Matt top 15: Hanna Barbera cartoons

[matt]

Spookydoo's excellent thread about Hanna Barbera underscores scoobyaddicts.proboards.com/thread/5752/hanna-barbera-underscore-discussion has made me want to talk about some of my favorite and some of what I would consider are the most iconic Hanna Barbera cartoons

NOTE: The original Tom and Jerry shorts will not count for this list. The ones made in the 70s are eligible as they are considered a Hanna Barbera show

15. The Wally Gator show- Definitely signaled when Hanna Barbera three segment series became weaker from the original three, but there is some quality to be found here. Not quite as much the titular character or Touche Turtle, but I personally really, really enjoy Lippy the Lion and especially Hardy Har Har. They are easily the strongest segment here and why I gave this the final spot over Johnny Bravo, my personal favorite of the 90s Cartoon Network Hanna Barbera series which I did want to include

14. The Funky Phantom- Of all of the Scooby clones, this is the one I have seen the most of (despite being forgotten moreso than Speed Buggy, Jabberjaw, and especially Josie and the Pussycats (all of which I need to watch more of, especially the Pussycats) and there is some enjoyment here. It kinda seems like most of the quality mysteries were saved for Scooby though, but I found it to be enjoyable

13. Laff-a-Lympics- The only "Scooby" series that gets a separate placement on the list due to being a generally different thing. But the Laff a Lympics are really fun, and I do love Hanna Barbera get togethers, but this one gets the nod over the much-maligned Yogi's Gang which I also find to be a lot of fun, even if it is preachy and cheesy.

12. Dynomutt- A very fun superhero show. Definitely, for me at least, a much appreciated change of pace from the Marvel cinematic universe or the Dark Knights of the superhero world

11. The Magilla Gorilla show- Just outside the top ten is a pretty well-known character show. I like Magilla as well as Ricochet Rabbit but the Punkin Puss shorts were a copy of Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks which was already a copy of Tom and Jerry. It got old.

10. Hong Kong Phooey- The ten shows in the top ten were pretty easy to choose (a little harder to rank), but these ten stood out the most. Hong Kong Phooey is my pick for if one show had to remain that was influenced by Scooby Doo, especially because it's not as much mystery, but it's something different

9. The Yogi Bear Show- Yogi Bear is an all time iconic cartoon and it being this low is more on the fact that its supporting segments, Snagglepuss and Yakky Doodle, aren't quite as strong as the supporting segments of the other three segment shows, but this is phenomenal and it's all uphill from here

8. Wacky Races- It influenced Perils of Penelope Pitstop and Dastardly and Muttley and their flying machines, but the original is the best. So repetitive but so much fun

7. The Jetsons- I really do love the Jetsons, but they aren't quite as good as the show it was influenced by... Definitely deserve top 10 here

6. Quick Draw McGraw show- Quick Draw McGraw often gets overshadowed by Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound, but deserves just as much respect. The supporting segments Augie Doggie and Snooper and Blabber are strong (especially Snooper and Blabber who get forgotten a lot) but of course, Quick Draw is the star of the show. El Kabong!

5. Jonny Quest- Things are getting serious now. Easily one of the best action and especially best adventure cartoons ever made. Period

4. The Huckleberry Hound Show- A show with Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound segments? Say no more! Yogi (rightly) stole the show from Huck and went on to get his own lead series, with Hokey Wolf, who can also be a lot of fun, taking Yogi's place, but none of these early Hanna Barbera segment groups are stronger than Huck Hound, Yogi Bear, and Pixie and Dixie

3. Top Cat- Easily one of the most under appreciated Hanna Barbera shows, this is easily one of the more mature (not in an inappropriate way, but in a complex, real world way) Hanna Barbera cartoons and it is really, really good

2. The Flintstones- Probably the easy-to-guess #2 in an easy-to-guess top 2, but the Flintstones is a really good show. It's an actual sitcom, except animated and better than almost any of them

1. Scooby Doo- Easy and obvious pick here, but Scooby takes the cake. If you want to talk about an animated icon in pop culture, it is hard to think of a bigger one than Scooby Doo besides Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse probably. We all knew this would be number 1, but Scoob deserves it

[spookydoo]

Thanks, Matt!

I couldn't help but notice that all of your choices cover a period of about 20 years. To be more specific, the first two decades of H-B TV shows. No less than nine (!) of them debuted during the first one. Make of that what you will.

[Doo]

Great picks! I'd pick Scooby and The Flintstones as my #1 and #2, respectively, as well.

