View source for The Huckleberry Hound Show

{{short description|American animated television series}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image              = Huckleberry Hound Title Card.jpg
| genre              = [[Comedy]]
| runtime            = 22 minutes (7 minutes per segment)
| creator            = {{ubl|[[William Hanna]]|[[Joseph Barbera]]}}
| writer             = {{ubl|Joseph Barbera|Charles Shows|[[Dan Gordon (animator)|Dan Gordon]]|[[Michael Maltese]]|[[Warren Foster]]|Tony Benedict}}
| director           = {{ubl|William Hanna|Joseph Barbera}}
| presenter          =
| voices             = {{ubl|[[Daws Butler]]|[[Don Messick]]|[[Doug Young (actor)|Doug Young]]}}
| narrated           = {{ubl|Daws Butler|Don Messick}}
| starring           =
| composer           = [[Hoyt Curtin]]
| country            = United States
| language           = English
| num_seasons        = 4
| num_episodes       = 68
| list_episodes      = List of The Huckleberry Hound Show episodes
| producer           = {{ubl|William Hanna|Joseph Barbera}}
| executive_producer =
| channel            = [[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]]
| first_aired        = {{Start date|1958|09|29}}
| last_aired         = {{End date|1961|12|1}}
| company            = [[Hanna-Barbera|Hanna-Barbera Productions]]
| related            = {{Plainlist|
*  ''[[The Ruff and Reddy Show]]'' (1957)
*  ''[[The Quick Draw McGraw Show]]'' (1959)
* {{ubl|''[[The Yogi Bear Show]]''|''[[Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks]]''|''[[Hokey Wolf]]''}}
}}
}}

'''''The Huckleberry Hound Show''''' is an American [[animated television series]] produced by [[Hanna-Barbera|Hanna-Barbera Productions]], and the second series produced by the studio following ''[[The Ruff and Reddy Show]]''. The show first aired in [[Broadcast syndication|syndication]] on September 29, 1958, and was sponsored by [[Kellogg's]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ehrbar |first=Greg |title=Hanna-Barbera, the recorded history: from modern stone age to meddling kids |last2=Matheson |first2=Tim |last3=Maltin |first3=Leonard |date=2024 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=978-1-4968-4098-1 |location=Jackson}}</ref> Three segments were included in the program: one featuring the title character, [[Huckleberry Hound]], another with [[Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks]], which starred two mice who in each short found a new way to outwit the cat Mr. Jinks, and a third starring [[Yogi Bear]] and his friend [[Boo-Boo Bear|Boo-Boo]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 |date=2005 |edition=2nd |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1476665993 |pages=418–421}}</ref> The series last aired on December 1, 1961.

The ''Yogi Bear'' segment of the show became extremely popular, and as a result, it spawned its [[The Yogi Bear Show|own series]] in 1961.<ref>Mallory, Michael. ''Hanna-Barbera Cartoons''. New York: Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, 1998. {{ISBN|0-88363-108-3}}. p. 44.</ref> A segment featuring [[Hokey Wolf]] and Ding-A-Ling was added, replacing ''Yogi'' during the 1960–61 season. The show contributed to making Hanna-Barbera a household name, and is often credited with legitimizing the concept of animation produced specifically for television. In [[12th Primetime Emmy Awards|1960]], it became the first animated program to be honored with an [[Emmy Award]].<ref name="CNNobit">{{cite web|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/23/obit.hanna/index.html|title=Animation legend William Hanna dies at 90|date=2001-03-23|publisher=CNN.com/Entertainment|access-date=2008-08-06|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515161203/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/23/obit.hanna/index.html|archive-date=2008-05-15}}</ref>

==Background/production==

===Conception and development===
Joseph Barbera went to Chicago to pitch the program to Kellogg's executives through their ad agency, [[Leo Burnett Worldwide|Leo Burnett]]. "I had never sold a show before because I didn't have to. If we got an idea, we just made it, for over twenty years. All of a sudden, I'm a salesman, and I'm in a room with forty-five people staring at me, and I'm pushing Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear and 'the Meeces', and they bought it."<ref name="voices">{{cite book|author1=Tim Lawson|author2=Alisa Persons|title=The Magic Behind the Voices: A Who's who of Cartoon Voice Actors|chapter-format=Scan|access-date=2008-10-20| date=December 2004 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi|location=Jackson, MS|isbn=1-57806-696-4|page=367|chapter=Daws Butler|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0cEAOsLJad8C&q=%22huckleberry+hound%22&pg=PA83|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

