Hanna-Barbera Voice Actors on TV: Scooby-Doo Edition

 It's been a minute since I did a new entry in my "Hanna-Barbera actors on TV" series, but I'm back, and this time around, I thought I'd get a little festive. Since Halloween is today, and the franchise recently celebrated its 55th anniversary, this installment will be all about a certain group of meddling kids and their dog. You all know by this point that I'm not the biggest Scooby guy, but it felt wrong to have October go by and not do something related to the series. Let's look at the actors behind the original Scooby-Doo, and some of their onscreen TV appearances!

I'll start with Casey Kasem. Between his work in radio and animation, Kasem didn't make a whole lot of appearances in live-action TV roles, but that's not to say they were nonexistent. One of them is from the Hawaii Five-O episode "Steal Now Pay Later." This is probably the angriest Kasem has ever been in a role I've seen. I certainly couldn't see Shaggy getting this upset!

I couldn't find a clip of this particular appearance online, but when it comes to the original Daphne voice actor Indira Stefanianna, there's no live-action role more notable than her appearance in M*A*S*H. She appeared in the episode "Love Story" as Lieutenant O'Brien, and was credited as Indira Danks.

Velma's original voice actor, Nicole Jaffe, never appeared in a live-action TV role (though she did appear in a film with none other than Frank Welker!), so I'll instead look at her second voice, the late Pat Stevens. And just like Stefanianna, her most notable role was in the series M*A*S*H. She played a nurse character in over a dozen episodes between 1974 and 1978.

I've already looked at Scooby himself, Don Messick, in another entry in this series. But what if I told you his only starring role in a live-action series, The Duck Factory, also featured an appearance from Fred Jones himself, Frank Welker? This occurred in the episode "The Duck Stops Here," where Welker plays a voice actor trying to take Messick's most famous character voice after he loses it. Though we don't see them interact in the episode, it's great fun to see the two onscreen doing what they do best. It also feels like a bit of foreshadowing, as Welker would eventually inherit many of Messick's characters after his retirement. 

And that's everything for October, folks! I'll wrap this up by congratulating Scooby-Doo on 55 years, and I hope you all have an especially spooky Halloween!

Have a Happy Halloween With Hanna-Barbera on Home Video

 With Halloween coming tomorrow, here's a fun set of print advertisements for Hanna-Barbera's home video offerings that appeared throughout the 1980s. This first one focuses on a Flintstones Halloween video, although a Scooby-Doo title is also advertised. We see Fred and Barney taking on the roles of Frankenstein and Frankenstein's monster respectively, making this probably the most interesting ad from a visual standpoint.

This second ad, dated to 1983, focuses on a trio of VHS releases perfect for Halloween viewing: Winsome Witch, Casper, and...Squiddly Diddly, I guess. You're probably wondering why they didn't toss in a Scooby video for this ad instead of Squiddly. I thought the same thing, but from what I've seen, there wasn't a Scooby-Doo video at all until near the end of the decade. Kind of crazy for how popular the show's always been.

Now, for what's likely the oddest advertisement of the bunch, here's one from '88 that promotes a selection of Hanna-Barbera titles, chief among them Kiss Meets The Phantom of the Park, quite possibly one of the most embarrassing things to come out of both Kiss and Hanna-Barbera. This was one of its only home video releases, as the band has gone to great lengths to distance themselves from this mess. Yes, that means we'll probably never get this as a Blu-Ray from Warner Archive. Tragic, I know. That being said, "a little strange and a lot of fun" isn't a bad description of this movie, though I'd say "a little strange" is a bit of an understatement.

Ranger Smith in the Palm of Your Hand

I've been sharing several examples of Hanna-Barbera-branded candy this month, but until now, they've all originated in the U.S. Here's something a little bit different. Released in the early 1980s by the Argentine company Billiken, these are candies that were released in tins featuring a pretty impressive variety of Hanna-Barbera characters. Even better, each tin contained a small figurine of a random character. In that way, I guess you could compare them to Kinder surprise eggs. Below is a print ad for the tins, complete with a little Fred in the corner telling kids to "ask us at your kiosk" for the treats.