[matt]

Jan 28, 2021 13:06:34 GMT -5 spookydoo said:

Thanks, Matt!

I couldn't help but notice that all of your choices cover a period of about 20 years. To be more specific, the first two decades of H-B TV shows. No less than nine (!) of them debuted during the first one. Make of that what you will.

Oh yes, I am a strong believer that the 60s were Hanna Barbera's best decade followed by the 70s. Classic stuff right there. There would probably be a lot more decade-diversity if I separated Scooby Doo shows so that would put some 80s in there too  . There was definitely some good stuff in other decades too, though, but I would say especially those top 9 are what I consider to be among the very best cartoons of all time

[matt]

Jan 28, 2021 13:13:07 GMT -5 Doo said:

Great picks! I'd pick Scooby and The Flintstones as my #1 and #2, respectively, as well.

I think a very large group of people would probably have the same top 2 haha

[Ark]

I'm probably about the same, but I'd put Dynomutt and Yogi Bear a tad higher up. I have an odd relationship with The Jetsons. My first exposure was the feature film, and it set an odd standard when going to the classic series after. The Flintstones and Yogi Bear hold up nicely to their feature films, but I honestly didn't care for the original Jetsons show.

[matt]

Feb 24, 2021 18:05:12 GMT -5 Ark said:

I'm probably about the same, but I'd put Dynomutt and Yogi Bear a tad higher up. I have an odd relationship with The Jetsons. My first exposure was the feature film, and it set an odd standard when going to the classic series after. The Flintstones and Yogi Bear hold up nicely to their feature films, but I honestly didn't care for the original Jetsons show.

Yeah I feel that not liking the Jetsons is not a super unpopular opinion (contrary to what I wrote before, I have heard a lot of negative opinions on it since then). I really enjoy it but it does have to be compared to the Flintstones so there’s that as well. As a kid I liked the Jetsons better than the Flintstones but I most certainly feel differently as an adult. I would put Yogi Bear higher if I was doing individual segments rather than complete shows. Snagglepuss was pretty alright but I never really cared for Yakky Doodle. I also think I have it a tad over-ranked. Jonny Quest is probably better so I'll change that

[Ark]

Part of it was just order of exposure. Had I seen The Jetsons all the time on TV, I may have learned to like them over The Flintstones. There's a trope called "IN SPACE!" on the tvtropes website, and that comes to mind. They are somewhat similar shows. It was very successful and well-liked though, this is just my opinion and experience.

[matt]

Feb 24, 2021 22:13:23 GMT -5 Ark said:

Part of it was just order of exposure. Had I seen The Jetsons all the time on TV, I may have learned to like them over The Flintstones. There's a trope called "IN SPACE!" on the tvtropes website, and that comes to mind. They are somewhat similar shows. It was very successful and well-liked though, this is just my opinion and experience.

Oh yes I would for sure say it is one of the most well-liked Hanna Barbera cartoons still, but when I wrote that everyone loved it before, you are not the first person who has told me that they didn’t really care for it since then

[barneynedward]

Jan 27, 2021 21:27:08 GMT -5 matt said:

Spookydoo's excellent thread about Hanna Barbera underscores scoobyaddicts.proboards.com/thread/5752/hanna-barbera-underscore-discussion has made me want to talk about some of my favorite and some of what I would consider are the most iconic Hanna Barbera cartoons

NOTE: The original Tom and Jerry shorts will not count for this list. The ones made in the 70s are eligible as they are considered a Hanna Barbera show

15. The Wally Gator show- Definitely signaled when Hanna Barbera three segment series became weaker from the original three, but there is some quality to be found here. Not quite as much the titular character or Touche Turtle, but I personally really, really enjoy Lippy the Lion and especially Hardy Har Har. They are easily the strongest segment here and why I gave this the final spot over Johnny Bravo, my personal favorite of the 90s Cartoon Network Hanna Barbera series which I did want to include

14. The Funky Phantom- Of all of the Scooby clones, this is the one I have seen the most of (despite being forgotten moreso than Speed Buggy, Jabberjaw, and especially Josie and the Pussycats (all of which I need to watch more of, especially the Pussycats) and there is some enjoyment here. It kinda seems like most of the quality mysteries were saved for Scooby though, but I found it to be enjoyable

13. Laff-a-Lympics- The only "Scooby" series that gets a separate placement on the list due to being a generally different thing. But the Laff a Lympics are really fun, and I do love Hanna Barbera get togethers, but this one gets the nod over the much-maligned Yogi's Gang which I also find to be a lot of fun, even if it is preachy and cheesy.

