Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Hey there! It's Yogi Bear!

Like many children, the first movie I saw was animated, and like those of my generation, it was a Disney film, "Snow White." My mother says it totally freaked me out (she used different words, same idea.) I can remember a few -- "Cinderella," "Sleeping Beauty," "Tales of the South," to name a few, but mostly my animation memories, what I have, are of television. One of the key television producers of animation were William Hanna and Joe Barbera, Hanna-Berbera. They brought us Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Ruff and Ready, the Flintstones and the Jetsons, among others.


The second exhibit at the Norman Rockwell Museum was a tribute to Hanna-Barbera. It included many original animation cells, sketches and related products.


Did you have any favorites? I always liked Pixie and Dixie, the crazy mice who were pals of Huckleberry Hound.


For that matter, I enjoyed Huckleberry Hound himself. The cell below and the original sketches are both on display.


Here's a closer look.


Top Cat was another favorite. The cells are still vibrantly colorful.


When I think of Tom and Jerry, I often think of Jerry the Mouse dancing with Gene Kelly in "Anchors Away." But they were pretty big daytime stars, too.


Again, the original sketches appeal to me almost more than the finished cells because you can follow the thought process.


And then there was Rough and Reddy.


I never watched them but now I wish I had!


Of course, there were the Flintstones, with family comedy of the Stone Age and the Jetsons, the family of the future. I loved the Flintstones most.


They also were one of the earlier users of merchandising for movies -- toys, dolls, games... those were on display, too.


Of course, it all goes back to Yogi and Boo Boo. Yogi was a breakout character from the Huckleberry Hound series. He was one of several characters who had a collar and this was not only a character enchancement but a time saver for the animators. The collar let the animators keep the body static but the head was redrawn to indicate movement or speech. In doing so, they cut cut the number of drawings needed for a seven minute cartoon by 12,000. (Yes, not a typo. 12,000.) Yogi's nemesis was Mr. Ranger and his pal, Boo Boo. Considering himself "smarter than the average bear," he had a great fondness for snitching pic-a-nic baskets from campers.



 Anyone ready for a picnic?


And in case these images have reminded you of days gone by, enjoy!

29 comments:

Joanne Huffman said...

I have fond memories of my family gathered around our one tv watching cartoons - Saturday morning for my brother and me and night time enjoyment of the "adult" cartoons (Flintstones and Jetsons) with my mom and dad.

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Oh gosh, I loved Yogi Bear and his pic-a-nik basket!!

Jams said...

My sons company makes video games. He says the artist are amazing. I can't imagine how laborious and Time consuming The work must be. I loved chip and dale the little chipmunks. Fantasia scared the devil out of me. Excuse the typos. I'm using audio to write this on my phone. Sorry. Fascinating post.

Valerie-Jael said...

Thanks for the happy memories of days gone by, when it was such a treat to see those characters. I'm singing Flintstones song right now. Glad you enjoyed your visit there. Hugs, Valerie

Sandra Cox said...

Now that takes me back!

My name is Erika. said...

Wow- what a memory post for me. I remember all these characters! And I have the Dino the dinosaur toy in my garage. It even works still. Yup, the Flintstones were one of my go to shows as a kid. Thanks for sharing these fun memories. Hugs-Erika

Mary Rose's said...

Oh, this is so good, Jeanie - thank you!

As I recall, the Flintstones aired Friday nights in the market I lived in. We four kids would jam ourselves into the comfy couch downstairs in the rec room (it was the 60s, of COURSE we had a rec room. Knotty pine paneling and all!) and watch the show in color. Mom made us bowls of popcorn and poured single glasses of red Hawaiian Punch to occupy us for a half-hour while she called her mom on the upstairs extension.

WOW, that memory is like a beach wave, almost knocking me down while it makes me laugh. I wonder if Hawaiian Punch is still around ...

XOXOXO
Maryanne in SC

Bonnie said...

I loved all of these cartoons. That's been a while back for sure.
Glad you had an enjoyable visit at the museum.

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

You took me down memory lane during my most precious time. OH HOW I LOVED YOGI!!!!! But my favorite, I don't believe was Hannah-Barbara: FELIX THE CAT! Remember him?

Deb said...

Fun post, Jeanie. I LOVED The Flintstones.

Marilyn Miller said...

I grew up in a house without a television, but somehow I remember all of these characters and cartoons. How fun to see the artwork and cells. I have a DVD of a bunch of old Tom and Jerry cartoons and D loves watching them on my computer.

BeachGypsy said...

well this post sure brings back some fun memories! I was raised on the Flintstones and I loved the Jetsons too! Also watched ALOT OF pink panther (still LOVE THAT THEME SONG! LOL) and yogi bear and so many others. The "oldies but goodies". LOL I think the first actual movies I saw were Mary Poppins and the Jungle Book.