As you can see, they had a great selection of characters appearing on these tins, especially if you're a fan of the earlier series. Here's a better look at a few of the tins, starting with a Flintstones one. This one features Fred, Pebbles, and Bamm-Bamm. Fred is saying "If we continue eating Billiken pebbles, they are going to call us the Pebblestones." You can also get a look at one of the included toys, which is a little Ranger Smith. It's not too bad considering the toy's stature!

This second tin is based on Precious Pupp. We see Granny Sweet say "Pupp! Where did the Billiken pebbles go?" Precious simply laughs in response.

I'll share one more tin, this being of Atom Ant, who says "The secret to my powers? Billiken pebbles!" Somehow, I always knew.

Now, let's take a look at the toys that were included with these. Here are nineteen of the figures. I don't know if these were the only ones available, but it wouldn't surprise me if more were offered. These offered a rather diverse selection of characters, including some who didn't appear on the tins themselves. Their size and design seem reminiscent of Marx's Hanna-Barbera figurines from the sixties. And who wouldn't want a tiny Touche Turtle with their candy?

Video of the Week: An Invitation to "Boooomerang"

 As great as those early Boomerang bumpers that aired in the States were, the Latin American channel wasn't a slouch, either. They've had some lovely commercials over the years, including today's video. This aired in 2005 and promoted the network's October offerings. Throughout the month, a special block was played called "Boooomerang," which aired spooky and Halloween-related programs. It's got an appropriately haunted atmosphere and aesthetic, and it's rather interesting to see Boomerang do something with Halloween that's not related to Scooby-Doo. Variety? American Boomerang's never heard of it!

Before They Were Cartoons: Early Sketches of Atom Ant, Jabberjaw, and More!

Concept art really is a fascinating thing. Who doesn't want to see what their favorite characters almost looked like? Not so long ago, I looked at some rough early designs for The Jetsons and Quick Draw McGraw, and I'm back with more! First off is this piece for Huckleberry Hound. As you can see, the Huckleberry sketch really emphasized the "Hound" aspect of his character, which was toned down in his final design. It was also drawn by Ed Benedict, who designed many a Hanna-Barbera character.

Here's an earlier take on Atom Ant, though compared to others, he's not too dissimilar from how he looked in the final product. It's mostly his colors that are different.

Next is this Jerry Eisenberg piece for Dastardly and Muttley, or as it was almost called, Stop That Pigeon! If you're wondering why the main character looks so different from Dastardly, that was because the Hanna-Barbera folk weren't actually sure if they could use him or Muttley for the series, due to its nature as a coproduction with Heatter-Quigley.

The last one for today is this concept art of Jabberjaw. I think this was done by Eisenberg as well, but I cannot say for certain. While I think most others prefer the final designs to the concept versions of every character thus far, I must say, I dig this version of the character way more than the actual version. It's got far more character, and feels right at home alongside the likes of, say, Yogi Bear. Of course, this is Jabberjaw we're talking about, so I guess it wasn't that big of a loss that we didn't see this version. 

The Weird History Between Weird Al Yankovic and The Flintstones

 Today marks the 65th birthday of one of my favorite musical artists, Weird Al Yankovic. What better way to celebrate it than by chronicling the many times he's crossed paths with the modern Stone Age family? Hey, can you think of something better?

Naturally, Weird Al first mentioned The Flintstones when he did a parody song related to the series. "Bedrock Anthem," which appeared on the 1993 album Alpalooza, parodies the Red Hot Chili Peppers songs "Under the Bridge" and "Give it Away." Its music video parodies both songs' videos and features footage from The Flintstones series. Yankovic made the song due to the Flintstones live-action movie and wanted to have it out before the film's release. He was successful, as it predates the film by about seven months. Speaking of, "Bedrock Anthem" would later appear on The Flintstones soundtrack, and a snippet of the song would even play during its credits. 

Since its release, the song has become a common part of Weird Al's concert setlists. Weird Al has also often worn an outfit resembling Fred Flintstone's during these performances. The song remains a favorite among fans, but you know who wasn't a fan? The Red Hot Chili Peppers. When Behind the Music did an episode on Weird Al Yankovic, Flea, the bassist for RHCP, wrote it off as "unimaginative" and "not that great." 

In 1994, Weird Al would again promote The Flintstones, this time for its run on TBS. Following the release of the live-action film, TBS began airing the show on weeknights and called upon Weird Al to host. Here's Yankovic announcing the schedule change in a commercial from around that time. 

