Looking for a Yogi episode...Help!

[Zen Man]

This one has been racking my brain for awhile but does anyone remember a particular Yogi episode where Jellystone Park receives a bear from Japan? I think the bear's name is Yo-Yo or something and he becomes obsessed with picnic baskets and Yogi winds up taking the blame for his mischief.

Can someone help?

[STARTOUNZ]

I'm not sure, but it might have been one of the shorts from The New Yogi Bear Show from the '80s. A pair of pandas (from China, BTW) were on tour and stopped over at Jellystone Park, where Yogi felt they were tired of touring and wanted to be free. So with a little paint job, Yogi pulls off a switcheroo, disguising them as brown bears, which enables them to steal picnic baskets Yogi-style, while he and Boo Boo took their place and they end up going on a slow boat to China.

[Steve Carras]

Originally Posted by STARTOUNZ

I'm not sure, but it might have been one of the shorts from The New Yogi Bear Show from the '80s. A pair of pandas (from China, BTW) were on tour and stopped over at Jellystone Park, where Yogi felt they were tired of touring and wanted to be free. So with a little paint job, Yogi pulls off a switcheroo, disguising them as brown bears, which enables them to steal picnic baskets Yogi-style, while he and Boo Boo took their place and they end up going on a slow boat to China.

No, it's from one of the 1960 episodes. A very rare (even back then) use of a non-Mexican stereotype in HB (Latino being the only stereotypes usually used...a Pixie and Dixie "Judo Jack" and FLinstones "Prwoler" being the only olther HB episodes I knwo to use a post=-WWII Japanese stereotypes, which actually could be done then in those days, though these were in a post-WW2 context.) IT had a "nice" Japanese bear who then borrows Yogi's habits. The ranger and Yogi forgive him even tually. I forgot the title.

[Still HowardFein]

Originally Posted by Steve Carras

No, it's from one of the 1960 episodes. A very rare (even back then) use of a non-Mexican stereotype in HB (Latino being the only stereotypes usually used...I forgot the title.

The title is Yogi's Pest Guest, one of the seventeen Hoyt Curtin-scored Yogi episodes. This episode may have been pulled from circulation after the 1988-90 syndicated revival; I don't remember ever seeing it repeated on Nick or CN/TNT. Of course, it is included in WHV's complete YOGI BEAR SHOW DVD.

The venerable "ah-so" Asian cartoon stereotype may not have been used that much by H-B, but it did endure until at least 1970. The second season SCOOBY-DOO WHERE ARE YOU episode Mystery Mask Mix-up has the two buffoons momentarily disguising as Chinese waiters- complete with buck teeth, slant eyes and mangled syntax- to thwart the bad guys. "Werrcome to Shag and Scoob's haunted Chinese lestaulant, whele the ghosts eat the most. Speciarty of the house: spale lib a ra mode with chocorate sauce." The laugh track heartily approves of the burlesque doings.

Likewise, a PENELOPE PITSTOP episode Bad Fortune in a Chinese Fortune Cookie has the Claw disguising as "famous detective Charlie Chung", with Paul Lynde providing the expected ridiculous speech patterns that fool only the very gullible star character. In addition, after typical Anthill Mob slapstick (falling from the roof of their car after getting tangled in a banner and each winding up 'wearing' a letter of said banner), they utter a unison "Werrcome to Chinatown, Clyde", and jump around while making gutteral 'Chinese' sounds.

Since the whole DOO franchise evolved into what amounted to a global travelogue- especially in the early ABC/pre-Scrappy years- some stereotyping could almost be expected, especially with hippie and hound doing their disguise bit as indicated above. I recall the Scandanavian-set 1977 season premiere The Ghost is Awake in Bottomless Lake has a 'masseuse' gag. Plenty of "yoompin' yiminy"s and "I betcha"s, to be sure.

What's interesting is that all of these shenanigans are enacted not by 'real' Asian characters, but by series regulars offering their comedic interpretations. The Chinese villians in SCOOBY-DOO- not to mention the ultraserious JONNY QUEST- are played rather realistically, which enhances their menacing qualities. JOSIE, another 'globetrotting' adventure, seldom indulged in any antics indigent in the episode's locale- aside from maybe a temperamental French chef. Secret Squirrel and Atom Ant may have had one episode each devoted to fighting a comedically Asian villian. Oh yes, Paw Rugg encountered a Japanese bear very similar (glasses, buck teeth, Don Messick voice) to the one that inspired this thread.

THE AMAZING CHAN CLAN was initially met with a lot of heat from purists and Asian-American watchdog groups, but the kids really don't evoke what could be considred Asian stereotypes with the possible exception of Tom (the stock bespectacled 'teenaged brainy nerd' character) and Alan (the stock bespectacled 'teenaged hi-tech nerd' character). Some of the voices were performed by Asian-American actors, including Robert Ito (later familiar playing a variety of one-shot characters on M*A*S*H) as perpetually exasperated eldest sib Henry.

