Sunday, February 23, 2014

Rein-Toon-Ation: The New Yogi Bear Show (1988)

Yogi Bear returned in 1988, the 3rd Hanna-Barbera revival in 4 years, but this one didn't take quite as well. If I'm not mistaken, Yogi replaced The Jetsons in weekday syndication.

This time, Yogi is back at Jellystone Park, joined, of course, by Boo Boo (Don Messick) and back under the supervision of Ranger Smith (Messick). Greg Burson was the new voice of Yogi, as Daws Butler had passed on after the conclusion of Yogi's Treasure Hunt. Cindy Bear returned as well, as she hadn't been seen in some time. Added to the mix was Blubber Bear, from Wacky Races, and a long ways away from his home in Arkansas.

The producers also gave Yogi a new enemy in this series in Ninja Raccoon, who appeared in a small handful of episodes. Unfortunately, only 1 season was produced, which would suggest that Yogi's popularity was waning, and this "solo" series was a replacement for Treasure Hunt as well. Of course, Yogi would get one more series, the abysmal Yo, Yogi!, which recast him as a juvenile in 1991.

I didn't see enough of this series to merit a legitimate rating. For now, here's the intro:

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