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Snagglepuss

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For the song by John Zorn, see Naked City (album).
Snagglepuss
The Quick Draw McGraw Show and The Yogi Bear Show character
First appearance“Lamb Chopped” (The Quick Draw McGraw Show, 1959)
Created byWilliam Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Voiced byDaws Butler (1959–1988)[1]
Frank Milano (Songs of Yogi Bear and his Pals LP (1961))[2][3]
Greg Burson (1989–2002)
Billy West (commercials, Wacky Races)
Earl Kress (Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Sound FX (1994))[4]
Jeff Bergman (Web Premiere Toons, Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary)
Scott Innes (2003, 2012)[5][6]
Stephen Stanton (MetLife commercial)
Victor Yerrid (Robot Chicken)
Chris Edgerly (Drawn Together)
Tom Kenny (Evil Con Carne, Wacky Races)
Dana Snyder (Jellystone!)[7]
In-universe information
AliasSnaggletooth
SpeciesLion
GenderMale

Snagglepuss is a fictional cartoon character who debuted in prototype form on The Quick Draw McGraw Show in 1959 and was established as a studio regular by 1961.[8][9] A light pink anthropomorphic Lion sporting an upturned collar, shirt cuffs, and bow tie, Snagglepuss enjoys the finer things in life and shows a particular affinity for the theatre. His stories routinely break the fourth wall as the character addresses the audience in self-narration, soliloquy, and asides. As originally voiced by Daws Butler,[1] Snagglepuss seeks quasi-Shakespearean turns of phrase. Some of his campy verbal mannerisms became catchphrases: "Heavens to Murgatroyd!", "Exit, stage left!", and using emphatic "even" at the end of sentences.[10]

History

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A pink lion known as "Snaggletooth", featuring the eventual character's general manner and Bert Lahr–inspired voice but without collar or cuffs, first appeared on television in The Quick Draw McGraw Show in 1959.[8][9] The character subsequently appeared in a supporting role in Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy and Snooper and Blabber.[9] Under the revised name of Snagglepuss, the character appeared in his own series of shorts in 1961 as a regular segment on The Yogi Bear Show, featuring in 32 episodes.[11] He later appeared in other Hanna-Barbera shows, including Yogi's Gang (1973), as a co-host in Laff-A-Lympics (1977–78), Yogi's Treasure Hunt (1985), and as a teenager in Yo Yogi! (1991).

Snagglepuss's appearance in a 1960s run of Kellogg's cereal television commercials prompted legal action by actor Bert Lahr, who said the similarity of the character's voice to his own could lead viewers to the false conclusion that Lahr himself had endorsed the product. As part of the settlement, the disclaimer "Snagglepuss voice by Daws Butler" was required to appear on each commercial. This made Butler one of the few voice artists to receive screen credits in a TV commercial.[12]

Butler reused his Snagglepuss voice for two other Hanna-Barbera characters: Jonathan Wellington "Mudsy" Muddlemore in The Funky Phantom and Brutus the Lion in The Roman Holidays.

Character description

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Snagglepuss lives in a cavern, which he constantly tries to make more habitable for himself. No matter what he does, however, he always winds up back where he started or worse off than he was before. In some episodes, Snagglepuss is chased by Major Minor (voiced by Don Messick), a tiny-sized hunter. A few episodes involved him trying to court a lioness named Lila (voiced by Jean Vander Pyl) but who always rejected his advances for being too boorish or pathetic.

Butler's voicing of the character recalls the work of actor Bert Lahr, especially the more mellow moods of Lahr's Cowardly Lion in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.[1]

Snagglepuss has three signature catchphrases. His most famous is his perpetual exclamation "Heavens to Murgatroyd!"[1] Before dashing offscreen to make an escape or run an errand, Snagglepuss announces the move in the form of a theatrical stage direction, saying "Exit, stage left/right/up/down!". Finally, Snagglepuss tends to add the word "even" for emphasis at the ends of sentences:

  • After emphasizing a previous statement ("Somebody hurt! In dire pain, even!").
  • After stating a synonymous phrase ("On account of I must be a little rusty. Stale, even").
  • In a grammatically correct way, though out of order in the sentence ("I wonder if he knows my telephone number, even").
  • Simply added as an exclamation ("Heavens to Murgatroyd! A veritabububble frankenmouse monster, even!").[13]

The character's pink color (which shouldn't be an issue), lilting voice, and theatrical manner led some viewers (who evidently ignored Lila) to interpret Snagglepuss as stereotypically gay.[14] This implication was echoed over the years in many parodies, then seriously explored in the 2018 comic miniseries Exit, Stage Left!: The Snagglepuss Chronicles ("left" being the operative word) from DC Comics, part of their Hanna-Barbera Beyond initiative.[15]

