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Laff-a-Lympics

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Laff-a-Lympics
LaL.jpg
Premiere September 10, 1977
Finale October 28, 1978
Creator Joe Ruby, Ken Spears
Network/Provider ABC
Style 30-minute animated comedy
Company Hanna-Barbera Productions
Seasons 2
Episodes 24
Origin USA

Laff-a-Lympics is an animated comedy that aired on ABC. The first season aired as a part of package show Scooby's All-Star Laff-a-Lympics and the second as a part of its follow-up show Scooby's All-Stars. It aired as simply Laff-A-Lympics as a stand-alone title on ABC in 1980 and 1986 as mid-season replacements.

The series had 45 Hanna-Barbera characters pared out in three teams in athletic competition similar to the trash-sport Battle of the Network Stars specials of the time: the Yogi Yahooeys (a team of funny animal characters, mainly from the late 1950s and early 1960s - only the Great Grape Ape is from later, the 1970s), the Scooby Doobies (superhero and detective characters from the 1970s), and the Really Rottens (a team of villains, most of which were original to the show).

Each episode was divided into two segments, each taking place in a different locale.

Contents

Teams and characters

  • The Yogi Yahooeys: Yogi Bear (team captain), Boo Boo Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Pixie, Dixie, Mr. Jinks, Quick Draw McGraw, Cindy Bear, Snooper, Blabber, Augie Doggie, Doggie Daddy, Hokey Wolf, Wally Gator, Yakky Doodle, and The Great Grape Ape.
  • The Scooby Doobies: Scooby Doo (team captain), Norville "Shaggy" Rogers, Dynomutt, The Blue Falcon, Hong Kong Phooey, Speed Buggy, Tinker, Captain Caveman, Dee Dee Skyes, Taffy Dare, Brenda Chance, Babu, Scooby Dum.

Originally, Josie & The Pussycats and Jeannie were to have been part of the team, but clearance issues with Radio Comics and Columbia Pictures Television kept them out. Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels were subsequently created in the Pussycats' stead and Babu, from Jeannie, was retained as he was created by the H-B studio while Hong Kong Phooey replaced Jeannie.

  • The Really Rottens: Mumbly (team captain), Dread Baron, Daisy Mayhem, Sooey Pig, The Great Fondoo, Magic Rabbit, Dinky Dalton, Dirty Dalton, Dastardly Dalton, Mr. Creepley, Junior Creeply, Mrs. Creeply, Orful Octopus.

Mumbly was created a year earlier as a detective on Hanna-Barbera's Tom & Jerry revival. The Creepleys appeared a couple of times as the Flintstones' next door neighbors The Gruesomes in the mid 1960s, and permutations of the Daltons appeared as antagonists in episodes of The Huckleberry Hound Show in the late 1950s. All other Rottens characters were originals. However: in the final issue of the Laff-A-Lympics comic book by Marvel Comics, it is revealed that Dread Baron is the brother of Wacky Races villain Dick Dastardly. Also in several episodes of season 2, Mumbly is misidentified as Muttley, of whom Mumbly bears a resemblance. Apparently, Dastardly and Muttley were to have been the Rottens captains, but due to Heatter-Quigley's co-ownership of the copyright to Wacky Races, they were replaced with Dread Baron and Mumbly.

  • On-field commentators: Snagglepuss, Mildew Wolf.

Mildew was originally part of the It's The Wolf! segment of Hanna-Barbera's 1969 series The Cattanooga Cats and was voiced by Paul Lynde. At this point in time, Lynde was subject to scandal and was replaced by John Stephenson.

  • Guest appearances: Jabberjaw, Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble.

Alan Reed, the voice of Fred Flintstone since 1960, lent his voice to Fred for the final time in the Laff-A-Lympics debut episode. He died a couple of months after the episode aired. Henry Corden voiced Fred thereafter.

Cast

Actor Character Duration
Main Cast
Don Messick Scooby-Doo 1 2
Boo Boo Bear 1 2
Announcer 1 2
Mumbly 1 2
Pixie 1 2
Dirty Dalton 1 2
Daws Butler Yogi Bear 1 2
Huckleberry Hound 1 2
Quick Draw McGraw 1 2
Snagglepuss 1 2
Dixie 1 2
Mr. Jinks 1 2
Snooper 1 2
Blabber 1 2
Hokey Wolf 1 2
Augie Doggie 1 2
Wally Gator 1 2
Dastardly Dalton 1 2
Scooby Dum 1 2
John Stephenson The Great Fondoo 1 2
Mildew Wolf 1 2
Dread Baron 1 2
Doggie Daddy 1 2
Frank Welker Magic Rabbit 1 2
Tinker 1 2
Yakky Doodle 1 2
Jabberjaw 1 2
Dynomutt 1 2
Marilyn Schreffler Daisy Mayhem 1 2
Brenda Chance 1 2
Bob Holt Grape Ape 1 2
Dinky Dalton 1 2
Casey Kasem Shaggy Rogers 1 2
Mr. Creepley 1 2
Scatman Crothers Hong Kong Phooey 1 2
Laurel Page Taffy Dare 1 2
Mrs. Creepley 1 2
Vernee Watson Dee Dee Skyes 1 2
Alan Reed Fred Flintstone 1
Henry Corden 1 2
Mel Blanc Captain Caveman 1 2
Speed Buggy 1 2
Barney Rubble 1 2
Gary Owens Blue Falcon 1 2
Julie Bennett Cindy Bear 1 2
Joe Besser Babu 1 2

Seasons

Season Premiere Finale #
ABC
Season One September 10, 1977 December 24, 1977 16
Season Two September 9, 1978 October 28, 1978 8

In-Depth

DVD Releases

The show was first released in two volumes, containing the first eight episodes between them. Then, Spooky Games was released, which featured the other 8 episodes from the first season, as well as two episodes each duplicated from the two volumes, as well as one brand-new Scooby-Doo episode.

Title Release Date #
Episode Collections
Volume 1 January 19, 2010 1

purchase

Volume 2 January 19, 2010 (Target)
October 19, 2010 (General) 		1

purchase

Spooky Games July 17, 2012 2

purchase

External Links

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