Yogi's Treasure Hunt

Summary

Yogi's Treasure Hunt is an American animated television series and the fifth entry in the Yogi Bear franchise produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. Featuring Yogi Bear and various other Hanna-Barbera characters,[1] it premiered in syndication in late 1985 as part of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera.[2] This is the last series to feature Daws Butler as the voice of Yogi Bear and his other characters before his death in 1988. It entirely used digital ink and paint across all three seasons, except its opening credits.

Yogi's Treasure Hunt
Genre
Directed by
Voices of
Theme music composer
Opening theme"Funtastic Treasure Hunt", performed by Jon Bauman & The Funtastic Singers from The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera
Ending theme"Funtastic Treasure Hunt" (Instrumental)
ComposerHoyt Curtin
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes27 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersWilliam Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Producers
EditorGil Iverson
Running time19 minutes approx.
Production companyHanna-Barbera Productions
Original release
NetworkFirst-run syndication
ReleaseSeptember 6, 1985 (1985-09-06) –
March 25, 1988 (1988-03-25)

Plot edit

Yogi and his friends are assigned by Top Cat to go on treasure hunts around the world.[3] They travel aboard their ship, the S.S. Jelly Roger. Dick Dastardly and Muttley travel on their ship, the S.S. Dirty Tricks, and try to beat Yogi and friends to the treasure by engaging in their usual dirty tricks.

Regular characters edit

Voice cast edit

Main voices edit

Additional voices edit

Episodes edit

Series overview edit

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
110September 6, 1985 (1985-09-06)November 8, 1985 (1985-11-08)
28November 7, 1986 (1986-11-07)January 16, 1987 (1987-01-16)
39November 6, 1987 (1987-11-06)March 25, 1988 (1988-03-25)

Season 1 (1985) edit

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleStory byOriginal air date
11"Riddle in the Middle of the Earth"George AtkinsSeptember 6, 1985 (1985-09-06)
Yogi and the gang sail on the SS Jelly Roger in search of "The Diamond Orb" located in the Earth's core.
22"Bungle in the Jungle"Tom RueggerSeptember 13, 1985 (1985-09-13)
Yogi's team sets out for an uncharted island off the coast of Africa where a treasure called "The Golden Gorilla" has the power to stop its volcano from erupting.
33"Countdown Drac"Alex Lovy
Chuck Couch
Earl Kress
September 20, 1985 (1985-09-20)
Top Cat sends the gang to Transylvania, where it is rumored to be the resting place of the vampire Count Dracula.
44"The Return of El Kabong"Earl KressSeptember 27, 1985 (1985-09-27)
Quick Draw goes back to his old crime-fighting identity of El Kabong, thus allowing him to get one up on the other teams and be the first to find the treasure, until Dastardly and Muttley show up.
55"Ole the Red Nose Viking"George AtkinsOctober 4, 1985 (1985-10-04)
Yogi and the boys find "The Chalice of Valhalla" in an old Viking settlement.
66"The Curse of Tutti-Frutti"John K. LudinOctober 11, 1985 (1985-10-11)
While hunting for "The Mummy Case of King Tutti-Frutti", Quick Draw, Snagglepuss and Doggie Daddy become possessed by a curse of greed and now everyone must find the treasure to reverse the spell.
77"Yogi and the Unicorn"Earl KressOctober 18, 1985 (1985-10-18)
Top Cat assigns the boys to travel to the Land of Fairy Tales in search for "The Mythical Gold Unicorn" and protect it from a mean greedy circus ringmaster named Happy Bing, as well as Dick Dastardly and Muttley.
88"The Case of the Hopeless Diamond"John K. LudinOctober 25, 1985 (1985-10-25)
Told by Snooper, the treasure the teams must find this time is "The Hopeless Diamond Ring", a possession of Lady Creampuff, but every time they seem to have found it, it turns out to be a fake. Simultaneously, Yogi is mistaken for a bear criminal resembling himself and gets arrested, leading the rest of the boys to help him get out.
99"Merlin's Lost Book of Magic"Tony Fuller
John K. Ludin
November 1, 1985 (1985-11-01)
While in London, Yogi and the gang search for "Merlin's Lost Book of Magic". Then Dick Dastardly and Muttley steal it so they can use it to try to get to the treasure first.
1010"Beverly Hills Flop"Earl KressNovember 8, 1985 (1985-11-08)
Top Cat sends the gang to Hollywood after a jewel statue named "The Emerald Flamingo", used in a movie of the same name.

