Premiering Tonight...The Flintstones!

 On September 30th, 1960, The Flintstones premiered, and forever changed animation on television. If you weren't aware of it at the time, don't worry, as Hanna-Barbera worked hard to make sure you did! Here's a compilation of newspaper ads from across the country that were used to get the word out!

First up is one from Tampa, showing Fred attempting to walk a rather uncanny T-Rex!

 

This one from California shows a pretty odd-looking Fred Flintstone. Perhaps he's shocked to see someone who looks like an exact duplicate of him?

Here's another from California. Instead of using original art, this paper used Ed Benedict's concept sketches of the characters. They even threw in the unused character of Fred Junior, too!

The next one comes from Salt Lake City, Utah, and shows Fred with a giant dinosaur egg in his shopping cart. This one also features yet another weirdly realistic dinosaur!

Last but not least, we have an ad from a paper in Texas, featuring Fred working to balance his budget. We know how that feels!

All in all, these ads are a truly fascinating look back to the early days of the Flintstone's history. As someone who finds the marketing and promotion of material like this intriguing, I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!

Introducing the Cast of The Jetsons!

 Here's something you don't see every day. From the Cumberland Evening Times, it's an article announcing the cast of the then-upcoming animated series, The Jetsons! You may have heard of it.

One interesting thing to note about this article is that it's dated July 14th, 1962, over two months before the series premiered. As of now, it's the earliest bit of press I can find related to the show.

Video of the Week: The Summer of Goodwill Passport

 Commercials featuring classic cartoon characters are relatively easy to find, so that's why I was surprised to learn of this 1998 commercial while browsing Twitter last night! It features a collection of Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera characters to promote that year's Summer of Goodwill Passport. Given this was only two years after the Time Warner/Turner merger, this may also be one of the earliest promotional pieces to cross over these characters. Check out the video below!

Cartoon Network Pre-Launch Marketing Materials

 In yesterday's post, I made note that the art used on the tag of many Cartoon Network tees from the 1990s used a piece of art that was used to promote the channel prior to its launch. Now, I think it's time to show some of the various places this artwork of Fred, George, and Yogi ended up! First up is a promotional button, most likely given out at events related to the network's launch.

Next is a kid's activity booklet that was given away at press events. Don't get too excited, there's nothing inside the booklet that you haven't probably seen before.

Last but not least is a shirt that was, like the others, given away at some sort of media event. The back even has a design of its own, featuring the original CN logo and text that reads "Let's Do Launch. Oct 1, 1992."

Hanna-Barbera Basketball Themed Shirts

 When you think of cartoons crossed with basketball, the chances are high your mind will immediately think of Space Jam, and all its related merchandise that crossed over the stars of both the NBA and the Looney Tunes. However, they weren't the only cartoon stars to get on board that train! Throughout the early 1990s, a number of Cartoon Network-themed shirts were released that featured the stars of Hanna-Barbera in sneakers and jerseys. Here are just a few of the ones I've scoured online.

One thing I find interesting about these shirts is the tag featured on some of them. It's the same art that was used in many pieces of promo material for Cartoon Network prior to its 1992 launch. Check the pic out below for a quick comparison. I'm honestly thinking about making a much more in-depth piece on all the 90s shirts that featured classic cartoon characters playing basketball. Trust me when I say that there's more than you think!

Video of the Week: The Voices of Hanna-Barbera Come to Life!

 If you're following a blog like this, I think it's safe to assume you know most of the individuals who gave life to your favorite Hanna-Barbera characters. But how many of them have you seen on camera? Probably not many.

Fear not, for there exists a great series of videos on Youtube that highlight the on-screen roles of the voice actors for not just the classic Hanna-Barbera characters, but many other golden-age favorites as well. Posted below is the third video in the series, featuring actors like Arnold Stang (Top Cat), Bea Benaderet (Betty Rubble), and Mel Blanc. I'd add a role for him, but I think you know plenty!

