Help! It's the Hair Bear Bunch
Encyclopedia
Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch! is a Saturday morning cartoon, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...

 in 1971 for CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

.

Production

The show was developed under the name The Yo Yo Bears, a title which many sources inaccurately list as its name in syndication. The show never went into syndication after CBS canceled it in ; it reappeared in on cable on USA Cartoon Express
USA Cartoon Express
The USA Cartoon Express was a programming block of animated productions which aired on cable television's USA Network from late 1982 to September 15, 1996...

. The Hair Bear Bunch currently airs occasionally on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....

's sibling network Boomerang
Boomerang (TV channel)
Boomerang is a 24-hour American cable television channel owned by Turner Broadcasting System, a division of Time Warner. Boomerang specializes in reruns of animated programming from Time Warner's extensive archives, including pre-1986 MGM, Hanna-Barbera, Cartoon Network, DePatie-Freleng Enterprises...

.

Like most Saturday morning animated series of the era, Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch! contained an abridged, inferior laugh track
Laugh track
A laugh track is a separate soundtrack invented by Charles "Charley" Douglass, with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into television programming of comedy shows and sitcoms.The term "laugh track" does not apply to the genuine audience laughter on shows that shoot in...

 created by Hanna Barbera, one of the first shows to do so.

In the UK, the series was a hardy perennial, running on BBC1 in various slots for many years from the mid 1970s well into the 1980s.

Plot

The series depicted three fun-loving bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...

s — the Afroed, fast-talking Hair Bear (voiced by Daws Butler
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...

), confusing-talking Bubi Bear (voiced by Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell was an American ventriloquist, voice actor and comedian, whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s...

), and laid-back Square Bear (voiced by William Callaway) — who are always trying to find a way to escape the Wonderland Zoo on some sort of get-rich-quick scheme, or a wild night of fun. Trying to stop them are the constantly aggravated head zoo director, Mr. Eustace P. Peevly (voiced by John Stephenson
John Stephenson (actor)
John Stephenson is an American actor and voice actor. He has also been credited as John Stevenson...

), and his hopelessly inadequate assistant Lionel J. Botch (voiced by Joe E. Ross
Joe E. Ross
Joe E. Ross was an American actor known for his trademark "Ooh! Ooh!" exclamation, which he used in many of his roles. He starred in such TV sitcoms as The Phil Silvers Show and Car 54, Where Are You?.-Career:...

). Other residents of the Wonderland Zoo who help the Hair Bear Bunch in their plots include Bananas the Gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...

 (voiced by Daws Butler
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...

), Furface the Lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...

 (voiced by Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell was an American ventriloquist, voice actor and comedian, whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s...

), Bumbo the Elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...

 (voiced by Daws Butler
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...

), Slicks the Fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...

 (voiced by John Stephenson
John Stephenson (actor)
John Stephenson is an American actor and voice actor. He has also been credited as John Stevenson...

), Hippy the Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...

 (voiced by John Stephenson
John Stephenson (actor)
John Stephenson is an American actor and voice actor. He has also been credited as John Stevenson...

), Hercules the Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...

 (voiced by Don Messick
Don Messick
Donald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....

), George the Giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...

, Beaks the Pelican
Pelican
A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....

, Tiptoes the Ostrich
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...

 (voiced by Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell was an American ventriloquist, voice actor and comedian, whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s...

), Gabby the Parrot
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...

, Melvyn the Monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...

, Hoppy the Kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...

, Zeed the Zebra
Zebra
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...

, Ollie the Octopus
Octopus
The octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...

, Einstein the Owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...

, Arnie and Gloria the Gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...

s, Specs the Mole
Mole (animal)
Moles are small cylindrical mammals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle. They have velvety fur; tiny or invisible ears and eyes; and short, powerful limbs with large paws oriented for digging. The term is especially and most properly used for the true moles, those of the Talpidae family in the...