Let's jump ahead to 1997, as Yankovic finally found himself face-to-face with the actual Flintstones. In the eighth episode of his short-lived CBS series, The Weird Al Show, we learn that he actually had a part in the show's pilot as Weird Al Yankstone, cousin to Fred Flintstone. This animated segment was done by Hanna-Barbera, and in all honesty, looks noticeably better than any of the other Flintstones specials made during the decade. It's also notable for being one of the last times Jean Vander Pyl and Henry Corden played Wilma and Fred.

That was the last time The Flintstones and Weird Al met, but in the years since, he has continued to reference the show in his music, such as namedropping both Wilma and Betty in 2003's "Couch Potato." While researching this piece, I also learned of a pretty interesting Boomerang commercial that aired during the mid-2000s, and featured "Bedrock Anthem." It's been mentioned on a couple of fansites over the years, but I couldn't find any copy of it online. Does anyone remember seeing this ad on Boomerang back in the day? 

The Flintstones Sell Candy Cigarettes

 "The Flintstones sold cigarettes to kids!" You've all probably heard someone somewhere present that as scandalous at one point or another. I myself find that statement to be a bit misleading. Remember, The Flintstones wasn't just for kids initially. That being said, there is one instance I can think of where this could definitely be the case. Behold, Flintstones candy cigarettes.

First released in 1993, The Flintstones have been a mainstay of the candy sticks line, joining the likes of the Marvel Superheroes, Popeye, and other cartoon icons. This initial batch featured "character cards" inside each box, as this advertisement so proudly exclaims.

Later on in the decade, the Flintstones sticks were offered in bags featuring some very interesting character combos. The first was a "comic mix" bag, where the characters appeared alongside Scooby-Doo, Tom and Jerry, and several DC Superheroes. Makes sense, since all those characters are owned by WB. These ones also featured tattoos inside the boxes. 

In the 2000s, The Flintstones were again offered in a "comic mix" set, but instead of the DC Superheroes, Popeye and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were included. Sounds almost like a future MeTV Toons lineup if you ask me!

To this day, Flintstones candy cigarettes are sold, albeit in a more generic bag alongside Scooby and Tom and Jerry. There are no DC heroes, turtles, or sailors here; it's a strictly Hanna-Barbera affair. You can find these in just about any dollar store in the country. And they come packed with 14% more candy! Depending on where you stand with candy sticks, that's either a gift or a punishment. 

Video of the Week: Pixie and Dixie Take a Cue From 'The Shining'

Halloween is fast approaching, so here's a short but spooky Cartoon Network commercial to help get you guys into the spirit. I don't know when this ran specifically, but it was sometime in the nineties. In it, we see Pixie, Dixie, and Mr. Jinks parody one of the most iconic scenes of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. A funny commercial, and they really couldn't have picked a better set of characters for this homage.

Magilla Gorilla Gets Twisted

 In 1961, the toy company Marx released a line of toys called "Twistables." Based on Disney characters, they were figurines that featured noodle-like arms and legs that made them easy to pose, bend, and twist, hence the name. A couple of years later, Ideal Toys got the idea to do their own version of this line. And what better set of characters to base them around then the Hanna-Barbera ones?

As Ideal Toys were sponsors on shows like Magilla Gorilla, this was a no-brainer on their part. Unfortunately, these toys aren't quite as memorable as Marx's Disney offerings. That's not to say these are bad toys, but if you've seen the Disney ones, it's clear that their line was superior. That being said, these must've sold well enough, as they made around a dozen or so of them. Below are the Magilla Gorilla and Peter Potamus twistables, which I feel are the best in the line. 

Now here's one in the packaging. Interestingly, the initial figures in this series were sold in just a plastic bag, rather than a cardboard box. This package also highlights some of the other characters sold in the line. They covered pretty much all of the essential characters across the segments of both Magilla Gorilla and Peter Potamus. If you have a particular favorite from any of those, they probably were included in the line. I must also say it's pretty surprising to see Sneezly show up here. How many Sneezly toys can you genuinely say you've seen before?

Hanna-Barbera TV Pals

 Everyone on Earth has heard of PEZ, a brand of candy dispensers featuring a variety of famous characters across multiple beloved franchises. However, I imagine only a few of you have heard of TV Pals. Released in 1975, these were more or less the same thing. Just like PEZ, they covered multiple beloved properties, including a few Hanna-Barbera characters. TV Pals of The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, and Huckleberry Hound were all made.

