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.