''CB Bears'' is an American

animated television series An animated series is a set of Animation, animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can ...

produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions which aired on NBC from September 10 to December 3, 1977. As with many Hanna-Barbera shows of the time, ''CB Bears'' was an anthology series with six regular segments: ''The CB Bears''; ''Blast-Off Buzzard''; ''Heyyy, It's the King''; ''Posse Impossible''; ''Shake, Rattle & Roll''; and ''Undercover Elephant''. Each segment riffed on a popular television show or film. The ''CB Bears'' segment was a spoof on the 1976 hit show ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by Aa ...

'', with a trio of ursine investigators given assignments by an unseen dispatcher. Similarly, ''Heyyy, It's the King'' was a takeoff on the 1974 hit '' Happy Days'', with a royal lion based on Henry Winkler's famous Fonzie. ''Blast-Off Buzzard'' imitated

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation.

' Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner; ''Posse Impossible'' was a cowboy show caricaturing

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

; ''Shake, Rattle & Roll'' featured a trio of ghosts imitating comics Hugh Herbert, Lou Costello and Marty Allen; and ''Undercover Elephant'' spoofed '' Mission: Impossible''. On February 4, 1978, NBC repackaged the show as part of the two-hour ''

The Go-Go Globetrotters ''Harlem Globetrotters'' is a Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera and CBS Productions, featuring animated versions of players from the basketball team of the same name. Broadcast from September 12, 1970 to October 16, 1971 on C ...

'', which also featured reruns of the ''

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of i ...

'' series. This lasted until September 3.

Syndication

In syndication, ''CB Bears'' was shown in a shortened half-hour format with ''Blast-Off Buzzard'' and ''Posse Impossible''; ''Heyyy, It's the King!'' was also shown in a shortened half-hour format with ''Shake, Rattle & Roll'' and ''Undercover Elephant''. The show was also rebroadcast on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...

from 1995 to 1997. The ''CB Bears'' theme is also heard in the ending credits of '' The Skatebirds'' on CBS and '' Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels'' on ABC.

Segments

The CB Bears

Hustle (voiced by Daws Butler impersonating Phil Silvers), Boogie (voiced by

Chuck McCann Charles John Thomas McCann (September 2, 1934 – April 8, 2018) was an American actor, comedian, puppeteer, commercial presenter and television host. He was best known for his work in presenting children's television programming and animation, a ...

) and Bump (voiced by Henry Corden) are a trio of

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

detectives disguised as trash collectors. They travel the country solving mysteries in a tacky garbage truck called the Perfume Wagon (the CB term for a garbage truck). A sultry-voiced female named Charlie (voiced by Susan Davis) contacts the bears on the truck's CB radio to give them their assignments. This show was "inspired" by the hit TV series ''

'' (Bump wore a blonde hairstyle similar to

Farrah Fawcett Farrah Leni Fawcett (born Ferrah Leni Fawcett; February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009) was an American actress. A four-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she playe ...

). Each of the bears' names are based on a 1970s

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

dance, and the show's overall premise made reference to the CB radio craze of the mid-1970s (by this point waning in popularity). Physically and personality-wise, Hustle, Boogie, and Bump resemble Hair Bear, Bubi Bear, and Square Bear, respectively, from the earlier cartoon '' Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch!''; Daws Butler provided the same Phil Silvers-esque voice for both Hustle and Hair.

Episodes

Blast-Off Buzzard

Blast-Off Buzzard (vocal effects provided by Daws Butler) is a buzzard in aviator gear and a '' de facto'' villain who chases Crazylegs, a wacky football helmet-wearing snake who outruns the buzzard. Their situation was very similar to Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. This is a non-speaking segment.

Episodes

Heyyy, It's the King!

A cool, Fonzie-patterned

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

named King (voiced by Lennie Weinrib) alongside his high school classmates Big H the Hippopotamus (voiced by Sheldon Allman), Clyde the Gorilla (voiced by

Don Messick Donald Earle Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor. He was best known for his performances in Hanna-Barbera cartoons. His best-remembered vocal creations include Scooby-Doo, Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in ...

), Skids the Alligator (voiced by Marvin Kaplan), Yuka Yuka the

Hyena Hyenas, or hyaenas (from Ancient Greek , ), are feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae . With only four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the Carnivora and one of the smallest in the clas ...

(voiced by Lennie Weinrib), and cheerleaders Sheena the Lioness (voiced by Ginny McSwain) and Zelda the Ostrich (voiced by

Susan Silo Susan Silo (born July 27, 1942) is an American actress who is known for her work in voice-over roles. Early life Susan Silo was born in New York City. Both her parents were actors. Career Her acting career started in television on the episo ...

) attempt schemes to get into the spotlight.

Episodes

Posse Impossible

The

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

of Saddlesore (voiced by Bill Woodson) and his hopeless posse of

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

s: Stick (voiced by Daws Butler in a hillbilly voice), Big Duke (voiced by Daws Butler impersonating

) and Blubber (voiced by

) jail notorious

outlaws An outlaw is a person living outside the law. Outlaws or The Outlaws may also refer to: Film and television Film * ''The Outlaws'' (1950 film), an Italian crime film * ''Outlaws'' (1985 film), a French film * ''The Outlaws'' (2017 film), a Sou ...

by out-bungling the rascals. In every segment, the Sheriff goes after some no-good polecat which ends with the bad guys behind bars. A prototype version of the posse was featured in the final episode of '' Hong Kong Phooey''.