Barbera once recalled about [[Daws Butler]]'s voice acting versatility:
{{cquote|I can remember distinctly when I first met [Daws], I said, 'I kind of like this voice, but I think I'm gonna make it kind of a [[Southern American English|Southern]] voice because Southern voices are warm and friendly.' Daws said, 'Well, now I can do a Southern voice which is like [[North Carolina]], or I can do a Southern voice that would be like [[Florida]], that would be a [[Florida cracker|cracker]] kind of voice, or if you want to get a little harder, we could get into [[Texan English|Texas]],' and by gosh, he had about twelve different Southerners.<ref name="voices"/>}}

===Format===
The series features three seven-minute cartoons, animated specifically for television. The first always stars Huckleberry, and the next two feature other characters.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stasheff |first1=Edward |last2=Bretz |first2=Rudy |title=The Television Program |orig-year=1962 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jQULAAAAIAAJ&q=%22huckleberry+hound%22+date:1950-1972 |format=Scan |access-date=2008-10-20 |year=1962 |publisher=Hill and Wang |page=335 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> Each of three cartoons are in between the [[Interstitial television show|wraparound segments]], which originally set in the [[circus]] [[Pole marquee|tent]] where Huck acts like a showman in the late 1950s.

===Distribution===
The show was originally intended to be part of a line-up of kid programs sponsored by Kellogg and broadcast on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC-TV]], joining ''[[The Woody Woodpecker Show|Woody Woodpecker]]'', ''[[Adventures of Superman (TV series)|Superman]]'' and ''[[The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok|Wild Bill Hickok]]'' in an early evening, weekday line-up.<ref>''Weekly Variety'', June 26, 1958, pg. 7</ref> However, Kellogg's agency, Leo Burnett, decided instead to syndicate the show and buy air time on individual stations.<ref>''Daily Variety'', June 26, 1958, pg. 1</ref> The show was originally distributed by [[Screen Gems#Television subsidiary (1948–1974)|Screen Gems]] (the television division at the time of [[Columbia Pictures]]) which held a part-ownership of Hanna-Barbera at the time, over 150 stations. In April 1967, Screen Gems announced the show had been released from advertiser control, and would be made available to stations on a syndicated basis with available bridges to create 92 half-hour shows.<ref>''Broadcasting'' magazine, Apr. 10, 1967, pg. 64</ref>

The distribution was later passed to [[Worldvision Enterprises]], after it became a sister company to Hanna-Barbera. It was later distributed by [[Turner Program Services]], after Turner's purchase of Hanna-Barbera; the current distributor [[Warner Bros. Television]] picked up ownership of the show following the 1996 acquisition of Turner by parent company, [[Time Warner]].

===Original syndication===
The show was not broadcast on the same day of the week, or the same time, in every city; airing depended on the deal for time that the Leo Burnett Agency brokered with individual stations. However, the first time the Huck series appeared on television was on Monday, September 29, 1958; it was first seen at 6 p.m. on [[WOOD-TV]] in [[Grand Rapids, Michigan]], which also served [[Battle Creek]], home of Kellogg cereals.<ref>''Lansing State Journal'', Sept. 27, 1958, pg. 20.</ref> A few other stations airing it that day were [[WTHR|WLWI]] in [[Indianapolis]] (at 6:30&nbsp;p.m.)<ref>''Tipton Tribune'', Sept. 29, 1958, pg. 6.</ref> and [[WTAE-TV|WTAE]] in [[Pittsburgh]] (at 7:30&nbsp;p.m.).<ref>''The Morning Herald (Uniontown, Pennsylvania)'', Sept. 29, 1958, pg. 12</ref> The show debuted on other days that same week in other cities; Huck originally aired in [[Los Angeles]] on Tuesdays on [[KCBS-TV|KNXT]],<ref>''Los Angeles Times'', Sept. 30, pg. A6</ref> [[Chicago]] on Wednesdays on [[WGN-TV]],<ref>''Chicago Tribune'', Sep. 27 1958, pg. c16.</ref> and [[New York City]] on Thursdays on [[WPIX]].<ref>''New York Herald Tribune'', Sep 28, 1958, pg. G-12</ref> The show first aired in [[Canada]] on Thursday, October 2, 1958, at 7 p.m. on [[CKLW-TV]] in [[Windsor, Ontario]].<ref>''Toronto Globe and Mail'', Oct. 2, 1958, pg. 39</ref> The show first aired in [[Australia]] on Monday, February 16, 1959, on the [[Nine Network|National Television Network]] (now the [[Nine Network]]), and the show first aired in the [[United Kingdom]] on Friday, July 3, 1959, on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]].