 (voiced by Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell was an American ventriloquist, voice actor and comedian, whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s...

), and Pipsqueak the Mouse
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...

 (voiced by Janet Waldo
Janet Waldo
Janet Waldo is an American actress and voice artist with a career encompassing radio, television, animation and live-action films. She is best known in animation for voicing Judy Jetson, Penelope Pitstop and Josie McCoy in Josie and the Pussycats...

).

Mr. Peevly and Botch work for the Zoo Superintendent (voiced by John Stephenson
John Stephenson (actor)
John Stephenson is an American actor and voice actor. He has also been credited as John Stevenson...

) as both of them try to stay on his good side even when it comes to Hair Bear's shenanigans which Hair Bear would cover up by stating that Peevly is doing some around the zoo activity with them.

The bears have a modern "bachelor pad"-styled den at the zoo containing actual beds, Bubi's laboratory, a moving chair, a television, refrigerators, and a pizza maker. Yet they disguise it from Peevly and Botch to avoid revealing their comfortable surroundings.

The bears also have an invisible motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

, which Square Bear can call upon when necessary by jumping in the air and kicking his leg to start it. The motorcycle is never explained, though in episode twelve, Hair Bear comments: "I don't know what he does, but I'm sure glad he does it."

Theme song

The show’s theme song, entitled "Bears", was sung by the cast.

"In the Wonderland Zoo,

There are certain bears who,

Stay at home every night,

Never quarrel or fight,

Ah! We don't even bite!

So don't yell,

Help! Help! Here come the bears,

Help! Help! Here come the bears,

Help! Help! Here come the bears,

Let's split!

So don't yell,

Help! Help! Here come the bears,

Help! Help! Here come the bears,

Help! Help! Here come the bears,

Let's split!

Help! It's the Hair Bear Bunch!"

Episode guide

Episode # Episode title Original airdate Synopsis
BEAR-1 "Keep Your Keeper" The Hair Bear Bunch trick Mr. Peevly into thinking he has Zoolerium. When Mr. Peevley goes on vacation, a strict man named Mr. Grunch is called into cover for him. Now the Hair Bear Bunch plans to find Mr. Peevly and get him back.
BEAR-2 "Rare Bear Bungle" The Hair Bear Bunch gets a new roommate named Rare Bear. Yet Hair Bear suspects that he has been planted in the group's cave by Mr. Peevly to act as his spy.
BEAR-3 "Raffle Ruckus" Hair Bear suggests to Mr. Peevly to hold a raffle in order to obtain money for new stuff for the zoo. When Hair Bear wins, he ends up having ownership of the zoo and sees how hard it is to run the zoo and fill out the needs of the other animals. When Hair Bear learns that Mr. Peevly has been playing him, Hair Bear ends up sneaking the other animals out of the zoo.
BEAR-4 "Bridal Boo Boo" In order to keep Mr. Peevly busy, Hair Bear plans to set him up with a female to be his girlfriend. Yet Mr. Peevly ends up getting a tough lady named Bertha who plans to bring order to the Wonderland Zoo.
BEAR-5 "No Space Like Home" The Hair Bear Bunch apply for an ad for adventure and fame when it comes a space expedition to Mars sponsored by Professor Nielsen Rockabuilt. Mr. Peevly and Botch end up stowing away and end up landing on an alien planet of Turulia where the Turulians there elect Mr. Peevly as their new leader. While in the alien's dungeons, the Hair Bear Bunch learn that the aliens elect a new leader every day while the old one gets imprisoned in a glass cage.
BEAR-6 "Love Bug Bungle" Mr. Peevly ends up bunking Arnie the Gorilla into the Hair Bear Bunch's cave. Hair Bear discovers that Arnie is in love with Gloria the Gorilla and plans to hook both of them up which involves making their own cologne that causes him to lose control of his love advances.
BEAR-7 "I'll Zoo You Later" The Hair Bear Bunch plan to make their way to the National Forest. Once they do, the Hair Bear Bunch take refuge in a cabin which turns out to be a hideout for two bank robbers even when Mr. Peevly and Botch catch up to them.
BEAR-8 "Ark Lark" Following a drawing from the Suggestion Box, Mr. Peevly puts on a play on Noah's Ark with the zoo animals. Later that night, Hair Bear secretly places wheels on the Ark and pilots the Ark all the way to Pleasure Island when they planned to go to a deserted island. To gain money, they disguise Zeed the Zebra a horse and enter a horse race.
BEAR-9 "Gobs of Gabaloons" When Mr. Peevly wants the animals to build him a swimming pool, the Hair Bear Bunch finds a treasure map in one of the trees which leads to the treasure of Redbeard which had been stolen from Ptomania. They follow the map to the end point to Mr. Peevly's office and try different ways to get to the treasure below.
BEAR-10 "Panda Pandemonium" While hiding from Mr. Peevly and Botch in the woods when trying to get to the carnival, the Hair Bear Bunch find a baby panda
Giant Panda
The giant panda, or panda is a bear native to central-western and south western China. It is easily recognized by its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the panda's diet is 99% bamboo...

