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yogl Bear is a cartoon character who has appeared in numerous comic books, animated television shows and films. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in The Huckleberry Hound Show.
yogl Bear was the first breakout character created by Hanna-Barbera and was eventually more popular than Huckleberry Hound. In January 1961, he was given his own show, The yogl Bear Show, sponsored by Kellogg's, which included the segments Snagglepuss and Yakky Doodle. Hokey Wolf replaced his segment on The Huckleberry Hound Show. yogl is also the first television cartoon character to become a movie star in a musical animated feature film, Hey There, It's yogl Bear, produced in 1964.
yogl was one of several Hanna-Barbera characters to have a collar. This allowed animators to keep his body static, redrawing only his head in each frame when he spoke — a method that reduced the number of drawings needed for a seven-minute cartoon from around 14,000 to around 2,000.
Like many Hanna-Barbera characters, yogl's personality and mannerisms were based on a popular celebrity of the time. Art Carney's Ed Norton character on The Honeymooners was said to be yogl's inspiration; his voice mannerisms broadly mimic Carney as Norton. Norton, in turn, received influence from the Borscht Belt and comedians of vaudeville.
yogl's name was similar to that of contemporary baseball star yogl Berra, who was known for his amusing quotes, such as "half the lies they tell about me aren't true." Berra sued Hanna-Barbera for defamation, but their management claimed that the similarity of the names was just a coincidence. Berra withdrew his suit, but the defense was considered implausible. At the time yogl Bear first hit TV screens, yogl Berra was a household name.
The plot of most of yogl's cartoons centered on his antics in the fictional Jellystone Park, a variant of the real Yellowstone National Park. yogl, accompanied by his constant companion Boo-Boo Bear, would often try to steal picnic baskets from campers in the park, much to the displeasure of Park Ranger Smith. yogl's girlfriend, Cindy Bear, sometimes appeared and usually disapproved of yogl's antics.
Catchphrases[]
Besides often speaking in rhyme, yogl Bear had a number of catchphrases, including his pet name for picnic baskets ("pic-a-nic baskets") and his favorite self-promotion ("I'm smarter than the av-er-age bear!"), although he often overestimates his own cleverness. Another characteristic of yogl was his deep and silly voice. He often greets the ranger with a cordial, "Hello, Mr. Ranger, sir!" and "Hey there, Boo Boo!" as his preferred greeting to his sidekick, Boo Boo. yogl would also often use puns in his speech, and had a habit of pronouncing large words with a long vocal flourish.
Analysis[]
Animation historian Christopher P. Lehman considers the original concept of the yogl Bear series to contain political symbolism relative to its era of production. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, racial segregation in the United States was still legally enforced, people were confined to living in their designated social "place", and attempts to venture outside it came with serious consequences. yogl also has a designated social place, restricted to spending his life in Jellystone Park, under an overseer in the form of a White park ranger.
yogl is living in social confinement, but tries to take advantage of his situation. People come to the Park to have picnics and bring with them picnic baskets. yogl resorts to theft, stealing the picnic baskets, and enjoying their contents. yogl's habitual criminality and preoccupation with his own nourishment and survival are not portrayed as negative traits. He is depicted as a sympathetic protagonist.
yogl never actually challenges the social hierarchy of the Park, does not seriously challenge the authority of the ranger over him, and does not seek more autonomy in his life. Lehman contrasts yogl's acceptance of the way things are with the activists of the series' contemporary Civil Rights Movement who did challenge the way things were. They wanted to move beyond their designated place and integrate into wider society. The press and politicians of the time were portraying these activists as radicals and opposed their efforts.
Official Description[]
Development[]
Voice[]
From the time of the character's debut until 1988, yogl was voiced by voice actor Daws Butler. Butler died in 1988; his last performance as yogl was in the television film yogl and the Invasion of the Space Bears.
After Butler's death, Greg Burson stepped in to perform the role (Butler had taught Burson personally how to voice yogl as well as his other characters). Greg Burson died in 2008.
Jeff Bergman and Billy West also performed the character throughout the 1990s and early 2000s for various Cartoon Network commercials and bumpers.
In the yogl Bear film, the character is voiced by actor Dan Aykroyd.
In the animated stop motion sketch comedy show Robot Chicken created by Seth Green, Dan Milano voiced yogl Bear.
Scott Innes performed the voice yogl along with Boo Boo in At Picnic, Forest, and Honey Lesson.
