Yogi Bear Rebooted for New Show ‘Jellystone!’ on HBO Max

Yogi Bear is one of the most iconic characters in Warner Bros.’s roster of Hanna-Barbera properties, and the company is revamping him for a new generation. On the heels of the character’s appearance in Space Jam: A New Legacy, Yogi, Boo-Boo and a whole fleet of Hanna-Barbera character will appear in the new HBO Max show Jellystone!.

The Warner Bros. Animation series, which C.H. Greenblatt (Chowder, Harvey Beaks) executive produces, sees an ensemble of animal character as they engage in silly antics. Yogi, Boo-Boo and Cindy Bear are apparently doctors in the Jellystone community, which takes its name from the national park that the bears lived at in the original shorts and shows. As you can see from the still below, the animation is meant to be fresh and fun when compared to the characters’ initial designs.

Other characters that live in Jellystone include town mayor Huckleberry Hound, clothing store owner Magilla Gorilla, and retail worker Jabberjaw. Top Cat, Wally Gator, Johnny Quest, Hadji, Snagglepuss and Captain Caveman are also shown in the trailer below. Curiously, Quick Draw McGraw doesn’t appear to be a character, but his alter ego, El Kabong, is shown. While adults who grew up watching the original cartoons might not be thrilled with the silly new character designs and style of comedy, hopefully, a whole new generation of kids will be introduced to the characters. That’s the goal, as Greenblatt explained in a press release.

“I grew up watching tons of Hanna-Barbera cartoons and have a deep love for these characters,” said Greenblatt. “The massive amount of both classic and not-so-classic characters we were able to use from the Hanna-Barbera library is what really makes the Jellystone! universe special. Rather than recreate the feeling of cartoons of the past, we wanted to have silly, weird fun with these characters and expand their personalities to give them more depth.

“Chances are if there’s a character you love, you’ll see them somewhere in this world eventually. We hope longtime fans appreciate our take on this world, and we’re excited that parents get to introduce and enjoy their favorite Hanna-Barbera characters with their kids.” Jellystone! premieres Thursday, July 29 on HBO Max.