 named Percy whose cage fell off a passing train bound for the St. Louis Zoo. Mr. Peevly has the Hair Bear Bunch watch over Percy Panda until the Zoo Superintendent comes to pick Percy up and bring him to the St. Louis Zoo.
BEAR-11 "Closed Circuit TV" Mr. Peevly sets up a closed TV and cameras around the zoo to keep an eye on the zoo so that the he would catch the Hair Bear Bunch in another one of their escapes. Hair Bear discovers the cameras and uses this as an advantage to make a television show.
BEAR-12 "The Bear Who Came to Dinner" Hair Bear has Square Bear fake an injury to have the Hair Bear Bunch evade being sent to the National Forest. Mr. Peevly ends up allowing Square Bear to recuperate at his house to evade getting into trouble with the Zoo Superintendent. Mr. Peevly vows to find a way to expose the fact that Square Bear is faking.
BEAR-13 "Unbearably Peevly" In order to catch the Hair Bear Bunch in one of their escape plans, Mr. Peevly and Botch disguise themselves as bears. Of course the Hair Bear Bunch play along with this upon seeing through their disguise. Things get worse for Mr. Peevly and Botch when they are mistaken for escaped circus bears.
BEAR-14 Goldilocks and the Three Bears The Hair Bear Bunch end up getting involved in the production of "Whatever Happened to Goldilocks and The Three Bears" where Twinkles Sunshine (the actress playing Goldilocks) rewrites the script where the Three Bears have to save Goldilocks from an evil prince.
BEAR-15 "The Diet Caper" The Hair Bear Bunch and the other animals attempt to tunnel into town to get food leads the Hair Bear Bunch into a haunted house in an amusement park. The Hair Bear Bunch then end up tricking Mr. Peevly and Botch into going down the same path.
BEAR-16 "Kling Klong versus The Masked Marvel" In order to win $500.000 from the Sports Arena, Hair Bear has Bananas the Gorilla go through wrestling training in order to stay in the ring with the Masked Marvel. Yet when the Masked Marvel gets the measels, Botch ends up having to cover for him in the wrestling ring.

Cast

  • Jeannie Brown -
  • Daws Butler
    Daws Butler
    Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...

     - Hair Bear, Bumbo the Elephant, Bananas the Gorilla
  • William Callaway - Square Bear
  • Joan Gerber
    Joan Gerber
    Joan Gerber is an American voice actress for a variety of cartoons.- Filmography :* 1959: Matty's Funday Funnies : Additional Voices...

     -
  • Don Messick
    Don Messick
    Donald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....

     - Hercules the Hippo, Ambassador of Ptomania
  • Vic Perrin
    Vic Perrin
    Vic Perrin was an American actor and voice artist. He is best remembered as the "Control Voice" in the original version of the TV series The Outer Limits ....