In general, this channel is a great resource if you want to see some rare interviews and featurettes with Daws Butler, Don Messick, and many other voice-acting legends. I cannot recommend them enough!

Happy Belated Birthday to Daffy Duck!

 Yesterday marked the 86th birthday of everyone's favorite cartoon duck, Daffy Duck! Unfortunately, I forgot to post something for the occasion, but there's always the next day (which, oddly enough, is my own birthday). To celebrate, here's a newspaper snippet that shows how Six Flags Great America celebrated Daffy's fiftieth birthday back in 1987. Looks like they themselves were also a little late to the party!

SDCC Progress Report, June 1988

 With a new week comes an all-new post! Here, we have a progress report for the then forthcoming 1988 San Diego Comic-Con, featuring the Flintstones on the cover page. Also has some neat little shout-outs to a few of the other Hanna-Barbera franchises.

Gary Owens Hangs Outside Hanna-Barbera Studios

 I don't have anything particularly groundbreaking to share today, but here's a nice photo of Space Ghost himself, Gary Owens, standing outside the Hanna-Barbera offices. I believe this photo was taken sometime in either the late 60s or the early 70s.

Video of the Week: Hanna-Barbera VHS Promotional Tape, 1991

 Today's video comes courtesy of legendary animation historian Jerry Beck. A few years back, he shared this 1991 video sent out to video stores, showing how to set up and promote tapes based on Hanna-Barbera titles. Check it out below!

Cartoon Network Print Ad, 1994

 A newspaper ad from 1994, promoting the then recently launched Cartoon Network.

Huckleberry Hound Puppet

 If you watched Boomerang to any extent back in the day, this piece of merchandise will more than likely look familiar to you. From the early 1960s, it's Huckleberry Hound, now in puppet form!

This was created by Pelham Puppets, and was one of the few they created based on the Hanna-Barbera characters. It looks to be pretty rare these days, which is a real shame, as I'd love to get my hands on this fella. As an added bonus, here's the aforementioned Boomerang promo that features the puppet in action!

Happy Easter!

 

Hanna-Barbera Studios, Early 1970s

Here's a neat little blast from the past. It's a photo of a bunch of HB characters in front of the famous Hanna-Barbera studio building, from some point in the early 70s. Source comes from the old Cartoon Network site circa 2001, which had a really great deep-dive into the studio back then!
 

Video of the Week: Jonny's Golden Quest

 Thirty years ago today, the animated film Jonny's Golden Quest premiered on the USA Network. In anticipation of the film, several interviews were conducted with the cast members, including the always amazing Don Messick. Check them out below!

Bugs Turns 50!

 This week marks the 100th anniversary of Warner Brothers (tomorrow, to be exact), so I've been on the lookout for anything interesting related to the Looney Tunes for the 50th anniversary back in 1973. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything really, but I did discover some nice pieces for Bugs Bunny's 50th birthday from 1990!

First up is a nice collectible glass featuring Bugs celebrating his half-centennial in a tux. Below is a print ad promoting a new collection Merrie Melodies, which began airing on TV later that fall.

Dino Goes Hollyrock

 Here's a cool newspaper advertisement promoting the first episode of the Flintstones' third season, "Dino Goes Hollyrock". Fun fact: this was actually the first episode ABC aired in color!

Meet the Jetsons!

 Here's a pretty cool piece of memorabilia I found while digging through the internet one night. It's a Jetsons poster from back in 1986, coming hot off the heels of the show's revival!

The whole cast is present and accounted for (including newcomer Orbitty) in some really lovely art created specifically for the poster. Would love to get my hands on this, personally speaking.

And We're Off!

 Hello, and welcome to my blog, The Exposure Sheet! No April Fools joke here, I've considered creating a blog for quite some time, and now I'm finally committing to actually doing it.

Here, you can expect plenty of obscurities related to classic animation, but the focus will primarily be on Hanna-Barbera cartoons, as those are the ones I'm most familiar with. I'll post old newspaper articles, odd bits of merchandise, interviews, features, and videos related to the golden age of animation!