Worst set of spinoffs based on an H-B franchise?

[George3000]

Basically, a spinoff of the Classic Cartoons and Awful Spinoffs (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=206711) thread, this time around it's containing ONLY to the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons to have gotten 1970s/'80s spinoffs, such as Yogi Bear, The Flintstones, and Scooby-Doo; the mentioned three shows being the most noted target approaches when it came to making spin-off programs at H-B, with the latter two being made into theatrical live-action features.

To be honest, I liked many of the H-B spinoffs, including the live-action films, as I felt they all stood in their own respective right.

What's Your take?

[Silverstar]

My vote for worst H-B spinoff/knockoff goes to Yo, Yogi! (NBC, 1991), a thinly veiled attempt by H-B to copy the success of WB/Amblin's Tiny Toon Adventures as well as a hackneyed stab at trying to make Yogi and the gang appeal to 'modern' youth. Hint: dressing classic cartoon characters in 'hip' teenage clothes while trying to (vaguely) pass them off as kids and making the primary setting of your show a mall isn't the way to give them teen appeal. It also takes writers, directors and creative people who actually give a hoot about the characters and the audience.

[DrTooth]

Well, not just Yo Yogi, but Yogi's Space race as well. That was... well, what was the point of that? Treasure Hunt was cool, though.

Scooby, as much as I hate to admit it, never really had a perminant blemish. Sure, every so often we'd get laugh-a-lympics, 13 Ghosts, or Get a Clue that deviated from the original plot line. But more often than not, they always had the same formual, and it always worked. That's why Scooby is so popular today, while the classic HB characters are just faves to classic cartoon buffs, like myself. Sure, the Scrappy cartoons were pretty bad at times, but none worse than the ones where Scrappy annoyed someone, causing them to chase Scooby and Shaggy for 5 minutes.

Other than that, not too many others that had a terrible go. MAybe the Flintstones when Pebbles and Bamm Bamm got their own show, and were teenagers.

But I'll state that Space Ghost and Birdman were a lot more interresting when one became a talk show host, and one became a lawyer. But then, i wasn't really big on the HB action shows of the 60's... except maybe Fantastic 4.

[Zen Man]

Despite being one of their biggest stars, I always got the feeling that H-B just didn't know what to do with Yogi after his original series ended. They knew he was popular but they kept giving him bad vehicles (Yogi's Gang, Space Race, Goof-Ups, Yo Yogi) but they did get it right on occasion (Yogi's Treasure Hunt, The New Yogi Bear Show, Fender Bender 500).

[Silverstar]

Well, not just Yo Yogi, but Yogi's Space race as well. That was... well, what was the point of that?

Yogi's Space Race was just one of several attempts by all 3 of the major networks to cash in on the unexpected success of Star Wars in the late 70's. Reference also: NBC's Space Stars, CBS's Space Patrol and Jason of Star Command, ABC's original Battlestar Galactica and NBC's Buck Rogers in the 25th Century series starring Gil Gerard. (And to a lesser extent, ABC's Mork & Mindy and NBC's Quark starring Richard Benjamin.)

Although premise-wise, Yogi's Space Race was just Wacky Races in space. The Galaxy Goof-Ups, a segment from YSR which became its' own show a season later, regularly featured scenes of Yogi, Huck, Quack-Up and Scare Bear boogeying down in an intergalactic disco, which was direct nod to the famous cantina scene in Star Wars.

[hobbyfan]

Yogi's Space Race was just one of several attempts by all 3 of the major networks to cash in on the unexpected success of Star Wars in the late 70's. Reference also: NBC's Space Stars, CBS's Space Patrol and Jason of Star Command, ABC's original Battlestar Galactica and NBC's Buck Rogers in the 25th Century series starring Gil Gerard. (And to a lesser extent, ABC's Mork & Mindy and NBC's Quark starring Richard Benjamin.)

Although premise-wise, Yogi's Space Race was just Wacky Races in space. The Galaxy Goof-Ups, a segment from YSR which became its' own show a season later, regularly featured scenes of Yogi, Huck, Quack-Up and Scare Bear boogeying down in an intergalactic disco, which was direct nod to the famous cantina scene in Star Wars.

