Sing along with his best known theme song. For those that don’t know the words, here ya go.
Yogi Bear is smarter than the average bear,
Yogi Bear is always in the ranger’s hair.
At a picnic table you will find him there
Stuffing down more goodies than the average bear.
He will sleep till noon but before it’s dark,
He’ll have every picnic basket that’s in Jellystone Park.
Yogi has it better than a millionaire
That’s because he’s smarter than the average bear.
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Many may not know that the above wasn’t original theme song … but this one is
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Yogi Bear is #36 on TV Guide’s Greatest Cartoon Characters of All-Time (Personally, he should be higher)
Created by William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, Ed Benedict
First voiced by Daws Butler
Yogi Bear featured in 10 shows, 13 films and specials, 10 video games, 88 comic books, and, comic strip (1961-19880 created by Gene Hazelton
He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in The Huckleberry Hound Show
Three years later (January 1961), The Yogi Bear Show debuts, which included segments Snagglepuss, Fibber Fox, Yakky Doodle and Chopper
Lives in Jellystone Park
Characters include Boo-Boo Bear (best friend), Ranger Smith (rival/friend), and Cindy Bear (girlfriend)
First appearance in his own show: watch Yogi Bear’s Big Break
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Yogi’s personality and mannerisms were based on Art Carney’s Ed Norton character on The Honeymooners
A musical animated feature film, Hey There, It’s Yogi Bear!, produced in 1964.
Yogi by the Ivy Three (1960), sung in a voice mimicking Yogi Bear, and reached reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 (must have been a slow music period)
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Speech
Often speaks in rhyme
Often uses puns in his speech
Has a habit of pronouncing large words with a long vocal flourish
Yogisms
- pic-a-nic baskets
- Pic-a-nic baskets may be delicious on the lips, but they’re a lifetime on the hips.
- I’m smarter than the av-er-age bear!
- Hello, Mr. Ranger, sir!
- Hey there, Boo Boo!
- I’m so smart that it hurts.
- What do we do, Boo-Boo?
- A genius never questions his instincts, Boo-Boo. When you have a mind like mine, you can’t blink or you’ll put a kink in your think!
- I’m hungrier than the average bear. I wish I could find a bush that tasted like birthday cake!
Yogi Bear: [On the Ranger’s phone] Hello? Hello? Is this the White House?
Ranger Smith: Yogi!
Yogi Bear: Hey, the President knows my name.
Ranger Smith: [showing a “Do Not Feed The Bears” sign to Yogi] Read this sign.
Yogi Bear: [deliberately reading incorrectly] Uh, “No Smoking In The Forest”?
Here are two tributes to Yogi Bear
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Meanwhile, it’s time for me to take a break. See you in a few … and hopefully not too long. Be safe, be well, do good work, and hope to see you soon.
Did enjoy this post…
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Bulldog,
I assume no bears in the Kalahari. 😉
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I love Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo–thanks for this wonderful walk down memory lane–I am coming back later to watch the clips. My husband is in the other room saying–Are you on that evil laptop again?
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LouAnn,
Yogi is an upper-tier classic! … and yep, back on the laptop, but a later start than normal.
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“What do we do, Boo-Boo?” is one of my faves!!!!!!
Made me a happy Saturday!
Happy weekend, Frank!
🙂
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Marina,
Good one … thanks for the reminder! Enjoy your Saturday.
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Oh, I do love Yogi.
But, Boo-Boo? I’ll miss you!
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Elyse,
Cheers to another Yogi fan!
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Loved the Ivy Three, even still have the original 45.
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Hansi,
Wow … and I never heard of it until I found this … and to find someone here with the 45! Just another example of blogs being a wonderful thing.
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Loved watching Yogi bear when I was a kid 🙂
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Colline,
And the kid lives in you today! 🙂
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“Boo boo, get me that pic-a-nic basket!” If you could hear me say that you would be (marginally) impressed, because I like to think I do a pretty mean Yogi voice. You’ll just have to take my word for it…
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Carrie,
Something for me to remember if we ever meet. But if not, I do take your word!
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Nice post Frank.
I always liked Yogi but never could stand Boo-Boo.
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Doggy,
No problem … just like life, as not everyone is liked by everyone.
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loved this. I could hear Yogi all the way through
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Unfetter,
Glad Yogi brought you smiles on this day!
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I remember watching Yogi with my dad, and how cool to be reminded of that on this cold drizzly Saturday morning!
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Alex,
Cartoons are good any day, but especially on a cold, drizzly Saturday morning … well, especially when several cups of the warm bean has traveled the alimentary canal.
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Which you know it has by now 🙂
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Yep …. and Shiner Bach time can now my anytime.
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Reminds me of sitting on the floor with my two brothers munching on cheerios.