Here are the actual dispensers. Yogi and Huckleberry Hound look quite good, but the ones of The Flintstones characters are rather rough. At the very least, all of them, with the exclusion of Wilma, would get new versions from PEZ in the 1990s, during what was probably the height of their popularity.  

Jean Vander Pyl Speaks With Satellite Surgery

 On this day in 1919, Jean Vander Pyl, the voice behind Wilma Flintstone and countless others, was born. I've shared TV interviews and print interviews involving her before, but today, I've got something a bit different. This is a radio interview Jean did sometime in the early 1990s (I'm guessing '93?) with Satellite Surgery. If the name doesn't ring a bell, that's because it was a program that only played on English airwaves. Eric Wiltsher conducts this interview, which focuses on the legacy of The Flintstones, The Jetsons, and the experience of returning to Wilma for the 1993 telefilms. From this interview, we also learn that Jean didn't exactly have great thoughts on the 1980s Flintstones projects. If you've ever seen any of those, can you really blame her? 

DJR Creative · Eric Interviews Jean Vander Pyl on the Satellite Surgery

Video of the Week: A Spooky Fruity Pebbles Commercial

 There's been no shortage of memorable Halloween-related commercials over the years, and the Fruity Pebbles cereal has had several. Check out this one from 1999, which sees Fred and Barney getting into the spirit themselves. It also gives us a look at Barney without his skin, if that's something you want to see. It's a pretty memorable commercial with some great animation courtesy of the legendary Scott Shaw. He's done tons of work for The Flintstones and Hanna-Barbera characters in general, and during this period, he oversaw many of the Fruity Pebbles commercials. Pretty much all of the ads in this era were well-animated and full of love for The Flintstones, and you can thank him for that. Perhaps another time I'll look at the evolution of the Fruity Pebbles ads, but if I were to pick out a "golden age" for them, it would certainly have to be when he was in charge. But don't simply take my word for it, see it for yourself right below!

Nanco's Hanna-Barbera Halloween Plush Dolls

 Halloween is fast approaching, so it's the perfect time to share some spooky Hanna-Barbera collectibles. Today, I bring you these two Halloween-themed plush dolls of George Jetson and Fred Flintstone, manufactured by Nanco. These were put out around 1989, and while they are the only Halloween-related toys Nanco made, they actually created a whole line of Hanna-Barbera plushies. The George plush is honestly pretty solid, but that Fred Flintstone could use some work. His short and stout build makes him look more like Barney dressing up as Fred, rather than Fred himself. 

I thought I'd share one of their traditional plush dolls now. Just take a look at the face on this Magilla Gorilla plush. Yikes! My first thought was that the plush had simply deteriorated over time, but according to over photos, that's not the case. That's simply what he looks like. Now how's that for spooky?

Elliot Field Plays the Hits

Not many people can say they've been a cartoon character, a disc jockey, or a mayor. Elliot Field, on the other hand, managed to be all three. Readers of this blog will know him best for his role as Blabber Mouse in the Snooper and Blabber cartoons, and for several roles in later episodes of The Flintstones.

As many of you may know from Yowp's latest post, Elliot Field sadly passed away on September 23rd at the age of 97. He was the last surviving cast member of Hanna-Barbera's 1950s output. In honor of his legendary career, I thought it was only appropriate to highlight Field's earlier years. Today, I bring you the following piece from The Daily Report, dated August 5th, 1959. This discusses his involvement in the opening ceremonies of the Ontario Plaza, and it also sheds some light on his entertainment career, which goes back even further than some may think.

Teener Dance Friday Stars Elliot Field

    The teenagers take over Friday night during grand opening festivities at Ontario Plaza.
    Elliot Field, KFWB disc jockey currently the rage of teeners throughout the Southland, will act as master of ceremonies at a special party and dance at the Plaza.
    There will be dancing, prizes, and entertainment—and it's all FREE. Honored guests will be the queen candidates of the West End Community Fair who will be introduced by Field. 