Season 2 (1986–87) edit

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleStory byOriginal air date
111"Follow the Yellow Brick Gold"Jack Hanrahan
John K. Ludin
November 7, 1986 (1986-11-07)
Top Cat gives the gang clues in Ireland to look for "The Pot of Gold" to donate to a children's home, which is on the brink of financial crisis.
122"To Bee or Not to Bee"Peter Anderegg
Chuck Couch
November 14, 1986 (1986-11-14)
The gang arrives at Cindy Bear's Honey Farm, where they learn that Cindy's bees have mysteriously stopped honey production (Snooper states the bees are on "a 'permanent' coffee break"). Cindy's mortgage payment is almost due, and with no honey, Cindy has gone bankrupt and is at great risk of losing her farm. In order to save her farm from closing down, the gang looks for "The Pirate Treasure of Jacques Latoot".
133"Heavens to Planetoid"Gordon BressackNovember 21, 1986 (1986-11-21)
Yogi's crew ventures into deep space in search of "The Murgatroyd Ruby", which is actually the remains of what was once the planet Murgatroyd.
144"Beswitched, Buddha'd and Bewildered"John K. LudinDecember 5, 1986 (1986-12-05)
While in Japan, Dick Dastardly's latest contraption causes everyone to swap bodies, causing confusion and non-cooperation while trying to find "The Jade Buddha".
155"There's No Place Like Nome"Earl Kress
Tom Ruegger
December 12, 1986 (1986-12-12)
On the trail of "The Giant Gold Nugget" lost in Nome, Alaska, Yogi's team overcomes a town's chilly reception.
166"The Great American Treasure"John K. LudinJanuary 2, 1987 (1987-01-02)
Guest starring on The Good Night Show, Top Cat tells how he formed the treasure hunting team, in which Yogi and his team found out the great American treasure isn't actually treasure.
177"Huckle Hero"Tom RueggerJanuary 9, 1987 (1987-01-09)
When the teams get captured, it's up to Huckleberry (with the use of his new superhero alter ego, Huckle Hero) to save the day.
188"The Moaning Liza"George AtkinsJanuary 16, 1987 (1987-01-16)
In a parody of The Pink Panther, a criminal named the Pink Pussycat (who's identical to Snagglepuss) arrives and steals the painting The Moaning Liza from the Louvre Museum in Paris. Undercover Elephant holds a press conference where he announces that Yogi's Treasure Hunting Team is on the case.

Season 3 (1987–88) edit

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleWritten byOriginal air date
191"Snow White & the 7 Treasure Hunters"Earl Kress
John Ludin
Tom Ruegger
November 6, 1987 (1987-11-06)
Told in storybook-format by Chopper and Yakky Doodle, Yogi's crew protect Snow White from Dick Dastardly, Muttley, and the Evil Queen while her Seven Dwarfs are on vacation.
202"Yogi's Heroes"John K. LudinNovember 13, 1987 (1987-11-13)

Top Cat announces Dicaragua and Bearzil, two countries ruled by Dick Dastardly and Yogi, respectively, are on the brink of war. To make matters worse, the Crown Jewels of Bearzil have gone missing

Absent: Ranger Smith
213"The Attack of Dr. Mars"Charles M. Howell, IV
John Ludin
Tom Ruegger
November 20, 1987 (1987-11-20)

A female Martian, Dr. Mars, makes a special intergalactic guest appearance at the United Nations claiming the Earth will be destroyed... unless a treasure chest (which is really a time bomb), called "The Big Dipper Booty" (lost somewhere in Peru), is returned to her.

Absent: Ranger Smith
224"20,000 Leaks Under the Sea"Earl KressDecember 4, 1987 (1987-12-04)

The team searches for sunken treasure, while putting up with a snobby talk show host named Mike Walnuts, host of 16 Minutes.

Note: This episode is a parody of the CBS nightly news program 60 Minutes.
235"Goodbye, Mr. Chump"Wayne KaatzDecember 11, 1987 (1987-12-11)

Yogi and the gang are called in to save a college on the brink of financial crisis.

Absent: Ranger Smith
246"Yogi Bear on the Air"Reed Robbins
Earl Kress
February 5, 1988 (1988-02-05)

Top Cat informs the gang that the TV Zone's "Golden Transmitter" (which is used to air TV programs) has gone missing and goes on the hunt to find it.

Note: This episode features parodies of Hill Street Blues, Siskel & Ebert, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Star Trek, Star Wars and The Smurfs (a sister Hanna-Barbera series to Yogi's Treasure Hunt)
257"Yogi and the Beanstalk"Dan GilvezanFebruary 12, 1988 (1988-02-12)
Yogi and the gang find themselves in the story of Jack and the Beanstalk where they assist Hokey Wolf in rescuing a missing harp from a giant version of Peter Potamus while competing with Dick Dastardly and Muttley.
268"The Greed Monster"Story by : Tom Ruegger
Teleplay by : Wayne Kaatz
February 19, 1988 (1988-02-19)

Told through rhyme, Yogi and the gang depict how all the toys in the world disappear, mysterious flute music draws toys away from their homes to a distant planet.

Absent: Ranger Smith
279"Secret Agent Bear"Earl Kress
Kent Zbornak
March 25, 1988 (1988-03-25)

Yogi and friends are secret agents attempting to stop Dick Dastardly from discovering the Fountain of Youth and use its power to transform everyone on the planet into children. However, Dick crashes their boat, which flings them into the fountain and turns them into toddlers.

Absent: Ranger Smith

Note: The opening of this episode parodies the iconic opening of the James Bond movies.

Home media edit

Hanna-Barbera Home Video released the episodes "The Curse of Tutti-Frutti" (which is retitled "Raiders of the Lost and Found") "To Bee or Not to Bee", "Heavens to Planetoid", "There's No Place Like Nome", "The Moaning Liza" (which is retitled "The Search for the Moaning Lisa") and "The Greed Monster" on individual VHS tapes in the Spring of 1990, to promote the opening of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera simulator movie ride at Universal Studios Florida.

The tapes opened with a promo for the ride and a trailer for Jetsons: The Movie. They also included a trivia question before the credits and a Yogi Bear short at the end as a bonus.

Trivia edit

The show's original working title was The Funtastic Treasure Hunt.

Broadcast history edit

United States edit

International edit

In other languages edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Sennett, Ted (1989). The Art of Hanna-Barbera: Fifty Years of Creativity. Studio. p. 69. ISBN 978-0670829781. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  2. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 934–935. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  3. ^ Perlmutter, David (18 March 2014). America Toons In: A History of Television Animation. McFarland. ISBN 9780786476503. Retrieved 28 September 2018 – via Google Books.

External links edit