Actually, Goof-ups was spun off from Space Race 2 months into the 1978-9 season because the ratings were so bad. What was a 90 minute anthology series was split into three component parts spread out across the schedule. Space Race took the Laff-A-Lympics concept and crossed it with Wacky Races (what a way to mark Wacky's 10th anniversary). I voted for Yogi because of the poor decisions H-B made with him. Yogi's Gang (1973) had him as a champion of the environment. Space Race by extension killed Laff-A-Lympics. Treasure Hunt borrowed from a similar segment of Popeye's 1978 series. And the less said about Yo, Yogi!, the better.

[Brainatra]

Yogi's Space Race was just one of several attempts by all 3 of the major networks to cash in on the unexpected success of Star Wars in the late 70's. Reference also: NBC's Space Stars, CBS's Space Patrol and Jason of Star Command, ABC's original Battlestar Galactica and NBC's Buck Rogers in the 25th Century series starring Gil Gerard. (And to a lesser extent, ABC's Mork & Mindy and NBC's Quark starring Richard Benjamin.)

Although premise-wise, Yogi's Space Race was just Wacky Races in space. The Galaxy Goof-Ups, a segment from YSR which became its' own show a season later, regularly featured scenes of Yogi, Huck, Quack-Up and Scare Bear boogeying down in an intergalactic disco, which was direct nod to the famous cantina scene in Star Wars.

That as well as the general disco craze of the late 70s, when every TV show had to have some reference to disco, "Saturday Night Fever", or whatnot...

-B.

[Old Guy]

Nothing is worse than `80s Scooby-Doo. Except for 13 Ghosts and that werewolf movie.

[BartWinkle]

Yogi's Space Race was just one of several attempts by all 3 of the major networks to cash in on the unexpected success of Star Wars in the late 70's. Reference also: NBC's Space Stars, CBS's Space Patrol and Jason of Star Command, ABC's original Battlestar Galactica and NBC's Buck Rogers in the 25th Century series starring Gil Gerard. (And to a lesser extent, ABC's Mork & Mindy and NBC's Quark starring Richard Benjamin.)

Although premise-wise, Yogi's Space Race was just Wacky Races in space. The Galaxy Goof-Ups, a segment from YSR which became its' own show a season later, regularly featured scenes of Yogi, Huck, Quack-Up and Scare Bear boogeying down in an intergalactic disco, which was direct nod to the famous cantina scene in Star Wars.
"Space Patrol" was an early '50s ABC series. You're probably thinking of "Space Academy" with Jonathan Harris.

[Dub]

Nothing is worse than `80s Scooby-Doo. Except for 13 Ghosts and that werewolf movie.

80's Scooby Doo wasn't that good, but it was a MARKED improvement over the bland and useless Shaggy/Scooby/Scrappy shorts that dropped the mystery format entirely for cheap nonexistent laughs.

that said, as kickass as the idea could have been 13 Ghosts had a lot of flaws to it that sadly left it very unresolved. I would have to put in my vote for Yo Yogi and Yogi's Gang. Yo Yogi for reasons already mentioned, and Yogi's Gang because it's so freaking PC that it just bores me to tears. I'm still amazed that they managed to take such terrible execution of a great idea and make it work with Treasure Hunt (which I think was the best compilation series next to Laff-A-Lympics).

I've never been fond of the Flintstones spinoffs that don't really focus on Fred and Barney outside of maybe Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm. (IE the random stuff in the Comedy Show era VS The Schmoo and reandom material before Flintstone kids).

[Steve Carras]

Yogi. (As IF there wasdn't ANOTHER threadf on thois!) No question about it. See my comment in "Rank Yogi Series". I only care for currently the 1958-1962 original ones.

[Toonfan2000]

My vote for worst H-B spinoff/knockoff goes to Yo, Yogi! (NBC, 1991), a thinly veiled attempt by H-B to copy the success of WB/Amblin's Tiny Toon Adventures as well as a hackneyed stab at trying to make Yogi and the gang appeal to 'modern' youth.

