Huckleberry Hound
Encyclopedia
The Huckleberry Hound Show is a 1958 syndicated animated series and the second from Hanna-Barbera
following The Ruff & Reddy Show
, sponsored by Kellogg's. Three segments were included in the program: one featuring Huckleberry Hound
; another starring Yogi Bear
and his sidekick Boo Boo
; and a third with Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks
, two mice who in each short found a new way to outwit the cat Mr. Jinks. The Yogi Bear segment of the show proved more popular than Huckleberry's; it spawned its own series in 1961
. A segment featuring Hokey Wolf
and Ding-A-Ling was added, replacing Yogi Bear during the 1960-61 season. In 1961, the series became the first animated program to be honored with an Emmy Award
. The Huckleberry Hound Show contributed to making Hanna-Barbera a household name, and is often credited with legitimizing the concept of animation produced specifically for television.
. "I had never sold a show before because I didn't have to. If we got an idea, we just made it, for over twenty years. All of a sudden, I'm a salesman, and I'm in a room with forty-five people staring at me, and I'm pushing Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear and 'the Meeces', and they bought it."
Barbera once recalled about Daws Butler
's voice acting versatility:
in its network run and in syndication through the 1970s; it was later passed to Worldvision Enterprises, after it became a sister company to Hanna-Barbera. It was later distributed by Turner Program Services
, after Turner's purchase of Hanna-Barbera; current distributor Warner Bros. Television
picked up ownership of the show following its 1996 acquisition of Turner.
, Smedley the Dog in Chilly Willy
cartoons, and earlier characters in the MGM cartoon library. It was said to be based on the neighbor of his wife, Myrtis; Butler would speak with said neighbor when visiting North Carolina.
impersonating Art Carney
) and his friend Boo Boo Bear (voiced by Don Messick
) live in Jellystone Park and occasionally try to steal picnic baskets while evading Ranger Smith (voiced by Don Messick
). Yogi also has a relationship with his girlfriend Cindy Bear
(voiced by Julie Bennett).
) and Dixie (voiced by Daws Butler
) are two mice who every day end up being chased by a cat named Mr. Jinks (voiced by Daws Butler
impersonating Marlon Brando
).
impersonating Phil Silvers
) is a con-artist
wolf who is always trying to cheat his way to the simple life (much like other Hanna-Barbera characters, Top Cat
and Yogi Bear
). He is accompanied in this by his diminutive, bowler hat
-wearing sidekick Ding-A-Ling Wolf (voiced by Doug Young
impersonating Buddy Hackett
).
, a Québécois
comedy group popular during the 1980s, was a pun on the name of Huckleberry Hound ("Roquet Belles Oreilles" in French).
Australian prison slang vernacular includes "huckleberry hound", a term originated in the 1960s, meaning "a punishment cell, solitary confinement."
In January 2009, IGN named The Huckleberry Hound Show as the 63rd best in its "Top 100 Animated TV Shows".
released The Huckleberry Hound Show - Vol. 1 for the Hanna-Barbera classics collection
, featuring the complete first series of 26 episodes from the series on DVD. The other remaining 43 episodes are yet to be released.
No later than 1961, the characters began appearing "in person" at events across America. Hanna Barbera commissioned costumed characters of Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, and Quick Draw McGraw, which appeared at events like the Florida State Fair
. Hanna-Barbera owner Taft Broadcasting
started opening theme parks in 1972, beginning with Kings Island
. These parks included areas themed to the company's cartoons, and included walk-around characters of Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, and others. The characters were also featured on rides, including carousels.
Licensed Huckleberry products included a Aladdin
-brand Thermos
.
Books based on the show include:
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
following The Ruff & Reddy Show
The Ruff & Reddy Show
The Ruff & Reddy Show is a Hanna-Barbera animated series starring Ruff, a straight and smart cat voiced by Don Messick, and Reddy, a dumb and stupid dog voiced by Daws Butler...
