My Friendly Pets

I grew up in an age of great cartoons, where some
of the greatest animators of all time brought their loveable characters into our living rooms. Just the mention of some of those names today, brings great memories to mind.

Did anyone ever consider why there are so many great cartoon characters where the main characters are dogs? I think its because we love dogs so much and through cartoons we can create characters we love that have human characteristics we admire.

For example, Huckleberry Hound (one of my favorites) was a cartoon character created by Joe Barbera and William Hanna, two cartoon greats!!! Huckleberry Hound was a blue dog (that didn’t seem to bother anyone) who spoke with a slow southern drawl. (the actual voice of Huckleberry was Daws Butler, who was the sound and voice of many cartoon greats). The personality of Huckleberry Hound was that of a laid back, easy going, not too bright nice kind of guy, who worked a series of occupations. His voice and actions were those we could relate to in everyday people. That’s why he was so appealing. He never had it “all together” and that was o.k., because many people we know and love don’t have it together either, but we love them anyway, just like Huck.

In fact, the original Huckleberry Hound series ran from 1958-1962 and during that time, our loveable hound had many occupations including a police officer, firefighter, truant officer, lion tamer, mailman, veterinarian and even worked as a dog catcher. Huckleberry Hound was so successful and appealing to both young and old alike that the series won an Emmy award for Best Children’s Program in 1959. Due to the large adult audience that seemed to enjoy the cartoon series, Hanna and Barbera created another cartoon that attracted “grown ups” and was based in large part on the successful sitcom known as “The Honeymooners”, which starred Jackie Gleason and Art Carney.
Of course there was a “family dog” (dinosaur) character in this cartoon series, whom we all grew to love, named Dino. Which cartoon series is it? Of course, the Flintstones, which ran from 1960-1966 as the original series and there were many spin offs of the original as well.

Dogs play a great role in all aspects of our lives including cartoon entertainment. I feel it is a way to help us identify with the strengths and weaknesses of ourselves in an animal that is always loved.

For another great cartoon hero, check out one of my previous entries at:

http://www.myfriendlypets.com/theres-no-need-to-fear/

It’s about the one and only UNDERDOG, another great cartoon hero!!!