Love Yogi Bear!
Thanks Frank!
Red
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Good Morning Seattle,
Glad to hear that Yogi was a good start for this day!
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Yogi Bear, he is a very cool bear …. That last video is great – if you don’t get feed … you fix it yourself. Ages since I saw Yogi Bear, we have a yoghurt called Yogi over here, don’t think it got its name after Yogi – because he are not that well-known over here. Thanks for bringing back .. feeling good moments.
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Viveka,
I imagine Yogi Bear is an international star … so thanks for confirming that. 🙂
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One of the classics and one of my favs. Yogi always impressed me, not so much Boo-Boo. Although I guess we have have our Boo-Boos, in fact I’ve been known to say that line more than a few time – “What are we gonna do, Boo-Boo”.
Interesting about The Honeymooners connection. It’s a sad day you don’t learn something!
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Fasab,
I imagine many used Yogi lines in their time … and The Honeymooners connection also surprised me.
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Once again, an excellent cartoon post, Frank. I never heard of the Ivy Three, either, and feel like a better woman for that. That truly was a slow music period. Good thing that the Beatles came to the rescue a few years later. Considering that Hanna Barbera’s style of animation was so low budget, especially as I reflect on their overuse of the looping scenery technique, I think the reason why I enjoyed their cartoons so much as a kid was the storylines. As a youngster I loved Yogi, and I thought Boo Boo was cute. Now, as an oldster, I still feel a tad nostalgic about those characters. Are you aware of this brilliant CG parody of Boo Boo killing Yogi? I’m not going to embed the YouTube link on your gentlemanly site, but I am embedding a link where you can read the backstory and access the link to the film. Trust me, it’s brilliant.
http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/12/14/yogi-bear-parody-jesse-james/
Have a good break, buddy. I look forward to your return.
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Lame,
I would say that people are attracted to characters and story lines – thus the animation quality is secondary – although I acknowledge it can be in reverse for some.
Meanwhile, I never knew about the parody you mentioned – then again, I never saw the movie. It is brilliant – but a tad sad.
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Definitely a favourite for a LONG time. Hope all goes well, and hurry back, ’cause your absence will be hard to bear! “Will he be back soon, Yogi? Of course, Boo-Boo boy, ’cause he’s smarter than the av-er-age Frank!” 😀
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John,
Ahhhh …. another Yogi fan! Meanwhile, breaks are good – but I can say that I just can’t go yet. 😉
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I loved reading the other comments. I think we all really liked Yogi and Boo-Boo. I am sure if asked to name a few favorite cartoons Yogi would be among the top. The song by the Ivy Three is so funny. I never heard that before! I enjoyed singing the song, too. 🙂
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Debra,
Yogi is very likely, thus loved by many – contrary to Olive Oyl last week as some weren’t fond of her. Meanwhile, as neither one of us heard of the Ivy Three song, our buddy Hansi still has the 45!!!
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I am so sorry to hear that Olive Oyl wasn’t universally popular. I so loved her. Maybe it was her whining and worrying that many men don’t take to! 🙂 But Hansi having the 45 is so fabulous. I would love to know what possessed him to buy it in the first place and then to hold on to it? I’m really amused by this! Thank you for telling me!
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Interestingly, of the readers who gave negative comments about Olive, the majority were females … thus I figure they didn’t like her helpless nature.
Regarding Hansi, good questions …. I’ll have to let him know you asked.
BTW – on the Olive post, did you see that I gave you the cartoon with Olive singing, “Who’s that knocking at my door?” https://afrankangle.wordpress.com/2013/01/19/on-an-oyl-that-isnt-oil/
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I use to watch Yogi with my dad on Saturday mornings! Love Yogi, thanks for the memories.
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Val,
Alright! Cheers to taking you back to the glories of Saturday morning.
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Enjoy your break, Frank. Thanks for the post on Yogi…definitely enjoyed him as a kid.
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Cathy,
No doubt that Yogi was a big star at that time.
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Many a college drunken evening was spent with all of us talking in Yogi’s voice.
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Guapo,
Not only a great point, but probably an understatement!
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has there been a crappy CGI movie made of yogi yet?
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Who didn’t like trying to talk like Yogi and saying, “Boo-Boo!” We probably drove our parents nuts with all five of us kids making cartoon noises at the same time. 🙂 Thanks for another great post.
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Thanks for the flashback. I didn’t know Yogi’s mannerisms were based on Art Carney. That’s cool. Great blog.
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Teeny,
The Art Carney info is something that I also didn’t know, thus Yogi was fun to research.
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I like this Pop Quiz. What is Yogi Bear smarter than? Something that rhymes with Air! I don’t know, is Yogi Bear smarter than the average Asparagus? Does Asparagus rhyme with air? What are the lyrics to the song again?
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