     -
  • Joe E. Ross
    Joe E. Ross
    Joe E. Ross was an American actor known for his trademark "Ooh! Ooh!" exclamation, which he used in many of his roles. He starred in such TV sitcoms as The Phil Silvers Show and Car 54, Where Are You?.-Career:...

     - Lionel J. Botch
  • Hal Smith
    Hal Smith (actor)
    Harold John "Hal" Smith was an American character actor and voice actor. Smith is best known as Otis Campbell, the town drunk on The Andy Griffith Show, and was the voice of many characters on various animated cartoon shorts...

     - Rare Bear
  • John Stephenson
    John Stephenson (actor)
    John Stephenson is an American actor and voice actor. He has also been credited as John Stevenson...

     - Eustace P. Peevly, Zoo Superintendent, Slicks the Fox, Hippy the Hippopotamus, Dr. Kneeknocker
  • Janet Waldo
    Janet Waldo
    Janet Waldo is an American actress and voice artist with a career encompassing radio, television, animation and live-action films. She is best known in animation for voicing Judy Jetson, Penelope Pitstop and Josie McCoy in Josie and the Pussycats...

     - Pipsqueak the Mouse
  • Lennie Weinrib
    Lennie Weinrib
    Lennie Weinrib was an American actor, voice actor and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show H.R...

     - Bank Robber, Wrestling Manager
  • Paul Winchell
    Paul Winchell
    Paul Winchell was an American ventriloquist, voice actor and comedian, whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s...

     - Bubi Bear, Furface the Lion, Tiptoes the Ostrich, Specs the Mole, Mr. Grunch

Comic Spin-Off

A series of Comic Books were produced by Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...

which were mostly drawn by Jack Manning
Jack Manning
Jack Manning may refer to:*Jack Manning , 19th century baseball player*Jack Manning , American film, stage and television actor-Others:...

 and featured original stories, as well as a few adaptations of television episodes. Some of these comics were also drawn by Hanna and Barbera. In the comic book, the antagonism between the Bears and the Keepers was softened a bit, to the point that one story had the Keepers figuring since the Bears do return to the zoo after an escape (after a wild night on the town), it would be best just to give them weekend passes and save both parties a lot of aggravation.

Other appearances

  • The Hair Bear Bunch made special guest appearances at a celebrity roast honoring Fred Flintstone
    Fred Flintstone
    Frederick Joseph “Fred” Flintstone, also known as Fred W. Flintstone or Frederick J. Flintstone, is the protagonist of the animated sitcom The Flintstones, which aired during prime-time on ABC during the original series' run from 1960-66. He is the husband of Wilma Flintstone and father of Pebbles...

     in the TV special Hanna-Barbera's All-Star Comedy Ice Revue
    Hanna-Barbera's All-Star Comedy Ice Revue
    Hanna-Barbera's All-Star Comedy Ice Revue is a 60-minute live-action/animated television special produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions in association with deFaria Productions which aired on CBS on Friday, January 13, 1978 at 8:00 pm EST....

    (1977).
  • Hair Bear made an appearance in Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
    Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
    Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is an American animated television series comedy created by Williams Street and produced by Cartoon Network Studios that aired on Cartoon Network during its Adult Swim late night programming block. The series' pilot first aired in 2000, and later became a series in...

    , where he was accused of property damage and attacking customers and co-workers at a fast food restaurant.
  • They also made a brief appearance in the pilot of Welcome to Eltingville
    Welcome to Eltingville
    Welcome to Eltingville is an animated comedy pilot based on Evan Dorkin Eisner Award winning comic book, Dork!; which takes place in Eltingville, Staten Island. The pilot episode, titled "Bring Me the Head of Boba Fett", in the premiered in the United States on March 3, 2002, on Cartoon Network's...

    .

External links

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