Other animation houses more freely indulged in Asian-stereotype gags during the sixties and seventies. Ed Graham's LINUS THE LIONHEARTED anthology has a sequence based on a young Chinese boy named So-Hi who was the mascot for Post's Rice Krinkles cereal. (Likewise, every segment in the show was based on a Post mascot- probably one of many potential reasons the show has never been rerun or released on home video. ) KFS' BEATLES put the boys in various foreign locales in various episodes, with the Japanese and Hawaiian stereotypes particularly scathing. Filmation's WILL THE REAL JERRY LEWIS PLEASE SIT DOWN showcased his various alter egos, one of whom was detective Hong Kong Flewis(?). And of course, there's DFE's theatrical Blue Racer series, whose nemesis Japanese Beetle lived up to expectations. Until a recent short-lived stint under Boomerang's Pink Panther umbrella, this was the only DFE series never rerun on Saturday AM, syndication or cable.

And let's not forget UPA's simultaneous 1960-61 unveiling of Joe Jitsu and Cholly, Mr. 'Magloo's' houseboy. The recent Complete TV Magoo DVD thankfully retains some of Cholly's original dialogue- as opposed to his heavily neutrered voice re-edited for 1980s-era reruns on USA.

As Steve stated, Mexicans remained comic fodder for years in H-B cartoons. Baba Looey, who was actually Quick Draw's voice of reason, never appeared in most 'classic reunion' series or specials of later decades. Many Ricochet Rabbit episodes guest starred Mexican banditos (taking advantage of Mel Blanc's stock characterization heard in many Speedy Gonzales cartoons).

The Flintstones did spend one episode in Acapulcorock', with all the expected ethnic accoutrements. Throughout the series' run funny Irish cops, Italian waiters, Brooklynese gun molls appeared frequently. An episode even revolved around Swedish musicians! (containing the oft-quoted "He is Olle; You are Sven") The fact that these were prehistoric times didn't deter the writers.

And virtually every comedic character had a run in with, or disguised as Heap-Big Injuns.

[Eric B]

Originally Posted by Still HowardFein

The venerable "ah-so" Asian cartoon stereotype may not have been used that much by H-B, but it did endure until at least 1970. The second season SCOOBY-DOO WHERE ARE YOU episode Mystery Mask Mix-up has the two buffoons momentarily disguising as Chinese waiters- complete with buck teeth, slant eyes and mangled syntax- to thwart the bad guys. "Werrcome to Shag and Scoob's haunted Chinese lestaulant, whele the ghosts eat the most. Speciarty of the house: spale lib a ra mode with chocorate sauce." The laugh track heartily approves of the burlesque doings.

I often worry if they are ever going to start going after stuff like this. The icing on the cake was the even more racially exaggerated "dumb" face they make after they stick out their tongues, as if just to show off the stereotype even more.

If they hadn't overdone the caricatures (like all the blackface, w/big lips in the past), there would be less offense in these gags, and perhaps no issue over them.

Since the whole DOO franchise evolved into what amounted to a global travelogue- especially in the early ABC/pre-Scrappy years- some stereotyping could almost be expected, especially with hippie and hound doing their disguise bit as indicated above. I recall the Scandanavian-set 1977 season premiere The Ghost is Awake in Bottomless Lake has a 'masseuse' gag. Plenty of "yoompin' yiminy"s and "I betcha"s, to be sure.

I don't quite remember all of that in that episode, but right int he middle of the first Scrappy season, you also had an episode in Japan. There weren't any insulting caricatures then. By that time, all of that was pretty much over.

[rodineisilveira]

São Paulo - SP, Brazil, February 1st, 2008 (Carnival begins here in Brazil today!).

Howie Fein,

Do you remember of an episode from Birdman (the classical series from 1967), where he faced a Chinese villain named Chang?
Very well. This villain was featured on a realistic way (no stereotypes), but talking with a Chinese accent.
This is a detail which you forgot including on your comments, OK?
Well, that's it!
Tchau!

Cheers from this faithful friend who always writes 4 U,

Rodinei Campos da Silveira (from São Paulo, Brazil)
You're always welcome!

"BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRDMAN!"

HANNA-BARBERA - 50 YEARS OF YOGI BEAR & HUCKLEBERRY HOUND



Attention, HB-fans! Enjoy to visit the Hanna-Barbera official site (http://hanna-barbera.com) and have some fun!

IN MEMORIAN OF WILLIAM HANNA & JOSEPH BARBERA

[cyde]

I remember Yo Yo the Japanese goodwill bear. That fella was running saying "Pikanik basket!!" stealing food.

[Zen Man]

Whew...thanks a lot guys.

That episode was a pretty amusing if stereotypical. I can imagine them banning it.