Yogi Bear: The Perfect Pic-a-nic

Spring is in the air, and outdoor activities are about to become more popular as the warmer weather ensues.

For one much-loved cartoon character, there couldn't be a better time of year. Yogi Bear and his love of "pic-a-nics" is legendary - and the wily, food-obsessed bear will do everything in his power to rob any hapless visitors of their picnic basket.

Famous for adding an extra syllable to the word and saying "pic-a-nic", Yogi can be found in the fictional Jellystone Park in the United States. He spends his days leading his young pal Boo-Boo Bear astray, teaching him the intricate art of picnic basket-pinching.

Origins

The larger-than-life character was created by the famous American animation team of William Hanna, Joseph Barbera and Ed Benedict. He is one of their most famous and enduring characters, created at the same time as several other anthropomorphic animals, such as Huckleberry Hound, Pixie and Dixie the mice and Mr Jinks the cat.

Yogi Bear made his first appearance in a short cartoon called Yogi Bear's Big Break in 1958, when it was screened as a segment of the Huckleberry Hound Show. Yogi always wore a collar and tie and a pork-pie hat as he roamed Jellystone Park.

His character and mannerisms were based on those of a popular 1950s celebrity, the American actor Art Carney, in his role as Ed Norton in the sitcom The Honeymooners. Norton was renowned for his carefree nature as he went about his day-to-day life as a sewer worker. His character was ranked number 20 in TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time in 1999.

Yogi Bear adopted many of Norton's attributes. In fact, his creation was linked to Norton's catchphrase in the series, which was, “Smarter than the average bear!”

In an amazing act of self-promotion, Yogi would tell anyone he met, "I'm smarter than the av-er-age bear!" in his legendary booming voice.

Controversy

The creation of the Yogi Bear character wasn't without controversy. In the 1950s, one of America's most famous and successful professional baseball stars was called Lawrence "Yogi" Berra.

The St Louis-born star, who died in 2015 at the age of 90, was always known by his nickname, Yogi Berra. He was a former serviceman who earned a Purple Heart award while serving as a gunner's mate in the US Navy during World War II.

After the war, Berra played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball, starting in 1946. He was a household name in the 1950s and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. As well as being one of the great players of the 20th century, Berra was also known for his wise-cracking quotes.

When Yogi Bear first appeared on TV in 1958, there were suggestions that he was based on Yogi Berra, due to the similarities of their name and the bear's wise-cracking nature. Yankees' star Berra reportedly decided to sue Hanna-Barbera for defamation.

However, the studio's management said it was merely coincidental that the names were similar. Although this defence was considered largely implausible, for reasons best known to himself, Berra eventually withdrew his lawsuit and didn't pursue his defamation case.

Yogi and Boo-Boo

Yogi got his own network-syndicated show in January 1961. His Jellystone Park home was loosely based on the real Yellowstone National Park, which spans across Wyoming, Montana and Idaho in the United States.

The vast grasslands and forests of Yellowstone Park are home to grizzly bears, although in real life, people don't hang around long enough to have their picnic stolen if they see a grizzly in the vicinity!

In Jellystone Park, Yogi and Boo-Boo constantly pit their wits against Park Ranger Smith, who isn't very pleased when he spots them stealing picnic baskets from campers. It's always Yogi who instigates the crime, as he famously says, "Hey, Boo-Boo, let’s go get us a pic-a-nic basket!"

Even the Yogi Bear Show's theme song was all about their love of picnics. The lyrics described how Yogi Bear was "always in the ranger's hair", adding, "At a picnic table you will find him there, stuffing down more goodies than the average bear."



The song described how Yogi slept until noon, but before darkness fell, he would "have every picnic basket in Jellystone Park."

Ranger Smith

The long-suffering Ranger Smith is Yogi's continual adversary, who is determined to put a stop to the greedy bear's antics. He's a former US Army soldier who is Jellystone Park's stern authority figure, in sharp contrast to the laid-back and troublesome Yogi.

The bear's love for a family pic-a-nic means he will do just about anything to find his favourite foods. Yet Yogi and the ranger have a strange relationship of mutual, yet grudging respect and they exhibit more of a friendly rivalry than animosity.

When Yogi is up to mischief, the ranger wants to send him away to a zoo! However, when Yogi behaves himself, Smith is oddly supportive of his adversary. If trouble befalls either one of them, the other will attempt to rescue him. Smith appears to like Boo-Boo, because the smaller bear tries to keep out of trouble, but is led astray by Yogi.

The crafty bear has devised a multitude of ways of sneaking up on visitors to the park and gleefully snatching their picnic baskets. Boo-Boo is more cautious and seems to have a conscience. The winning combination always manages to outwit Ranger Smith.

Planning a picnic

Solent Plastics stocks a large range of plastic containers to fulfil all your picnic needs. Check out our range of premium quality food storage containers – they’ll keep your food fresh and they won't break the bank.

Don’t forget, keep your eyes peeled for Yogi!