12. Dynomutt- A very fun superhero show. Definitely, for me at least, a much appreciated change of pace from the Marvel cinematic universe or the Dark Knights of the superhero world

11. The Magilla Gorilla show- Just outside the top ten is a pretty well-known character show. I like Magilla as well as Ricochet Rabbit but the Punkin Puss shorts were a copy of Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks which was already a copy of Tom and Jerry. It got old.

10. Hong Kong Phooey- The ten shows in the top ten were pretty easy to choose (a little harder to rank), but these ten stood out the most. Hong Kong Phooey is my pick for if one show had to remain that was influenced by Scooby Doo, especially because it's not as much mystery, but it's something different

9. The Yogi Bear Show- Yogi Bear is an all time iconic cartoon and it being this low is more on the fact that its supporting segments, Snagglepuss and Yakky Doodle, aren't quite as strong as the supporting segments of the other three segment shows, but this is phenomenal and it's all uphill from here

8. Wacky Races- It influenced Perils of Penelope Pitstop and Dastardly and Muttley and their flying machines, but the original is the best. So repetitive but so much fun

7. The Jetsons- I really do love the Jetsons, but they aren't quite as good as the show it was influenced by... Definitely deserve top 10 here

6. Quick Draw McGraw show- Quick Draw McGraw often gets overshadowed by Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound, but deserves just as much respect. The supporting segments Augie Doggie and Snooper and Blabber are strong (especially Snooper and Blabber who get forgotten a lot) but of course, Quick Draw is the star of the show. El Kabong!

5. Jonny Quest- Things are getting serious now. Easily one of the best action and especially best adventure cartoons ever made. Period

4. The Huckleberry Hound Show- A show with Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound segments? Say no more! Yogi (rightly) stole the show from Huck and went on to get his own lead series, with Hokey Wolf, who can also be a lot of fun, taking Yogi's place, but none of these early Hanna Barbera segment groups are stronger than Huck Hound, Yogi Bear, and Pixie and Dixie

3. Top Cat- Easily one of the most under appreciated Hanna Barbera shows, this is easily one of the more mature (not in an inappropriate way, but in a complex, real world way) Hanna Barbera cartoons and it is really, really good

2. The Flintstones- Probably the easy-to-guess #2 in an easy-to-guess top 2, but the Flintstones is a really good show. It's an actual sitcom, except animated and better than almost any of them

1. Scooby Doo- Easy and obvious pick here, but Scooby takes the cake. If you want to talk about an animated icon in pop culture, it is hard to think of a bigger one than Scooby Doo besides Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse probably. We all knew this would be number 1, but Scoob deserves it


The Jetsons were influenced by the comic strip Blondie. George was actually inspired by the strip's male lead Dagwood Bumstead. Jane of course was inspired by Blondie to the point where The actress would play Blondie in all of the old movies did the voice of her. As you can easily guess Mr spacely was inspired by Dagwood's boss Mr. Dithers. 

[matt]

Mar 3, 2021 19:08:59 GMT -5 barneynedward said:

Jan 27, 2021 21:27:08 GMT -5 matt said:

Spookydoo's excellent thread about Hanna Barbera underscores scoobyaddicts.proboards.com/thread/5752/hanna-barbera-underscore-discussion has made me want to talk about some of my favorite and some of what I would consider are the most iconic Hanna Barbera cartoons

NOTE: The original Tom and Jerry shorts will not count for this list. The ones made in the 70s are eligible as they are considered a Hanna Barbera show

15. The Wally Gator show- Definitely signaled when Hanna Barbera three segment series became weaker from the original three, but there is some quality to be found here. Not quite as much the titular character or Touche Turtle, but I personally really, really enjoy Lippy the Lion and especially Hardy Har Har. They are easily the strongest segment here and why I gave this the final spot over Johnny Bravo, my personal favorite of the 90s Cartoon Network Hanna Barbera series which I did want to include

14. The Funky Phantom- Of all of the Scooby clones, this is the one I have seen the most of (despite being forgotten moreso than Speed Buggy, Jabberjaw, and especially Josie and the Pussycats (all of which I need to watch more of, especially the Pussycats) and there is some enjoyment here. It kinda seems like most of the quality mysteries were saved for Scooby though, but I found it to be enjoyable

13. Laff-a-Lympics- The only "Scooby" series that gets a separate placement on the list due to being a generally different thing. But the Laff a Lympics are really fun, and I do love Hanna Barbera get togethers, but this one gets the nod over the much-maligned Yogi's Gang which I also find to be a lot of fun, even if it is preachy and cheesy.