    Elliot Field has made a rocket climb to stardom in Southern California over KFWB, Hollywood. He spins the wax as custodian of the "Fabulous Forty" top hits show which he likes to call, "Mayhem in the P.M."
    Only 29 years old, Field started his career as a 12-year-old actor and m.c. He had his own DJ show at 15. A graduate of the University of Florida, Field gained his veteran's stripes via radio shows in Miami, Boston, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and waypoints.
    At the Plaza, he'll be spinning his records for dancing, conducting contests, awarding prizes, and, of course, signing autographs for his many admirers.

    So make it a date, kids. It'll be a real cool bash, and Elliot Field is the coolest, man, the very coolest!

Rest in peace, Elliot Field. My heart goes out to his family, his friends, and everyone else who was acquainted with him.

The Many Meetings of the Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network Characters: Part Two

Just as promised, it's time I wrap up this week's Cartoon Network-related posts by looking at the later examples of their original characters crossing paths with their Hanna-Barbera forebearers. Today, we're discussing shows from the year 2000 and beyond. There aren't as many series that feature crossovers as there were in the nineties, and for reasons I'll get to later. In the meantime, let's start off with our first series of the day, Samurai Jack!

Over its five-season run, Samurai Jack contained references to all kinds of media that the crew were fans of, so it was no surprise that the show had a few nods to the Hanna-Barbera classics. In the second episode of the show, a character looking quite a lot like the big dog from 2 Stupid Dogs appears. Fitting, considering how much of the Jack crew came from that show. Later on, in "The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful," Quick Draw McGraw and Baba Looey appear as guests on the train the episode takes place inside. Greg Burson voices them here, as he did for most of their appearances following original actor Daws Butler's passing.

Years after the series ended its run on CN, Adult Swim decided to bring it back with one last season to close out the story. While much changed about the show in this more mature form, its love of references remained. In one of the final episodes, Astro from The Jetsons appears. Everyone says The Flintstones and The Jetsons take place simultaneously, but what if Samurai Jack and The Jetsons existed in the same future? Probably not, but I'd say it's a lot more likely. 

Around the same time Jack premiered, so too did The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Of all the shows CN has produced, I think this one easily has the most callbacks and cameos to the Hanna-Barbera cartoons of yesterday. There are so many I'll probably miss a few, especially since a lot of them are rather short. But enough about the amount of them, how about the cameos themselves? 

Starting us off, the first HB character to appear in the show were Yogi and Boo Boo in the season two episode "Here Thar Be Dwarves!" These versions of the characters are noticeably more manic and grotesque than usual. Tom Kenny voices Boo Boo like in most appearances during this time, but Yogi is played by actor Dave Fouquette. This is, as far as I know, the only time he voiced him. The two bears would later appear in the episode "Irwin Gets a Clue," alongside Secret Squirrel, Huckleberry Hound, and Snagglepuss. Each one served as little more than punchlines, as they were all hit by oncoming traffic.

In the following season, the episode "Reap Walking" featured an appearance from all of Mystery Incorporated. Their scene lasts all of two seconds, with none of the characters moving or saying anything. Scooby would later appear in the episode "Keeper of the Reaper," where he'd testify against Mandy. Just like in all of his modern appearances, Scooby was voiced by Frank Welker. This episode also contains yet another cameo from Yogi. I wonder which HB character was the Billy and Mandy teams' favorite?

Season five featured two HB character appearances. Grape Ape made a cameo in "Giant Billy and Mandy All-Out Attack," but the far more interesting one was Fred Flintstone's role in the episode "Modern Primitives." Portrayed as a brainless caveman who'd been stuck in a block of ice, this was the only time in the series a classic character had an active role in an episode. He was portrayed by James Arnold Taylor, who also filled the role in Fruity Pebbles commercials at that time. Barney and Betty even appeared in the episode's end credit sequence. As you can see, the majority of HB character appearances played the characters as the butt of jokes, which is something that I've always appreciated Warners for letting them do. So often, classic characters are treated as sacred objects, put on a pedestal that isn't to be touched. Every once in a while though, it doesn't hurt to have a little fun with them, and do something nobody else would think of doing.

