On One Smart Bear

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.