==Plot and characters==
Each of the three segments features one or two main characters acting as a duo and numerous one-off or supporting characters.

===Huckleberry Hound===
{{Main|Huckleberry Hound}}
Huck's voice is Butler's impression of a family friend. He used it in earlier work, such as Reddy in ''[[The Ruff and Reddy Show]]'', Smedley the Dog in the ''[[Chilly Willy]]'' cartoons, and earlier characters in the [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] cartoon library. Butler's son Charles confirmed that the voice was based on the neighbor of his wife, Myrtis; Butler would speak with said neighbor when visiting North Carolina.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ehrbar |first=Greg |title=Hanna-Barbera, the recorded history: from modern stone age to meddling kids |last2=Matheson |first2=Tim |last3=Maltin |first3=Leonard |date=2024 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=978-1-4968-4098-1 |location=Jackson (Mississippi)}}</ref>

===Pixie & Dixie and Mr. Jinks===
{{Main|Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks}}
Pixie (voiced by [[Don Messick]]) and Dixie (voiced by [[Daws Butler]]) are two mice who every day end up being chased by a cat named Mr. Jinks (voiced by Daws Butler).

===Yogi Bear===
{{Main|Yogi Bear}}
Yogi Bear (voiced by [[Daws Butler]] impersonating [[Art Carney]]'s Ed Norton character from ''[[The Honeymooners]]'') and his friend Boo Boo Bear (voiced by [[Don Messick]]) live in Jellystone Park and occasionally try to steal picnic baskets while evading [[Ranger Smith]] (also voiced by Don Messick).

===Hokey Wolf===
{{Main|Hokey Wolf}}
Hokey Wolf (voiced by [[Daws Butler]] impersonating [[Phil Silvers]]) is a [[scam|con-artist]] [[wolf]] who is always trying to cheat his way to the simple life (much like other Hanna-Barbera characters, [[Top Cat]] and Yogi Bear). He is accompanied in this by his diminutive, [[bowler hat]]-wearing sidekick Ding-A-Ling Wolf (voiced by [[Doug Young (actor)|Doug Young]] impersonating [[Buddy Hackett]]).

==Voice cast==
* [[Daws Butler]] - Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, Dixie, Mr. Jinks, Hokey Wolf, Various
* [[Don Messick]] - Boo Boo Bear, Ranger Smith, Pixie, Narrator, Various
* [[Doug Young (actor)|Doug Young]] - Ding-A-Ling Wolf, Various

'''Additional Voices'''
* [[Bea Benaderet]]
* [[Julie Bennett]]
* [[Red Coffey]]
* [[June Foray]]
* [[Ge Ge Pearson|GeGe Pearson]]
* [[Hal Smith (actor)|Hal Smith]]
* [[Ginny Tyler]]
* [[Jean Vander Pyl]]

==Credits==
* '''Producers and Directors:''' [[Joseph Barbera]] and [[William Hanna]]
* '''Voices:''' [[Daws Butler]], [[Don Messick]], [[Doug Young (actor)|Doug Young]]
* '''Story Directors:''' [[Alex Lovy]], Paul Sommer, [[Arthur Davis (animator)|Arthur Davis]], John Freeman, Lew Marshall
* '''Story:''' [[Warren Foster]]
* '''Story Sketch:''' [[Dan Gordon (screenwriter)|Dan Gordon]], Charles Shows
* '''Titles:''' Lawrence Goble
* '''Musical Director/Composer: Theme Music:''' [[Hoyt Curtin]]
* '''Designer:''' Frank Tipper
* '''Production Supervisor:''' Howard Hanson
* '''Animators:''' [[Kenneth Muse]], Lewis Marshall, [[Carlo Vinci]], [[Dick Lundy (animator)|Dick Lundy]], [[George Nicholas (animator)|George Nicholas]], [[Don Patterson (animator)|Don Patterson]], Allen Wilzbach, Ed DeMattia, [[Manuel Perez (animator)|Manny Perez]], [[Brad Case]], [[Arthur Davis (animator)|Arthur Davis]], [[Ken Southworth]], Ken O'Brien, Emil Carle, George Goepper, [[Don Towsley (animator)|Don Towsley]], Ralph Somerville, C.L. Hartman, John Boersema, Bob Carr, [[Hicks Lokey]], Don Williams, Gerard Baldwin, Ed Parks, [[Richard Bickenbach|Dick Bickenbach]], [[Ed Love]], [[Michael Lah]]
* '''Layout:''' [[Richard Bickenbach|Dick Bickenbach]], Walter Clinton, Tony Rivera, [[Ed Benedict]], Michael Lah, Paul Sommer, Dan Noonan, Lance Nolley, Jim Carmichael, [[Jerry Eisenberg]], Jack Huber, Sam Weiss
* '''Background:'''  Montealegre, Robert Gentle, Art Lozzi, Richard H. Thomas, Joseph Montell, Vera Hanson, Sam Clayberger, Neenah Maxwell, Frank Tipper