Episodes

Shake, Rattle & Roll

Shake (voiced by Paul Winchell), Rattle (voiced by Lennie Weinrib), and Roll (voiced by Joe E. Ross) are three

ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

s who run the Haunted Inn, a hotel for ghosts and other supernatural creatures as they tend to their needs. Their workplace hijinks are sometimes disrupted by self-proclaimed "ghost exterminator" and nemesis Sidney Merciless (voiced by Alan Oppenheimer) who wants to rid the world of ghosts. Shake, Rattle, and Roll also tend to have problems with the Ghost Mouse as their Poltercat helps in attempts to get rid of it.

Episodes

Undercover Elephant

Undercover Elephant (voiced by Daws Butler) and his sidekick Loudmouse the

Mouse A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

(voiced by

Bob Hastings Robert Francis Hastings (April 18, 1925 – June 30, 2014) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Lt. Elroy Carpenter on ''McHale's Navy'' and voicing Commissioner James Gordon in the DC Animated Universe. Early life Hast ...

) work for Central Control and solve mysteries. Recurring gags of this segment included disguises worn by Undercover Elephant tending to give him away (since some were ordered from the back of a comic book), Loudmouse blowing his cover when staking out the villain, Undercover Elephant being unable to avoid the exploding messages (a-la ''

Mission Impossible ''Mission: Impossible'' is a multimedia franchise based on a fictional secret espionage agency known as the Impossible Missions Force (IMF). The 1966 TV series ran for seven seasons and was revived in 1988 for two seasons. It inspired a serie ...

'') being sent to him by his Chief (voiced by Michael Bell), and to resist peanuts.

Episodes

Cast

* Lennie Weinrib as King, Yuka Yuka, Rattle, Park Ranger (in "Snowbound Safari"), Vampire (in "There's No Pest Like a Singing Guest") * Sheldon Allman as Big H * Ginny McSwain as Sheena * Marvin Kaplan as Skids *

as Clyde, Seeker (in "Valley of No Return"), Elmo (in "The Carnival Caper"), Mr. Gridley (in "The Carnival Caper"), Newsman (in "Snowbound Safari"), Bigfoot/Robber (in "Snowbound Safari") *

as Zelda * Daws Butler as Hustle, BlastasOff Buzzard, Duke, Stick, Undercover Elephant * Henry Corden as Bump *

as Boogie, Blubber * Michael Bell as Chief * Tommy Cook as * Regis Cordic * Scatman Crothers as Segment Title Narrator * Susan Davis as Charlie * Cindy Erickson * Bob Holt * Joan Gerber * Gay Hartwig *

as Loudmouse * Joyce Mancini * Julie McWhirter * Allan Melvin * Alan Oppenheimer as Sidney Merciless * Patricia Parris * Joe E. Ross as Roll * Ken Sansom * Hal Smith * John Stephenson as Abernathy (in "The Fright Farm"), Hunter Hunter (in "The Blue Kangaroo") * Alex Tramunti * Janet Waldo *

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...

as Carnival Worker (in "The Carnival Caper"), Ringmaster (in "The Carnival Caper") * Paul Winchell as Shake * Bill Woodson as Sheriff of Saddlesore

Home media

All thirteen episodes of ''Posse Impossible'' were released on VHS by Hanna-Barbera Home Video on November 25, 1988. In addition, three episodes of ''Shake, Rattle & Roll'' were released on VHS as part of a compilation titled ''Scooby-Doo & Friends: Mostly Ghostly'' by Hanna-Barbera Home Video in 1990, "The Ghostly Ghoul is a Ghastly Guest", "Spooking the Spooks" and "Guess What's Coming to Dinner".

Other appearances

* Undercover Elephant appeared in some episodes of '' Yogi's Treasure Hunt''. * Reruns of ''CB Bears'' and ''Undercover Elephant'' aired in the 1980s run of '' Captain Kangaroo''. * Reruns of ''Undercover Elephant'' were shown as one of the fillers for the adaption of '' Wake, Rattle, and Roll''. * Blast-Off Buzzard and Crazylegs appeared in an episode of '' Tom & Jerry Kids'' in which they actually talk with Crazylegs voiced by

Charlie Adler Charles Michael Adler (born October 2, 1956) is an American voice actor and voice director. He is known for his roles as Buster Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Ed and Bev Bighead on ''Rocko's Modern Life'' and Ickis on ''Aaahh!!! Real Monst ...

. * Undercover Elephant made a cameo in the "Agent Penny" episode of the ''

Super Secret Secret Squirrel ''Secret Squirrel'' is a cartoon character created by Hanna-Barbera and also the name of his segment in '' The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show'', which debuted in 1965. He was given his own show in 1966, titled ''The Secret Squirrel Show'', but was ...

'' segment of ''

2 Stupid Dogs ''2 Stupid Dogs'' is an American animated television series created and designed by Donovan Cook and produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. It originally ran from September 5, 1993, to May 15, 1995, on TBS as a part of their ''Sunday Morning in Fr ...

''. * CB Bears and The King and his classmates appeared in '' Jellystone!'' with King voiced by Bernardo de Paula. Skids and Big H are re-imaged as girls in this series. The King and his friends are depicted as criminals.

References

External links

*
''CB Bears''
at the Big Cartoon DataBase {{DEFAULTSORT:Cb Bears 1977 American television series debuts 1977 American television series endings 1970s American animated television series 1970s American anthology television series 1970s American mystery television series American children's animated anthology television series American children's animated comedy television series American children's animated fantasy television series American children's animated mystery television series English-language television shows NBC original programming Television series by Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera characters Animated television series about bears