Cindy Bear is a cartoon character created by

Hanna-Barbera Productions Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...

. She is one of the primary supporting characters of the

Yogi Bear Yogi Bear is an anthropomorphic animal character who has appeared in numerous comic books, animated television shows and films. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in ''The Huckleberry Hound Show''. Yogi Bear was the first ...

franchise as well as a regular in the stable of frequently appearing Hanna-Barbera animated personalities. Cindy was originally portrayed by voice actress

Julie Bennett Julie Bennett (January 24, 1932 – March 31, 2020) was an American actress and later talent agent and realtor. Early years Bennett was born in Manhattan, New York, on January 24, 1932. Acting career A native of Hollywood, Bennett worked as a ...

, who reprised the part for most of her appearances from the 1960s through the 1980s.

Personality

Cindy Bear is the love interest of

and a resident of Jellystone Park. She speaks with a pronounced Southern accent, and she carries a

parasol An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally used ...

. Cindy rarely engages in the same antics as Yogi and Boo-Boo and does not share the same antagonistic relationship with

Ranger Smith John Francis Smith, more commonly referred to as Ranger Smith (and known as Mr. Ranger by Yogi and Boo-Boo), is a fictional park ranger first appearing in the 1958 ''Yogi Bear'' cartoon series. The character is Yogi's main antagonist, and appears ...

. Her romance with Yogi Bear is typically portrayed as on-again/off-again, with her pursuing him while he avoids and evades her advances. Just as often, however, Yogi is shown to return her affections.

Development

Cindy Bear was originally designed by

Ed Benedict Ed Benedict (August 23, 1912 – August 28, 2006) was an American animator and layout artist. He is best known for his work with Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions, where he helped design Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear, and Reddy on Ruff and Re ...

. One early sketch saw her clad in a bonnet, a frilly scarf and an apron with an elongated, pointed muzzle. A second sketch dropped all accessories save the frill scarf and shortened her muzzle. Cindy made her debut in the 1961 television series ''

The Yogi Bear Show ''The Yogi Bear Show'' is an American comedy animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that centers on the misadventures of forest-dwelling bear Yogi in Jellystone Park. The show debuted in syndication on January 30, 1961 ...

'' as a semi-recurring character. Her finalized animation design featured blue/grey fur, a hat, a white frill scarf and a necklace. Cindy appeared prominently in the 1964 feature film ''

Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! ''Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!'' is a 1964 American animated musical comedy film produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and released by Columbia Pictures. The film stars the voices of Daws Butler, Don Messick, Julie Bennett, Mel Blanc, and J. Pa ...

'' in which she is kidnapped, spurring Yogi and Boo-Boo to come to her rescue. She was redesigned by art director

Iwao Takamoto Iwao Takamoto (April 29, 1925 – January 8, 2007) was a Japanese-American animator, television producer, and film director. He began his career as a production and character designer for Walt Disney Animation Studios films such as ''Cinderella ...

for the film into the more familiar modern version with light brown fur and a yellow scarf. Cindy has received a few slightly different, one-off redesigns. In ''Yogi's First Christmas'', she was given dark brown fur and white hair, as well as a number of different outfits which she wore throughout the film. For the

Spümcø Spumco, Inc. (stylized as SPüMCø) was an American animation studio that was active from 1989 to 2005 and based in Los Angeles, California. The studio was best known for working on the first two seasons of ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'' for Nickelodeo ...

short "

Boo Boo Runs Wild ''Boo Boo Runs Wild'' is a 1999 stand-alone animated television special, and a parody of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series ''The Yogi Bear Show''. It was made by ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'' creator John Kricfalusi and his company Spümcø. ''Boo Bo ...

", she retained her modern character design, but with the blue/grey fur of her original design. ''

Yo Yogi! ''Yo Yogi!'' is an American animated television series and the seventh entry in the ''Yogi Bear'' franchise produced by Hanna-Barbera that aired from September 14 to December 7, 1991 on NBC for 13 episodes. This would be one of the last Yogi Bear ...

'' featured a preteen Cindy Bear with a significant redesign, wearing a modern 1990s outfit consisting of a white skirt/top, purple jacket, purple shorts, white boots and a ponytail. Cindy Bear appears in ''

Jellystone! ''Jellystone!'' is an American animated streaming television comedy series developed by C. H. Greenblatt for HBO Max. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and features reimagined versions of various characters by Hanna-Barbera. It p ...

'' as a medical doctor.

Animated media

Television shows

*1961 - ''

'' (segments "Acrobatty Bear", "A Wooin' Bruin" and "Yogi's Birthday Party") *1973 - ''

Yogi's Gang ''Yogi's Gang'' is an American animated television series and the second incarnation of the ''Yogi Bear'' franchise, which aired 16 half-hour episodes on ABC from , to . The show began as ''Yogi's Ark Lark'', a special TV movie on ''The ABC Satur ...