==Episodes==
{{Main|List of The Huckleberry Hound Show episodes}}
{{:List of The Huckleberry Hound Show episodes}}

==Legacy==
In the film ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's (film)|Breakfast at Tiffany's]]'' (1961), Holly Golightly ([[Audrey Hepburn]]) briefly dons a mask of Huckleberry. The name for [[Rock et Belles Oreilles]], a [[Quebec French|Québécois]] comedy group popular during the 1980s, is a pun on the name of Huckleberry Hound ("Roquet Belles Oreilles" in French). Australian prison slang vernacular includes "huckleberry hound", a term originated in the 1960s, meaning "a punishment cell, solitary confinement."<ref>{{cite book|last=Green|first=Jonathon|title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang|orig-year=2005|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5GpLcC4a5fAC&q=%22huckleberry+hound%22&pg=PA752|format=Scan|access-date=2008-10-20|publisher=Sterling Publishing Company|location=New York, New York|isbn=0-304-36636-6|page=1565|year=2005|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> In January 2009, ''IGN'' named ''The Huckleberry Hound Show'' as the 63rd best in its "Top 100 Animated TV Shows".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tv.ign.com/top-100-animated-tv-series/63.html|title=Video Games, Wikis, Cheats, Walkthroughs, Reviews, News & Videos - IGN|work=IGN|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301101349/http://tv.ign.com/top-100-animated-tv-series/63.html|archive-date=2009-03-01}}</ref>

In 1960s Hungary, the series - there called ''Foxi Maxi'' - gained an instant following, also among adults. The reason for this was the fact that legendary scriptwriter [[József Romhányi]] had penned dialog with his trademark puns and humor, and some of the most popular actors of the day had supplied the voices. Romhányi and some of the same actors later worked on the Hungarian version of ''[[The Flintstones]]''.

==Media information==

===Home media===
On {{start date|2005|11|15}}, [[Warner Home Video]] (via [[Hanna-Barbera Cartoons]] and [[Warner Bros. Family Entertainment]]) released ''The Huckleberry Hound Show – Volume 1'' for the [[Hanna-Barbera Classics Collection]], featuring the complete first season of 26 episodes (66 segments) from the series on DVD, all presented remastered and restored. However, the episodes in the Volume 1 DVD set were the edited versions with only the individual segments, instead of the uncut and unedited original broadcast versions with the original opening and closing titles and interstitial segments.

After ''Volume 1'' no further Volumes of ''The Huckleberry Hound Show'' were released on DVD. According to Warner Archive President George Feltenstein, since many early Hanna-Barbera shows used stock music from [[Capital Records]], there were rights issues between WB and the estates of the composers over the music cues used in the show that prevented further seasons from being released.<ref name="Millard">{{cite web |last1=Millard |first1=Tim |title=Warner Archive August Release Announcement: A New 4K, Classic Hanna-Barbera, plus Four Classic Films |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/warner-archive-august-release-announcement-a-new-4k/id1567580798?i=1000718014790 |website=The Extras |publisher=Okatu Media |access-date=18 July 2025}}</ref>

However in 2025, [[Warner Archive Collection]] cleared the rights and announced ''The Huckleberry Hound Show: The Complete Original Series'' and 11 Disc [[Blu-Ray]] box set that contains all 68 episodes (178 segments) restored with the original opening/closing credits and bridging material intact, as well as all the extras from the 2005 DVD. The set was released on August 26, 2025.<ref name="Millard" /><ref>{{cite web |title=COMING TO BLU-RAY DISC FROM THE WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION ON AUGUST 26th! |url=https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1B6YiyvULG/ |website=Warner Classics |publisher=Facebook |access-date=17 July 2025}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Homevideo title
!Ep #
!Release date
!Additional information
|-
| The Huckleberry Hound Show – Volume 1 (The First Season) (DVD)
| 26&nbsp;episodes<br>(66&nbsp;segments)
| November 15, 2005
|
* A bonus collectible animation cel
* Featurette on reconstructing the premiere episode
* Never-before-seen bumpers and bridge
* Segment tributing [[Daws Butler]], voice actor