, sponsored by Kellogg's. Three segments were included in the program: one featuring Huckleberry Hound
Huckleberry Hound
The Huckleberry Hound Show is a 1958 syndicated animated series and the second from Hanna-Barbera following The Ruff & Reddy Show, sponsored by Kellogg's. Three segments were included in the program: one featuring Huckleberry Hound; another starring Yogi Bear and his sidekick Boo Boo; and a third...
; another starring Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear is a fictional bear who appears in animated cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera Productions. 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...
and his sidekick Boo Boo
Boo Boo (Yogi Bear)
Boo-Boo Bear is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon character on The Yogi Bear Show. Boo-Boo is an anthropomorphic bear cub in a bow tie, who is a friend to Yogi Bear. Boo-Boo often acts as Yogi Bear's conscience. He tries to keep Yogi from doing things he should not do, and also to keep Yogi from getting...
; and a third with Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks
Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks
Pixie & Dixie and Mr. Jinks is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon that featured as a regular segment of the television series The Huckleberry Hound Show from 1958 to 1962.-History:...
, two mice who in each short found a new way to outwit the cat Mr. Jinks. The Yogi Bear segment of the show proved more popular than Huckleberry's; it spawned its own series in 1961
1961 in television
The year 1961 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1961.For the American TV schedule, see: 1961-62 American network television schedule.-Events:...
. A segment featuring Hokey Wolf
Hokey Wolf
Hokey Wolf is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon about the adventures of a con-artist wolf who is always trying to cheat his way into the simple life...
and Ding-A-Ling was added, replacing Yogi Bear during the 1960-61 season. In 1961, the series became the first animated program to be honored with an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
. The Huckleberry Hound Show contributed to making Hanna-Barbera a household name, and is often credited with legitimizing the concept of animation produced specifically for television.
Conception and Development
Joe Barbera went to Chicago to pitch the program to Kellogg's executives through their ad agency, Leo BurnettLeo Burnett
Leo Burnett was an advertising executive who created the Jolly Green Giant, the Marlboro Man, Toucan Sam, Charlie the Tuna, Morris the Cat, the Pillsbury Doughboy, the 7up "Spot", and Tony the Tiger....
. "I had never sold a show before because I didn't have to. If we got an idea, we just made it, for over twenty years. All of a sudden, I'm a salesman, and I'm in a room with forty-five people staring at me, and I'm pushing Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear and 'the Meeces', and they bought it."
Barbera once recalled about Daws Butler
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...
's voice acting versatility:
Format
The series featured three seven minute cartoons, animated specifically for television. The first always starred Huckleberry, the next two featured other characters.Distribution
The show was originally distributed by Screen GemsScreen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
in its network run and in syndication through the 1970s; it was later passed to Worldvision Enterprises, after it became a sister company to Hanna-Barbera. It was later distributed by Turner Program Services
Turner Program Services
Turner Program Services was the former syndication arm of Turner Broadcasting. It served the same purpose as Turner Entertainment's distribution unit, with the exception that TPS was more involved in distributing television series rather than films....
, after Turner's purchase of Hanna-Barbera; current distributor Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television is the television production arm of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself part of Time Warner. Alongside CBS Television Studios, it serves as a television production arm of The CW Television Network , though it also produces shows for other networks, such as Shameless on...
picked up ownership of the show following its 1996 acquisition of Turner.
Plot and Characters
Each of the three segments featured one or two main characters acting as a duo, and numerous one-off or supporting characters.Huckleberry Hound
Huck's voice was one that Butler had already developed and used in earlier work, such as the dog character in The Ruff & Reddy ShowThe Ruff & Reddy Show
The Ruff & Reddy Show is a Hanna-Barbera animated series starring Ruff, a straight and smart cat voiced by Don Messick, and Reddy, a dumb and stupid dog voiced by Daws Butler...
, Smedley the Dog in Chilly Willy
Chilly Willy
Chilly Willy is a cartoon character, a diminutive anthropomorphic penguin living in Alaska, although the species is native only to the southern hemisphere. He was created by Paul J. Smith for the Walter Lantz studio in 1953...
cartoons, and earlier characters in the MGM cartoon library. It was said to be based on the neighbor of his wife, Myrtis; Butler would speak with said neighbor when visiting North Carolina.
Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear (voiced by Daws ButlerDaws Butler
Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...
impersonating Art Carney
Art Carney
Arthur William Matthew “Art” Carney was an American actor in film, stage, television and radio. He is best known for playing Ed Norton, opposite Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden in the situation comedy The Honeymooners....
) and his friend Boo Boo Bear (voiced by Don Messick
Don Messick
Donald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
) live in Jellystone Park and occasionally try to steal picnic baskets while evading Ranger Smith (voiced by Don Messick
Don Messick
Donald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
). Yogi also has a relationship with his girlfriend Cindy Bear
Cindy Bear
Cindy Bear is a cartoon character created by Hanna-Barbera.-History:Cindy Bear is the girlfriend of Yogi Bear. She speaks with a pronounced Southern accent, and carries a parasol....
(voiced by Julie Bennett).
Pixie & Dixie and Mr. Jinks
Pixie (voiced by Don MessickDon Messick
Donald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
) and Dixie (voiced by Daws Butler
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...
) are two mice who every day end up being chased by a cat named Mr. Jinks (voiced by Daws Butler
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...
impersonating Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
).
Hokey Wolf
Hokey Wolf (voiced by Daws ButlerDaws Butler
Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...
impersonating Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers was an American entertainer and comedy actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah." He is best known for starring in The Phil Silvers Show, a 1950s sitcom set on a U.S...
) is a con-artist
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
wolf who is always trying to cheat his way to the simple life (much like other Hanna-Barbera characters, Top Cat
Top Cat
Top Cat is a Hanna-Barbera prime time animated television series which ran from September 27, 1961 to April 18, 1962 for a run of 30 episodes on the ABC network. Reruns are played on Cartoon Network's classic animation network Boomerang.-History:...
and Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear is a fictional bear who appears in animated cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera Productions. 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...
). He is accompanied in this by his diminutive, bowler hat
Bowler hat
The bowler hat, also known as a coke hat, derby , billycock or bombin, is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown originally created in 1849 for the English soldier and politician Edward Coke, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester...
-wearing sidekick Ding-A-Ling Wolf (voiced by Doug Young
Doug Young (voice actor)
Douglas "Doug" Young is an American voice actor who has worked on radio programs and in animated cartoons.-Career:Early in his career, Young appeared in classic radio shows including The Cisco Kid, The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Red Ryder, and The Whistler...
impersonating Buddy Hackett
Buddy Hackett
Buddy Hackett was an American comedian and actor.-Early life:Hackett was born in Brooklyn, New York, New York, the son of a Jewish upholsterer. He grew up on 54th and 14th Ave in Borough Park, Brooklyn, across from Public School 103...
).
Reception
In 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's, Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) briefly dons a mask of Huckleberry. The name for Rock et Belles OreillesRock et Belles Oreilles
Rock et Belles Oreilles, often referred to as R.B.O., was a Québécois radio and television comedy group that was very popular in the essentially French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec during the 1980s. Its name was a pun on the name of the famous Hanna-Barbera blue dog character Huckleberry...
, a Québécois
Quebec French
Quebec French , or Québécois French, is the predominant variety of the French language in Canada, in its formal and informal registers. Quebec French is used in everyday communication, as well as in education, the media, and government....
comedy group popular during the 1980s, was a pun on the name of Huckleberry Hound ("Roquet Belles Oreilles" in French).
Australian prison slang vernacular includes "huckleberry hound", a term originated in the 1960s, meaning "a punishment cell, solitary confinement."
In January 2009, IGN named The Huckleberry Hound Show as the 63rd best in its "Top 100 Animated TV Shows".
DVD release
On , Warner Home VideoWarner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
released The Huckleberry Hound Show - Vol. 1 for the Hanna-Barbera classics collection
Hanna-Barbera Classics Collection
The Hanna-Barbera Classics Collection is a series of two-to-four-disc DVD box sets from Warner Bros.' home video unit Warner Home Video, usually containing seasons and complete series of various classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon shows...