It's funny how TTA is still in people's minds almost two decades after its heyday, and YY! has been banished to obscurity.

Also, Yogi's Gang was mentioned, but I can't believe nobody has pointed out why. Basically, Yogi and his Hanna-Barbera friends fly an ark around the world, trying to rid it of all negativity. What's wrong with that? Everything. Apparently, the hippies had taken their toll on broadcast television by the early '70s, and that also resulted in the significantly toned-town Tom and Jerry Show (fortunately, they were back to form by the 1980 show). Pacifist cartoons = FAILURE.

[Silverstar]

It's funny how Tiny Toon Adventures is still in people's minds almost two decades after its heyday, and Yo, Yogi! has been banished to obscurity.

And why is that? It's because TTA boasted clever jokes, intelligent writing and appealing characters, and so it endured for 4 seasons, whereas YY! was nothing more than the soulless by-product of committee thinking which was (mercifully) gone after a year. Yo, Yogi! was a prime example of what not to do with animated franchise and how not to do it.

[Eric B]

TTA was perhaps the only "younger version" series that was done right. Keep the original stars the same age, and introduce a younger generation of counterparts of the originals, whom make cameos as mentors.

All of those other ones where some characters are made younger, yet a few remain the same age ruin the canons. (TJ Kids with Spike & Droopy, Flintstone Kids with Cavey, Baby Looney tunes with Granny, and didn't someone say YY had this as well?), or the younger characters were different in personality (Pup Named Scooby)

[Dub]

I wouldn't say the ONLY.

Muppet Babies was the FIRST, one of the longest, and also set the standard for any of the clones that tried to follow it. Unfortunately - NONE of the ones that followed it were anywhere near as memorable (or good) or had a bigger impact save for Tiny Toons and **MAYBE** Pup.

[jay12m]

Hmm, Yo! Yogi..I knew there was a reason I surpressed that show out of my mind:D

[Kentaro Doe]

I'm watching Yo Yogi for the first time right now. So far the only problems I have with it are the opening song and the kids sounding too much like their adult counterparts.

[Jayd]

I'm new here so I may be re-opening some real old posts like this one.

The thing that gets me about Yo Yogi is that some characters remained in their adult form. I thought they were all more or less the same age.

[Still HowardFein]

Yo Yogi is that some characters remained in their adult form. I thought they were all more or less the same age.

Very true. You can't expect continuity in cartoon franchises; after all, the OY! YOGI premise would imply that the Jellystone Mall preceded Jellystone Park. From what I remember of the series:

-The featured regulars Yogi, Boo-Boo, Cindy, Huck, Snag and Dickie Dastardly were teenagers.
-Officer Smith was somewhat younger than he would be as the Ranger. For some reason, someone other than Don Messick (who ably voiced teenaged Boo-Boo) did the Officer's voice to terrible effect.
-'Diamond' Doggie Daddy and son Augie seemed the same age as their original renditions.
-So did guest stars and cameos- Magilla Gorilla, Peter Potamus, Mr. Jinks and the Meeces, Atom Ant.
-The one notable exception to the above was a young grade-school aged Secret Squirrel. Ominous foreshadowing of Inspector Gadget's youthification as Gadget Boy.

Nonetheless, after the unexpected pleasure that was YOGI'S TREASURE HUNT, I had high hopes that OY! YOGI would feature the same satirical-yet-loving approach to the classic H-B characters. No such luck. By 1991 Tom Ruegger and most of his TREASURE HUNT cohorts were busy with TINY TOONS.

[Zen Man]

In a way I'm kinda hoping Yogi get's another show to erase the stinch of Yo-Yogi. While it was certainly not the worst show in the world, it wasn't a good way to leave things; considering Yogi's stature.

[dth1971]

Jonny Quest.

[RonDrakenfan17]

Hmm The only spin off of Yogi Bear I liked was the Treassure Hunt one. But yah Yogi didn't have the best spin offs.