'' (episodes "Gossipy Witch" and "Mr. Hothead") *1977 - ''

Laff-A-Lympics ''Laff-A-Lympics'' is an American animated comedy television series produced by Hanna-Barbera. The series premiered as part of the Saturday-morning cartoon program block '' Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics'', on ABC in 1977. The show is a spoof ...

'' *1985 - ''

Yogi's Treasure Hunt ''Yogi's Treasure Hunt'' (originally titled ''The Funtastic Treasure Hunt'') is an American animated television series and the fifth entry in the ''Yogi Bear'' franchise produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, featuring Yogi Bear and various other ...

'' (episodes "To Bee or Not to Bee", "Yogi and the Beanstalk" and "Secret Agent Bear") *1988 - ''

The New Yogi Bear Show ''The New Yogi Bear Show'' (also known as ''Hanna-Barbera's Yogi Bear Show'') is an American animated television series and the sixth incarnation of the ''Yogi Bear'' franchise produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that aired in syndication from ...

'' *1990 - ''

Wake, Rattle, and Roll ''Wake, Rattle, and Roll'' (retitled ''Jump, Rattle, and Roll'' when it aired on The Disney Channel on weekday afternoons in 1991''The Disney Channel Magazine'', Vol. 9, no. 5, September/October 1991: pp. 20, 36, 45.) is an American live-action/an ...

'' *1991 - ''

'' *1999 - ''

'' *2002 - ''

What's New, Scooby-Doo? ''What's New, Scooby-Doo?'' is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation for Kids' WB. It is the ninth incarnation of the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise that began with Hanna-Barbera's ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'' and ...

'' (episode "Roller Ghoster Ride") (cameo as toy) *2004 - ''

Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law ''Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law'' is an American adult animation, adult animated television sitcom created by Michael Ouweleen and Erik Richter for Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. A Spin-off (media), spin-off of '' ...

'' (episode "Droopy Botox") *2021 - ''

Films and specials

*1964 - ''

'' (singing voice by

Jackie Ward Jackie Ward (born Jacqueline McDonnell, 1941), better known as Robin Ward, is an American singer, regarded as a " one-hit wonder" of 1963 million-selling song "Wonderful Summer". However, using her real name she was highly accomplished and ...

) *1980 - ''

Yogi's First Christmas ''Yogi's First Christmas'' is a 1980 animated musical television film starring Yogi Bear and produced by Hanna-Barbera which first aired in syndication through Operation Prime Time on November 22, 1980. Throughout the 1980s it was offered to U. ...

'' *1988 - ''

Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears ''Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears'' is a 1988 animated made-for-television film produced by Hanna-Barbera for syndication as part of the '' Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10'' series. This Hanna-Barbera production was the last to feature Daws ...

'' (singing voice by Linda Harmon) *1989 - '' Hanna-Barbera's 50th: A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration'' *2013 - ''

Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon ''Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon'' is a 2013 American animated superhero comedy film, and the nineteenth entry in the direct-to-video series of ''Scooby-Doo'' films. The film is a crossover, featuring Blue Falcon and Dynomutt. It was produced ...

'' (cameo as picture)

Comics

While only a recurring character in the animated shorts, Cindy Bear featured prominently in the various ''Yogi Bear'' and other Hanna-Barbera comics published by

Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...

Charlton Comics Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T.W.O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line was a division of Charlton ...

and

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. Cindy made her debut in Dell's Yogi Bear #5, detailing her back story. It is revealed that Ranger Smith had her transferred to Jellystone from Red Oak National Park in a scheme to hamper Yogi's mischief by distracting him with Cindy's persistent wooing. The plot eventually backfires when Yogi succumbs to Cindy's advances and begins stealing twice as many picnic baskets to feed her. She would also appear frequently in the Charlton Comics series, drawn in both her early design and her revised design. Cindy also appeared as a participant in Marvel's ''Laff-A-Lympics'' comic series. In Laff-A-Lympics #5, she helps uncover a false identity scheme by the Really Rottens. In Laff-A-Lympics #13, she was revealed to be the team's

chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitche ...

during the offseason....at least until the eating habits of

Grape Ape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago ...

drove her to quit.

Licensing

* Cindy Bear can be regularly encountered as a costumed meet-and-greet character at a chain of

recreational vehicle A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and camper ...

and camping parks ("Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp Resorts"). The first of these parks opened in 1969 in

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin Sturgeon Bay is a city in and the county seat of Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,646 at the 2020 Census. The city is well-known regionally for being the largest city of the Door Peninsula, after which the county is na ...

. As of 2011, over 70 locations have hosted the parks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bear, Cindy Cindy Fictional bears Hanna-Barbera characters Female characters in animated series Television characters introduced in 1961 Female characters in animation