12. Dynomutt- A very fun superhero show. Definitely, for me at least, a much appreciated change of pace from the Marvel cinematic universe or the Dark Knights of the superhero world

11. The Magilla Gorilla show- Just outside the top ten is a pretty well-known character show. I like Magilla as well as Ricochet Rabbit but the Punkin Puss shorts were a copy of Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks which was already a copy of Tom and Jerry. It got old.

10. Hong Kong Phooey- The ten shows in the top ten were pretty easy to choose (a little harder to rank), but these ten stood out the most. Hong Kong Phooey is my pick for if one show had to remain that was influenced by Scooby Doo, especially because it's not as much mystery, but it's something different

9. The Yogi Bear Show- Yogi Bear is an all time iconic cartoon and it being this low is more on the fact that its supporting segments, Snagglepuss and Yakky Doodle, aren't quite as strong as the supporting segments of the other three segment shows, but this is phenomenal and it's all uphill from here

8. Wacky Races- It influenced Perils of Penelope Pitstop and Dastardly and Muttley and their flying machines, but the original is the best. So repetitive but so much fun

7. The Jetsons- I really do love the Jetsons, but they aren't quite as good as the show it was influenced by... Definitely deserve top 10 here

6. Quick Draw McGraw show- Quick Draw McGraw often gets overshadowed by Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound, but deserves just as much respect. The supporting segments Augie Doggie and Snooper and Blabber are strong (especially Snooper and Blabber who get forgotten a lot) but of course, Quick Draw is the star of the show. El Kabong!

5. Jonny Quest- Things are getting serious now. Easily one of the best action and especially best adventure cartoons ever made. Period

4. The Huckleberry Hound Show- A show with Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound segments? Say no more! Yogi (rightly) stole the show from Huck and went on to get his own lead series, with Hokey Wolf, who can also be a lot of fun, taking Yogi's place, but none of these early Hanna Barbera segment groups are stronger than Huck Hound, Yogi Bear, and Pixie and Dixie

3. Top Cat- Easily one of the most under appreciated Hanna Barbera shows, this is easily one of the more mature (not in an inappropriate way, but in a complex, real world way) Hanna Barbera cartoons and it is really, really good

2. The Flintstones- Probably the easy-to-guess #2 in an easy-to-guess top 2, but the Flintstones is a really good show. It's an actual sitcom, except animated and better than almost any of them

1. Scooby Doo- Easy and obvious pick here, but Scooby takes the cake. If you want to talk about an animated icon in pop culture, it is hard to think of a bigger one than Scooby Doo besides Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse probably. We all knew this would be number 1, but Scoob deserves it


The Jetsons were influenced by the comic strip Blondie. George was actually inspired by the strip's male lead Dagwood Bumstead. Jane of course was inspired by Blondie to the point where The actress would play Blondie in all of the old movies did the voice of her. As you can easily guess Mr spacely was inspired by Dagwood's boss Mr. Dithers. 

Perhaps that was an influence but I would still assume that the biggest influence on the show would be being a counterthesis to the Flintstones

[Ark]

Interesting! It's hard to firmly attribute anything I'd say, but influences are always there, even when people aren't trying to draw from them. The 1992 Batman series actually has a Zombie-Island-Mook feeling I didn't expect. No idea who did it, but I get that vibe from the shading, music, and camera angles.

It's like... the Hardy Boys, Dobie Gillis, and Archie obviously influenced Scooby-Doo, but to attribute how much of each one would be difficult to say.

[scoobnick]

i remember seeing the jertsons movie when it came out in 1990, and it wasnt until later that i realized that the film was literally the last go around for several of the actors- such as mel Blanc and george o hanlon, boyth who died during the production of the movie. the movie itself isnt that great, and doesnt hold up to repeated viewings.

[Ark]

Oh, the Jetsons movie was probably the highlight of the franchise for me. They brought in all sorts of '80s songs, styles, and even Tiffany to voice Judy. It is very '80s (ironic, since it didn't hit theaters until the '90s) but it will always hold a special meaning to me. It was pretty profound for a Hanna Barbera cartoon-film. I think it was way behind schedule, leading to it not making as big of an impact as it could have. That's the one danger in making something so blatantly '80s, haha. The strange love-song animation was likely a nod to MTV, which is neat to have preserved. And the end credits probably have the best rap song Hanna Barbera ever financed, haha! That lead synth is iconic, having a similar sound to Rodney-O's Everlasting Bass.