Huckleberry Hound or also known as Huckis slow moving and slow talking blue hound dog who walks on two legs. He is like a human in a dog’s clothing. He is a well-loved character because of his innate kindness, honesty, and gentleness. But his slow, leisurely pace should not be confused with a dull wit because Huckleberry Hound always proves that he is a cleverest and fastest thinking characters to ever exist. He has the ability to think himself in and out of trouble remarkably fast. Let’s get to know more about this clever hound dog.
History
Huckleberry Hound was created because Kellogg’s Cereals was interested in sponsoring a children’s show for marketing purposes and they were looking for a suitable animated series. That’s why Kellogg’s contacted Hanna-Barbera and the show began to take its shape. But instead of coming up with a simple live character to emcee the show, Hanna-Barbera thought that it would be better if the show had an animated host. They also thought that the show should have three different segments so that the show will be easier to script and there would be a lot more room of flexibility if ever the audience or sponsor disliked a particular segment. After that, a slow moving and a slow talking hound dog that wears a necktie was created and he was named Huckleberry Hound. He was the master of ceremonies for his other stars namely Mr. Jinks the cat, Yogi Bear, and the two mice named Pixie and Dixie.
The show began its syndication on the fall of 1958 and it became a surprise hit, it attracted so much attention that different article about Huckleberry Hound and his costars appeared in several magazines such as Parents and Time, and newspapers like The New York Times.
Huckleberry Hound somehow became an instant cult hero. Several fan clubs were formed and his merchandise grew. But the biggest surprise that the producers and sponsors received was the fact that a large percentage of the 16 million viewers that Huckleberry Hound has been adults and college students. Producer William Hanna felt that it was because of the puns and witty dialogues that gave Huckleberry Hound that sophisticated feel. Or maybe because Huck was a breath of fresh air in a TV season that opened with almost a dozed detective shows.
Most of Huck’s short films have consisted of him trying to perform different jobs in various fields like a policeman or a dog catcher. He has one regular antagonist named Powerful Pierre who is a tall and muscular character that has a French accent. Huckleberry Hound is also known for his tone-deaf rendition of the song “Oh My Darling, Clementine” which was often used as a running gag on the show.
The Huckleberry Hound show won an Emmy Award in 1960 under the category of “Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Children’s Programming” it is the first animated cartoon series who won such an award. Huckleberry Hound also appeared in several Hanna-Barbera produced shows such as Yogi’s First Christmas, Wacky Races, and Quick Draw McGraw. He also had a television film entitled “The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound which was released in 1988.
To this date, Huckleberry Hound remains to be one of TV’s most lovable characters. And thanks to the internet, the young generation can watch and enjoy the episodes of this classic cartoon film which brought smiles to the past generation.