|-
| The Huckleberry Hound Show: The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
| 68&nbsp;episodes<br>(178&nbsp;segments)
| August 26, 2025
|
* Same as the DVDs. Minus reconstruction of the original pilot episode.<ref name="Millard">{{cite web |last1=Millard |first1=Tim |title=Warner Archive August Release Announcement: A New 4K, Classic Hanna-Barbera, plus Four Classic Films |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/warner-archive-august-release-announcement-a-new-4k/id1567580798?i=1000718014790 |website=The Extras |publisher=Okatu Media |access-date=18 July 2025}}</ref>
|}

===Licensing===
The characters from ''The Huckleberry Hound Show'' spawned various product, publishing, and other licensing deals. [[Colpix Records]], the recording company of Columbia Pictures/Screen Gems,  released the first Huckleberry Hound album in October 1958, with [[stuffed animals]] and games also hawked in [[record stores]].<ref>''The Billboard'', Oct. 20, 1958, pg. 4</ref>

No later than 1961, the characters began appearing "in person" at events across America. Hanna-Barbera commissioned [[Costumed performer|costumed characters]] of Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, and [[Quick Draw McGraw]], which appeared at events like the [[Florida State Fair]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Huckleberry Hound To Be At Gasparilla|format=Scan|work=St. Petersburg Times|publisher=The Times Publishing Company|location=St. Petersburg, Florida|date=1961-02-12|access-date=2008-10-20|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Y_QNAAAAIBAJ&dq=huckleberry%20hound&pg=4876%2C603178}}</ref>

Hanna-Barbera's owner [[Taft Broadcasting]] started opening theme parks in 1972, beginning with [[Kings Island]]. These parks included areas themed to the company's cartoons, and included walk-around characters of Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, and others. The characters were also featured on rides, including [[carousels]]. Licensed ''Huckleberry'' products included an [[Aladdin (containers)|Aladdin]]-brand [[Thermos]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5s9DAAAAIAAJ&q=%22huckleberry+hound%22+date:1950-1972 |title=The United States Patents Quarterly |year=1962 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

===Books adaptations===
* ''Huckleberry Hound Christmas'', P. Scherr, [[Golden Press]], 25 cents.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Leypoldt |first=F. |year=1960 |title=The Publishers Weekly |magazine=The Publishers Weekly |volume=177 |via=Google Books}}</ref>
* ''Huckleberry Hound: The Case of the Friendly Monster'', [[Ottenheimer Publishers]], 1978, 96 pages.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rCEcHQAACAAJ&q=%22huckleberry+hound%22 |title=Huckleberry Hound: The Case of the Friendly Monster |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Television|Animation|Cartoon|United States|1950s|1960s
}}
* [[List of works produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions]]
* [[List of Hanna-Barbera characters]]
* ''[[The Yogi Bear Show]]''
* ''[[Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks]]''
* ''[[Hokey Wolf]]''

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://www.toonopedia.com/huckle.htm Huckleberry Hound's Toonopedia entry]
* [http://www.toontracker.com/huck/huck.htm ''The Huckleberry Hound Show'' at Toon Tracker]
* {{IMDb title|0051283|The Huckleberry Hound Show}}
* [https://archive.today/20130110175056/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Hanna-Barbera_Studios/G-J/The_Huckleberry_Hound_Show/index.html The Big Cartoon Database] – Informational site and episode guides on ''The Huckleberry Hound Show''.
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20071113091527/http://www.cartoonscrapbook.com/H/huckleberryhound1958.htm The Cartoon Scrapbook]}} – Information and details on ''Huckleberry Hound''.

{{Huckleberry Hound}}
{{Yogi Bear}}
{{Hanna-Barbera}}
{{Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huckleberry Hound Show, The}}
[[Category:Huckleberry Hound television series]]
[[Category:Yogi Bear television series]]
[[Category:1950s American animated television series]]
[[Category:1960s American animated comedy television series]]
[[Category:1950s American anthology television series]]
[[Category:1960s American anthology television series]]
[[Category:1950s American children's television series]]
[[Category:1950s American comedy television series]]
[[Category:1960s American children's comedy television series]]
[[Category:1958 American animated television series debuts]]
[[Category:1961 American television series endings]]
[[Category:American children's animated anthology television series]]
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[[Category:Children's television series about talking animals]]
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