[Fibber Fox]

In a way I'm kinda hoping Yogi get's another show to erase the stinch of Yo-Yogi. While it was certainly not the worst show in the world, it wasn't a good way to leave things; considering Yogi's stature.

Let me get this straight .. Yogi is a teenager in a mall?

Why would anyone bother to watch such a thing? Even out of curiosity?

My sympathies go out to those who had to work on it.

I'm afraid the only spin-off I ever saw before giving up Saturday Morning cartoons was Pebbles and Bamm Bamm as teenagers. It was put together by some non-cartoon-watching executive with a check-list. Unfunny, uncharming and with boring derivative designs. To think about it, it's stuff like that which probably made me not watch TV on Saturdays any more.

F. Fox

[Steve Carras]

Let me get this straight .. Yogi is a teenager in a mall?

Why would anyone bother to watch such a thing? Even out of curiosity?

My sympathies go out to those who had to work on it.

I'm afraid the only spin-off I ever saw before giving up Saturday Morning cartoons was Pebbles and Bamm Bamm as teenagers. It was put together by some non-cartoon-watching executive with a check-list. Unfunny, uncharming and with boring derivative designs. To think about it, it's stuff like that which probably made me not watch TV on Saturdays any more.

F. Fox


Fibber, I always thought the 1958-1959 Yogi WAS a kind of college teenager[in that one with "proto-Yakky", "Slumber Party Smarty" from 1958, avaible on that 2005 WHV Huckleberry cassette, Yogi's like a G rated 50s version of Seann William Scott in college having to deal with some rush or pledge who is a dweeb, or in "proto-duck's" case, a pesky younger brother". Yet Yogi LOOKS 45..now how much older is the RANGER in that prototypical series. AND BOO BOO..Blabber,..,.they should not even be BORN!

Pebbles: By the tbhe Josie/Daphne Blake redhead design was becoming standard [in 1971]. As they say, the less said, the better. Give me "Gloom Groom" [which aired after the one Jerry Hausner-guesting "Flinstone" mentioned in the HB voice thread that Mark Evanier answered a lotta queries on,"Dino Siappears"], where Janet Waldo voiced a teenage Pebbles ina dream of Fred's, one of her first non-Judy Jetson roles, and Don Messick in the pre-Bamm Bamm [itself one of his signature roles] as both younger and dream teenage [a la his Ranger Smith/nagtural Huck Hound narrator voice] teenage Arnold the newsboy][.

[AarHan3]

Popeye And Son. Somehow, Popeye and Olive as married parents didn't quite gel with me... :sad: :shrug: :confused: :o

[Zorak Masaki]

Popeye And Son. Somehow, Popeye and Olive as married parents didn't quite gel with me... :sad: :shrug: :confused: :o

Then i hope you never saw the 80s PSAs where he had SEVERAL children, who all looked like minituare<sp> versions of Popeye.

[Mad Monkey 7]

Then i hope you never saw the 80s PSAs where he had SEVERAL children, who all looked like minituare<sp> versions of Popeye.

Those are Popeye's nephews, not sons. Popeye and Son is the only time, he had a son named I kid you not, Junior.

[hobbyfan]

Let me get this straight .. Yogi is a teenager in a mall?

Why would anyone bother to watch such a thing? Even out of curiosity?

My sympathies go out to those who had to work on it.

I'm afraid the only spin-off I ever saw before giving up Saturday Morning cartoons was Pebbles and Bamm Bamm as teenagers. It was put together by some non-cartoon-watching executive with a check-list. Unfunny, uncharming and with boring derivative designs. To think about it, it's stuff like that which probably made me not watch TV on Saturdays any more.

F. Fox

Fibs, having Pebbles & Bamm-Bamm as teens was in fact a knee-jerk idea borne if not at H-B but maybe CBS, which needed another teen toon to complement Scooby (in reruns), Josie (ditto), and Archie (TV Funnies). H-B's 1971 class (P & BB, Funky Phantom, Hair Bear Bunch) wasn't great, but worth the trip.

[Jack_6428]

Scooby Doo had good shows..id probably choose Yogi Bear from that list

[Geezil]

Other: All of the above.