After Billy and Mandy concluded in 2007, the amount of Hanna-Barbera references in Cartoon Network shows went down. And when I say they went down, I mean they became non-existent. Why? Well, blame it on licensing. As you all know, when Time Warner and Turner merged, control of the Hanna-Barbera properties went over to WB. This gave them control of not only new productions but the existing characters and licenses as well. Because of this, CN now had to pay a licensing fee to air Hanna-Barbera shows. This is why those shows slowly began to disappear from the network in the early 2000s. This fee extended, naturally, to cameos as well. According to Maxwell Atoms, the creator of Billy and Mandy, the channel was initially positive towards these references. As the show continued, however, they began requesting the team to back off from these cameos, likely to avoid those aforementioned fees. While it's unfortunate, I understand that thought process from the higher-ups. After all, why spend money to license Snagglepuss if he's just going to appear in a five-second shot of one cartoon?

From that point on, the Hanna-Barbera characters disappeared not just from the network, but from cameos as well. The only one I know of during this time was in a 2015 episode of Uncle Grandpa, titled "Uncle Grandpa Retires." Dick Dastardly and Muttley appear in a crowd, and that's about it. Kind of a random appearance, but it's a pretty random show, so I guess it tracks.

The relationship between the Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network characters would change again in 2019. Following the AT&T and Warner merger (remember that?), a lot of restructuring occurred, including the moving of CN's operations underneath WB. This meant they were once again part of the same family as the Hanna-Barbera library. The days of needing to pay a license to use those characters were over, and the company was quick to take advantage of that. In 2021, Straight Outta Nowhere, a crossover between Courage the Cowardly Dog and Scooby-Doo, was released on home video. The movie itself is, honestly, rather forgettable, but it was astonishing to see characters from these two studios interact again after so long.

And now, what better way to end this saga of CN and HB characters meeting than by talking about a crossover of epic proportions? Jellystone!, a series revolving around classic Hanna-Barbera characters, will have a crossover episode containing an assortment of Cartoon Network characters. If you can think of a character, the chances are high they'll show up. The episode, "Crisis on Infinite Mirths," doesn't have a release date, but I'm confident we'll see it next year. It's kinda funny. In the old days, it used to be Hanna-Barbera's characters appearing in new CN shows. Now, it's the other way around, as if they're repaying them. Feels like this whole saga has come full circle, wouldn't you agree?

Video of the Week: Parking Troubles at Cartoon Network HQ

 Everyone loves a good crossover, and that's something Cartoon Network certainly knew. If crossovers and cameos in the shows weren't enough, the network commissioned many bumpers featuring their characters interacting. One of my favorites was one of the earlier examples, that being this bumper from 1999. It focuses on Fred Flintstone, Thundarr the Barbarian, and Chicken of Cow and Chicken, struggling to find a parking space at Cartoon Network. Beyond featuring some great character interactions, the ad also pokes fun at how the network's newer programming caused some of their older shows to lose airtime, a sentiment I have no doubt many viewers had at the time (and still have!). This spot was animated by the folks at Primal Screen, who did a lot of promotional work for CN until they closed their doors earlier this year. 

Even More Cartoon Network Print Ads

 During last year's Cartoon Network week, I made a post focusing on print advertisements for CN during its early years. I've found a few more since then and now seems like the perfect time to show them off. Let's begin with this one, which declares that the toons are taking over. I don't know when this was issued, but from the formatting, I'd say it was sometime within the first three years of the channel premiering. At the very least, its aesthetic is pretty close to how the bumpers on the network looked during that time. 

From around the same time comes this next one. I think this came from some sort of pamphlet, rather than a magazine, but it advertises the network all the same. This one informs the viewer of what shows and programming blocks they'll find on the channel. I believe this was from especially early on in the network's life.

This ad from 1997 advertises the channel not to viewers, but to advertisers, insisting that Cartoon Network's "toon power" is exactly what they need.

Last but definitely not least is this 1998 print ad, welcoming Batman: The Animated Series' debut on the network. I know this wasn't a Hanna-Barbera cartoon, nor was it even a CN original series, but quite frankly, it's too cool not to put it here. And you gotta love its play on Fred Flintstone's classic catchphrase.

 

The Many Meetings of the Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network Characters

 32 years ago, the Cartoon Network launched and forever changed Western animation. What started out as a home for old animated favorites soon became a place for new, creator-driven cartoons, many of which have gone on to become classics in their own rights. That being said, Cartoon Network hasn't forgotten its roots, nor has its creators. Several of their shows have paid tribute to the Hanna-Barbera series that formed not only the basis of the channel's early days but also inspired them to pursue a career in animation. With the prelude out of the way, here's part one to a two-part piece that will run through this week: a look at the many times the stars of Hanna-Barbera appeared alongside their Cartoon Network descendants.