, featuring the complete first series of 26 episodes from the series on DVD. The other remaining 43 episodes are yet to be released.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Huckleberry Hound Show - Volume 1 The complete first season | 26 | November 15, 2005 |
|
Licensing
The characters from The Huckleberry Hound Show spawned various product, publishing, and other licensing deals.No later than 1961, the characters began appearing "in person" at events across America. Hanna Barbera commissioned costumed characters of Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, and Quick Draw McGraw, which appeared at events like the Florida State Fair
Florida State Fair
The Florida State Fair is held annually at the bugger Florida State Fairgrounds near Tampa. The official state fair of Florida, it includes indoor and outdoor exhibits, rides and shows. It is a chance for the state to showcase its agricultural industry. The Fair also offers competitions and food...
. Hanna-Barbera owner Taft Broadcasting
Taft Broadcasting
The Taft Broadcasting Company, also known as Taft Television and Radio Company, Incorporated, was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio....
started opening theme parks in 1972, beginning with Kings Island
Kings Island
Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...
. These parks included areas themed to the company's cartoons, and included walk-around characters of Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, and others. The characters were also featured on rides, including carousels.
Licensed Huckleberry products included a Aladdin
Aladdin
Aladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
-brand Thermos
Thermos
Thermos may refer to:* A vacuum flask generically known as a "thermos"* a brand of domestic vacuum flask made by Thermos L.L.C.* Thermos , an ancient Greek city, the capital city of the Aetolian League...
.
Books based on the show include:
- Huckleberry Hound Christmas, P. Scherr, Golden Press, 25 cents.
- Huckleberry Hound: The Case of the Friendly Monster, Ottenheimer Publishers, 1978, 96 pages.
Production credits
- Produced and Directed by: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera
- Voices: Daws Butler, Don Messick
- Story: Warren Foster
- Story Director: Alex Lovy
- Titles: Lawrence Goble
- Musical Director: Hoyt Curtin
- Production Supervision: Howard Hanson
- Associate Producer: Alan Dinehart
- Animation: Kenneth Muse, Lewis Marshall, Carlo Vinci, Dick Lundy, George Nicholas, Don Patterson
- Layout: Dick Bickenbach, Walt Clinton
- Backgrounds: Art Lozzi, Robert Gentle
- Huckleberry Hound © Copyright MCMLVIII Hanna-Barbera Productions
- A Hanna-BarberaHanna-BarberaHanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
Production - A Screen Gems Film Presentation
- Television Subsidiary: Columbia Pictures Corporation
International broadcast
Chile-
- Canal 13Canal 13 (Chile)Canal 13 , is the second oldest television station in Chile. It is owned by Luksic Group associated with the Papal Catholic University of Chile. Its inaugural transmission took place on August 21, 1959...
- RED TV
- Canal 13
See also
- Huckleberry HoundHuckleberry HoundThe Huckleberry Hound Show is a 1958 syndicated animated series and the second from Hanna-Barbera following The Ruff & Reddy Show, sponsored by Kellogg's. Three segments were included in the program: one featuring Huckleberry Hound; another starring Yogi Bear and his sidekick Boo Boo; and a third...
- List of works produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions
- The Yogi Bear ShowThe Yogi Bear ShowThe Yogi Bear Show is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions about a fast-talking picnic basket stealing bear named Yogi. The show debuted in syndication on January 30 and ran for 33 episodes until December 30 in 1961 and included two segments, Snagglepuss and Yakky...
- Pixie and Dixie and Mr. JinksPixie and Dixie and Mr. JinksPixie & Dixie and Mr. Jinks is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon that featured as a regular segment of the television series The Huckleberry Hound Show from 1958 to 1962.-History:...
- Hokey WolfHokey WolfHokey Wolf is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon about the adventures of a con-artist wolf who is always trying to cheat his way into the simple life...
External links
- Huckleberry Hound's Toonopedia entry
- The Huckleberry Hound Show at Toon Tracker
- The Big Cartoon Database – Informational site and episode guides on The Huckleberry Hound Show.
- The Cartoon Scrapbook – Information and details on Huckleberry Hound.