The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera

The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera

Network	Syndication
Launched	September 15, 1985 (1985-09-15)
Closed	1994 (1994)
Country of origin	United States
Owner	Hanna-Barbera Productions (programming) Worldvision Enterprises (distributor, 1985–1991) Turner Program Services (distributor, 1991–1994)
Running time	90 minutes (1985–1986) 120 minutes (1986–1993) 60 minutes (1993–1994)

The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera was an American animated syndicated programming block produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that ran on a weekly schedule and was performed in live action. The program ran from 1985 to 1994.^[1]

Overview[]

The block premiered on Sunday, September 15, 1985 and included an array of both old and new Hanna-Barbera original cartoon shows. The show aired on Sundays in most markets, but some stations broadcast it on both Weekdays as well on Saturdays too.^[2] The 1985 to 1987 edition was hosted by legendary Hanna-Barbera mainstays, Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Huckleberry Hound and Snagglepuss in their live action costumed forms (all voiced by Daws Butler).

Each show included HBTV segments featuring music videos of classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon clips (similar to Disney's D-TV and Nickelodeon's sister network itself MTV). It included hits like "Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival and "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell. "It's Fun! Fun! Fun! Funtastic!", was the main theme song for the Funtastic World's first three seasons and also the theme for Yogi's newest series, Yogi's Treasure Hunt. Next, The Down and Dirty Dinosaurs from the game show Skedaddle hosted the 1988 edition, and then the 1990 edition was hosted by Kenny Ford and Jennifer Love Hewitt (while their show Kids Incorporated was off the air).

The shows featured in the animation block had a superstar lineup of both old and new H-B animated characters that included The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda, Jonny Quest, The Challenge Of The GoBots, Fantastic Max, The Flintstone Kids, The Further Adventures of SuperTed, Galtar and the Golden Lance, The Greatest Adventure: Stories From The Bible, The Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 Movies, The Jetsons, Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone, The New Adventures of Jonny Quest, Paddington Bear, The Paw-Paws, The Pirates of Dark Water, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Richie Rich, Sky Commanders, Smurfs' Adventures, The Snorks, Swat Kats: The Radical Squadron, 2 Stupid Dogs, Yogi's Treasure Hunt, Yo Yogi! and Young Robin Hood.^[1]

The block ran from 1985 to 1994 and was 3 and a 1/2 hours long in 1985 because of GoBots, The Jetsons, Paw-Paws, Yogi's Treasure Hunt, and Galtar. However it became a mighty success and the block went to four and a 1/2 hours in 1986 and a five-hour block in 1987 with the addition of the Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 televised feature films. With time its popularity waned and the program's length decreased from two hours in 1991 to one hour in 1993.

Distribution[]

It was originally distributed by Worldvision Enterprises, then moved to Turner Program Services after the sale of the Hanna-Barbera studio to Turner Broadcasting. Most of the shows that aired on the block are now distributed by Warner Bros. Television Distribution. When it first aired, The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera could be seen on all independent stations owned by Taft, the parent company of Hanna-Barbera Productions and Worldvision Enterprises at the time.

Stations[]

When The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera first launched on Sunday, September 15, 1985, it was also pre-sold to Taft Broadcasting, Tribune, Metromedia, Chris-Craft^[3] owned stations.

Shows[]

The series had a superstar lineup of both old and new Hanna-Barbera characters throughout its run.

• The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda (1990–1992)
• The Adventures of Jonny Quest (1986–1988)
• Fantastic Max (1988–1990)
• The Flintstone Kids (1986–1988)
• The Further Adventures of SuperTed (1988–1990)
• Galtar and the Golden Lance (1985–1987)
• Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 (1987–1988)
• HBTV (1985–1987)
• The Jetsons (1985–1987; 1993-1994)
• Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone (1990–1993)
• The New Adventures of Jonny Quest (1986–1988)
• Paw Paws (1985–1987)
• Paddington Bear (1989–1991)
• The Pirates of Dark Water (1992–1993)
• Richie Rich (1988–1989)
• Skedaddle (1988–1989)
• Sky Commanders (1987–1988)
• The Smurfs (1987–1990)
• Snorks (1987–1989)
• SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron (1993–1994)
• 2 Stupid Dogs (1993–1994)
• Wake, Rattle, and Roll (1990–1992)
• Yogi's Treasure Hunt (1985–1988)
• Yo Yogi! (1992–1993)
• Young Robin Hood (1991–1993)

References[]

External links[]

• The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera at IMDb
• HBTV at The Big Cartoon DataBase