The first original animated series made for Cartoon Network was Dexter's Laboratory. Like most of the early CN shows, the show was a Hanna-Barbera production (CN Studios at this time was merely a division inside HB), so the crew was free to use their characters at their leisure. One of the earliest was in the episode "The Beard to Be Feared," which shows both Fred Flintstone and George Jetson appear. Later on, the episode "Dad is Disturbed," featured similarly brief appearances from Barney and Betty Rubble. 

Cartoon Network loved its Hanna-Barbera cameos, but it didn't shy away from full-on crossovers either. Dexter would later crossover with the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt in the episode "Dino-Might." Like in the original series, Falcon was voiced by Gary Owens, and Frank Welker returned as Dynomutt. This wasn't the only series the dynamic duo would guest star in, either.

A year after Dexter premiered, viewers were introduced to Johnny Bravo. Johnny Bravo loved its pop culture references, and frequently featured guest stars. Many celebrities appeared in the show, but there was also a host of Hanna-Barbera characters. "Bravo Dooby Doo" saw Johnny cross paths with Speed Buggy. He met Jabberjaw in "Johnny Bravo Goes to Hollywood", while the always lovable Snuffles of Quick Draw McGraw popped up in "Double Vision." Huckleberry Hound appeared in the series finale "Back on Shaq," where he teamed up with Seth Green in a basketball game against Shaq and Johnny. Obviously, why else would Huckleberry Hound have shown up?

Beyond that, Bravo had not one, not two, but five entire episodes focused on crossovers with older Hanna-Barbera characters. Easily the most famous of these is the aforementioned "Bravo Dooby Doo," which revolved around Johnny becoming part of Mystery Incorporated. This episode is quite interesting regarding its voice cast. This was (for a few years at least) the last appearance of Casey Kasem as Shaggy, due to a dispute over his appearance in a Burger King commercial. It was also the last time Daphne was voiced regularly by Heather North, who had voiced the character since the original series' second season. Finally, it was the first time Scoob was played by someone other than Don Messick. He's instead played by Hadley Kay, and it was the only time he did so. 

"A Page Right Out of History" focuses on an ancestor of Johnny crossing paths with, of course, The Flintstones. We see a whole host of Flintstones characters pop up here, including Mr. Slate, voiced for the last time by his original actor, John Stephenson. Even fan-favorite Perry Gunite is along for the ride!

Two other crossovers happened in the show's later years. "Adam West's Date-O-Rama" showcased Bravo going on a date with Space Ghost antagonist Black Widow, while "Johnny Makeover" sees him become part of a makeover show hosted by the Blue Falcon, Weird Al Yankovich, and Don Knotts. The latter episode also sees small appearances from Frankenstein Jr. and Yogi Bear. Blue Falcon was voiced once again by Gary Owens, while Black Widow was done by Judy Tenuta. Tenuta had previously voiced the character in her appearances on Space Ghost: Coast to Coast. 

Cartoon Network's third original series, Cow and Chicken, didn't feature any cameos, but its sibling series, I Am Weasel, had an episode crammed with them. The episode "I Am My Lifetime" features a retirement home full of classic cartoon stars. Everyone's there, from Betty Rubble to Quick Draw McGraw to Jonny Quest. 

Rounding out the nineties, The Powerpuff Girls had no qualms about referencing Hanna-Barbera characters. Like in Dexter's Lab, George Jetson appears as a background citizen. He shows up twice, first in "Insect Inside" and again in "Mime for a Change." The episode "Hot Air Buffoon" also shows two robbers who bear more than a passing resemblance to two certain cavemen.

As the show continued, more and more Hanna-Barbera characters made background appearances. Top Cat and the gang made a fitting cameo in "Catastrophe", Space Ghost and Birdman made extremely small appearances in "Members Only," and a giant-sized Wally Gator can be seen in "Knock it Off."

And that's it for today! This week will be very Cartoon Network-focused, but come back on Friday for the second and final part of this piece! We'll look at Hanna-Barbera cameos in the Cartoon Network shows of the 2000s and today, and why exactly they don't seem to happen a lot anymore.