yogi's exclusive writer, the writing, timing and direction had its low-key, low-budget charms.

As others have mentioned, most pre-1963 H-B shorts are done by only one animator. Virtually every single 1958 short was done by either Marshall, Muse and Vinci with a few by Lah. The early shorts YOGI BEAR'S BIG BREAK and BRAVE LITTLE BRAVE are done predominately by Muse, but each has a short scene in the middle by either Marshall or Lah. There might be a couple of early Meece shorts that fall into this category as well.

BIG BREAK is often listed as the first Yogi episode, but the presence of Boo-Boo and Jellystone imply it was made later in the production order.

One other early memory I have of initial H-B merchandising was a coloring/activity book with all the pre-1960 characters. The one-shot Indian boy from BRAVE LITTLE BRAVE was prominently featured and went by the name "Tom-Tom". Maybe Hanna and Barbera had aspirations to build a series around him that never came to fruition.:confused:

Several 'best of' home video collections hosted by Bill and Joe themselves were released in the late eighties. Some of the shorts were adapted into Little Golden Books. One was SLUMBER PARTY SMARTY, but with several liberties taken. The nameless Yakky-prototype duck from the short was officially acknowledged as Yakky Doodle in the text (and drawn to look like him). The gag in which the duck mistakes a sleepwalking Yogi for a burglar and blasts him several times with a shotgun ("I shot a burglar! I shot a-" "I know, Daniel Boob- I know!") is replaced in the book by Yakky merely tackling Yogi.:shrug:

Ah, great memories.

Actually, the YOGI BEAR LP record album must have been released in late
1960, because the liner notes state that "the all-new YOGI BEAR Show,
with Snagglepuss and Yakky Doodle, will debut throughout the nation in
January." Of course, I knew Snagglepuss from his early appearances as a
supporting player on the various segments of the QUICK DRAW McGRAW
show; but I remember wondering at the time "who is Yakky Doodle??"
Yakky was derived from a similar duck (sometimes called "Iddy Biddy
Buddy") who appeared in the Yogi and Pixie & Dixie cartoons on the
HUCKLEBERRY HOUND show; but the voice was slightly different (Jimmy
Weldon replaced Red Coffee, the original little duck's voice). In fact,
Red Coffee's voice can be traced back even further to a duck that figured
prominently in some of the TOM & JERRY cartoon shorts.