List of episodes

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Main article: List of The Yogi Bear Show episodes
  1. Major Operation / 1961-01-30
  2. Feud for Thought / 1961-02-06
  3. Live and Lion / 1961-02-13
  4. Fraidy Cat Lion / 1961-02-20
  5. Royal Ruckus / 1961-02-27
  6. The Roaring Lion / 1961-03-06
  7. Paws for Applause / 1961-03-13
  8. Knights and Daze / 1961-03-20
  9. The Gangsters All Here / 1961-03-27
  10. Having a Bowl / 1961-04-03
  11. Diaper Desperado / 1961-04-10
  12. Arrow Error / 1961-04-17
  13. Twice Shy / 1961-04-24
  14. Cloak and Stagger / 1961-05-01
  15. Remember Your Lions / 1961-05-08
  16. Remember the Daze / 1961-05-15
  17. Express Trained Lion / 1961-09-16
  18. Jangled Jungle / 1961-09-23
  19. Lion Tracks / 1961-09-30
  20. Fight Fright / 1961-10-07
  21. Lions Share Sheriff / 1961-10-14
  22. Cagey Lion / 1961-10-21
  23. Charge That Lion / 1961-10-28
  24. Be My Ghost / 1961-11-04
  25. Spring Hits a Snag / 1961-11-11
  26. Legal Eagle Lion / 1961-11-18
  27. Don't Know It Poet / 1961-11-25
  28. Tail Wag Snag / 1961-12-02
  29. Rent and Rave / 1961-12-09
  30. Footlight Fright / 1961-12-16
  31. One Two Many / 1961-12-23
  32. Royal Rodent / 1961-12-30

Other appearances

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Hanna-Barbera

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Non-Hanna-Barbera

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  • In The Simpsons episode "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song" (April 28, 1994), Miss Hoover reminds Ralph Wiggum that he once reported seeing Snagglepuss outside in the hallway. Ralph responds, "he was going to the bathroom". In the other episode "Lady Bouvier's Lover" (May 12, 1994), Comic Book Guy shows Bart a cel of Snagglepuss as an example of a cel that is actually worth something, as opposed to the cel of Scratchy's arm that Bart was trying to sell to him.
  • Snagglepuss appeared in the Robot Chicken episode "Ban on the Fun", voiced by Victor Yerrid. In the "Laff-A-Munich" skit, he is seen on a television set, telling the audience about the disappearance of the Yogi Yahooeys.
  • In the adult animated sitcom Drawn Together, Snagglepuss is featured in the episode "Gay Bash", but his face is blurred, referencing how strangers are blurred on reality programs. He was voiced by Chris Edgerly.
  • Snagglepuss made a brief cameo in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy episode "Irwin Gets a Clue", being hit by Hoss Delgado's truck.
  • Snagglepuss made two cameos in a MetLife commercial in 2012, titled "Everyone". In a behind the scenes video, Snagglepuss (voiced by Stephen Stanton) acts and rehearses in front of the director of the ad, only for the director to tell him he does not have any speaking roles in the ad, and in response, Snagglepuss storms out of the trailer.
  • On a Season 34: Episode 8 "Weekend Update" segment on Saturday Night Live (November 15, 2008), Bobby Moynihan appears in costume as Snagglepuss to comment on California's ban on same-sex marriage. During the segment, Snagglepuss is "outed" by anchor Seth Meyers and then confesses that his domestic partner is fellow Hanna-Barbera cartoon character The Great Gazoo, who also makes a cameo played by Will Forte.
  • Snagglepuss made a cameo appearance in the Animaniacs revival segment "Suffragette City".
  • Snagglepuss made several cameos in the Teen Titans Go! episode "Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary".

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Martin, Gary (1996–2009). "Heavens to Murgatroyd". Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  2. ^ "Frank Milano – Songs Of Yogi Bear And His Pals (1961, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1961. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  3. ^ "Total TeleVision Cartoons – on Records". cartoonresearch.com. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  4. ^ "No Artist – Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Sound FX (1994, CD)". Discogs. 1994. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  5. ^ "The Official Scott Innes Scooby-Doo Mega Store and More..." www.onescottshop.com.
  6. ^ "ScoobyAddicts.com". ScoobyAddicts.
  7. ^ Hemmert, Kylie (June 24, 2021). "Jellystone!: Hanna-Barbera Characters Return in HBO Max Original Animated Series". Comingsoon.net.
  8. ^ a b Markstein, Donald D. "Snagglepuss". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c "Snagglepuss". Cartoon Scrapbook. Archived from the original on 2012-07-08.
  10. ^ Sennett, Ted (1989). The Art of Hanna-Barbera: Fifty Years of Creativity. Studio. pp. 63–64. ISBN 978-0670829781. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  11. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 933. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  12. ^ "Today's Video Link". News From ME (Mark Evanier's blog). April 15, 2010.
  13. ^ Liberman, Mark (October 6, 2013). "Snagglepuss: early avatar of emphatic even". Language Log.
  14. ^ Hughes, William (31 January 2017). "New comic series reimagines Snagglepuss as a gay 1950s playwright". AV Club. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  15. ^ Abad-Santos, Alex (17 December 2017). "The Snagglepuss Chronicles is the first great comic book of 2018".
  16. ^ "EXIT STAGE LEFT: THE SNAGGLEPUSS CHRONICLES #1". DC. 16 October 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  17. ^ "THIS: Look at those cavemen go – HiLobrow". Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  18. ^ Puc, Samantha (29 March 2019). "Syndicated Comics". Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  19. ^ Hipes, Patrick (October 29, 2019). "HBO Max Sets New Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Robert Zemeckis Hybrid Series 'Tooned Out', More For Kids & Family Slate".
  20. ^ Iza, Melody [@izaart] (July 30, 2021). "While we didn't get to be explicit about it, we definitely believe they're happily married" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021 – via Twitter.
  21. ^ "Jim Parsons Embraces Being a "Late Bloomer"". The Hollywood Reporter. December 2022.
  22. ^ "Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons to Voice Snagglepuss in New Animated Project". December 2022.
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