Lisbeth said...

Wonderful. Don't we all love them!

Little Wandering Wren said...

I do have fond memories of Tom and Jerry for sure! How great the museum has the pictures displayed on a blue wall same as your blog pages!
Have a happy week
Wren x

The French Hutch said...

Oh yes, I remember most of these. I think my favorite tv cartoon when I was a kid was Tom and Jerry. The first movie I remember was WD's Bambi and I cried all the way home and remember my dad being upset that I was upset! Disney movies were always my favorite. I would enjoy this exhibit, I love sketches from favorite artist. I saw early sketches in London of Beatrix Potter, one of my favorites. Thanks for a walk down memory lane Jeanie.....

shoreacres said...

Can you believe I don't have memories of watching any of these shows? I think I probably am just enough older than I'd moved beyond Saturday morning cartoons by the time these came along. My memories are all of Howdy Doody, and Lamb Chop, and Gerald McBoingBoing -- created by Dr. Seuss before he was Dr. Seuss! But what a great exhibit.

Now, the films were something else. Bambi, Fantasia, Snow White, Dumbo -- those may be emblazoned on my memory forever! The bucket brigade in Fantasia still scares me when I think of it.


our life in france said...

Oh what a blast from the past, I loved them all and still watched them with my children, I couldnt believe that in UK they said Tom and Jerry was too violent but not the Road Runner, seems futile now when you think what they display on our screens, thanks for taking me back to a happier time x

Preppy Empty Nester said...

Talk about a trip down memory lane. I grew up with all these cartoons. Have a great week, dear Jeanie.

Mary K. said...

So many childhood memories with these cartoons. How can I possibly pick a favorite when they are so closely entwined with my childhood. I will say that I watched the Flintstones faithfully and I aways got a laugh out of Yogi bear!

La Table De Nana said...

The cartoons of my youth:) Such great memories..what fun for you!

Lynne said...

Great recap post Jeanie . .
I am a strange one, in that cartoon characters never "caught me" in my heart . . .
I do remember early teaching days, vinyl records, and singing songs with my "kindergarten littles. "
Sevens Dwarfs . . . I enjoyed . . . Snow White, not as much but I loved those dwarfs!
I was trying to remember songs to sing with my little great granddaughter yesterday . . .
The only thing I could think of was a song I made up and played on the piano.
Dickke Dickke Derry . . . fond memories of those days, the littles marching, singing along with me.
My youngest grandson, (now 18) . . . loved Scoopy Do . . .
I have the best picture of him. He wanted a certain pillow with Scoopy Do . . .
He received it for a birthday and the picture is a treasure . . .
I will send you the pic.

Eilis@MyHeartLivesHere said...

I remember my younger brother eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in front of Yogi Bear every lunchtime. My favorite was the Jetsons. Imagine being able to talk to people on phones with screens to see their faces! Funny enough, my husband's best friend always called him George because he looks like George Jetson.

Sandra Cox said...

I was a Tom and Jerry, and Roadrunner fan:)

Jemma@athomewithjemma said...

This was delightful Jeanie! Oh yes, I do remember them all very well! Such gleeful joy that accompanied me while watching these animated characters on our mulit-color velvet sofa.
The very best of times and Huckleberry Hound was my all time favorite!
Jemma

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Good grief, Jeanie. I feel like I missed out on my formative years, because I never saw any of these. I certainly enjoyed the photos and the various characters, though. Why do I feel like I was born too late and lived in a bubble?

Arti said...

O just wonderful! Hand-drawn animation will soon become extinct, a lost art. I remember watching these cartoons, yes while still in HK! Thanks for sharing a bit of nostalgia with us, Jeanie!

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

Dang, that really puts things in perspective when you note that keeping the body unchanged cuts the # of drawings by 12,000!!! :O That's crazy! What a cool exhibit. I kind of miss the simplicity of the old cartoons. My nephews were on a Tom and Jerry kick for awhile when they were young, which was cool to see. I hadn't heard of most of these cartoons as I grew up in the Muppets and Garfield age, but these all look so fun - especially the one with the Paris tie in!

Mike@Bit About Britain said...

Fabulous memories - "Smarter than the average bear, heyheyhey". What's not to like, Boo Boo? Curiously, Top Cat currently features in a TV ad for some financial company or other over here.

Victoria Zigler said...

This post sure brings back memories! I agree that The Flintstones were better than The Jetsons. I enjoyed both, but if I had to pick between them The Flintstones would win hands down. Also, Yogi Bear was a great cartoon!

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