YOGI'S SPACE RACE

YOGI’S SPACE RACE

(NBC, September 9-December 2, 1978)

Hanna-Barbera Productions

MAIN CAST:

Daws Butler – Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Quickdraw McGraw

Joe Besser – Scare Bear

Mel Blanc – Quack-Up, Barney Rubble

Frank Welker – Jabberjaw, Buford, Nugget Nose, Captain Good/Phantom Phink, Clean Kat/Sinister Sludge

Marilyn Schreffler – Wendy

Pat Parris – Rita, Cindy Mae Boggs

Dave Landsburg – Woody Boggs

Henry Corden – Sheriff Muletrain, Fred Flintstone

Roger Peltz – Deputy Goofer McGee

Hal Peary – Fenwick Fuddy

Gary Owens – Narrator

For the history of Yogi the Bear, check out the post here.

            Yogi’s Space Race was Yogi Bear’s (Daws Butler) second ensemble series with him as the title character after Yogi’s Gang, and the first to be comprised of several different segments. The titular Space Race was a reworking of Hanna-Barbera’s earlier Wacky Races concept that tried to latch onto the popularity of Star Wars (as evidenced by the font used for the series’ title). However, instead of being comprised entirely of all-new characters like Wacky Races, Space Race mixed in some returning classics to go with the rookies.

Promotional pamphlet about the show.

            Yogi traded in his hunt for picnic baskets in Jellystone Park for racing through space. However, his partner wasn’t frequent sidekick Boo Boo. Rather, he was given the new partner of Scare Bear (Joe Besser); a small bear scared of practically everything, as his name implied. Huckleberry Hound (Butler) was partnered with Quack-Up (Mel Blanc), who was crazy and clumsy and served as their team’s pilot. Musical shark Jabberjaw (Frank Welker) was partnered with Buford (also Welker), a lazy bloodhound belonging to the mystery-solving Cindy Mae (Pat Parris) and Woody (Dave Landsburg). Their ship included a speed-boosting track powered by Burford running on it (which, naturally, was seldom-used).

The Space Racers in their ships.

            Newly-created for the series was the trio of Nugget Nose (Welker), the gold-obsessed ghost of a prospector who was very protective of his partners, Wendy (Marilyn Schreffler) and Rita (Parris). There was also the racing quartet of Captain Good and his pet cat sidekick, Clean Kat (both Welker). No, that’s not a typo or a case of seeing double. See, Captain Good and Clean Kat seemed to be the ultimate personifications of good sportsmanship and defenders of everything right, but with the push of a button the pair became Phantom Phink and his pet dog sidekick, Sinister Sludge. In their dastardly dual identities, the pair would stop at nothing to achieve victory in the race. And, unlike with Dick Dastardly and Muttley in Wacky Races—whom they were clearly modeled after—they actually won some races. Although they never went out of their way to make everyone believe their dual identities were separate people, none of the racers or the narrator (Gary Owens) knew they were the same. Other Hanna-Barbera characters made appearances, such as the gigantic Grape Ape (Bob Holt), Jana of the Jungle, Frankenstein Jr. with Buzz Conroy, Fred Flintstone (Henry Corden) and Barney Rubble (Blanc). Bob Singer and Willie Ito served as the show’s character designers.

Jabberjaw activating Buford power.

            Yogi’s Space Race debuted on NBC on September 9, 1978 as a 90-minute program block. Along with the Space Race segment, the show included Galaxy Goof-Ups, which saw Yogi, Scare, Huckleberry and Quack-Up as inept intergalactic police officers; The Buford Files, starring Buford and his owners solving mysteries ala Scooby-Doo; and The Galloping Ghost, highlighting the adventures of Nugget and his friends. The running gag of Space Race was that the prize the race’s winner won was usually terrible in some way; such as a self-massaging bed that beat the stuffing out of whoever used it, winning a trip somewhere where they actually had to work, or a trip with less-than-ideal travel accommodations (makes you wonder why they kept racing). Despite being the title character, Yogi only won two races. In fact, the winningest racing team was Captain Good and Clean Kat with three victories (five if you count the two from their alter egos). Although, considering the prizes, maybe it was no mistake the series’ villain was the ultimate “winner”.

A tale of split personalities: Captain Good and Clean Kat vs. Phantom Phink and Sinister Sludge.

            Space Race was written by Herb Armstrong, George Atkins, Haskell Barkin, Jack Bonestell, Doug Booth, Chuck Couch, Mark Fink, Gary Greenfield, George Greer, Andy Hewyard, Len Janson, Mark Jones, Glenn Leopold, Ray Parker, Sam Roeca, Jim Ryan and Susan “Misty” Stewart, with Heyward, Parker and Ryan serving as the story editors. Hoyt Curtin provided the music. One feature of the program was that some of the racers were given a biography on screen that often would go into talking about their ancestors. That’s how the audience came to learn that Good/Phink was the descendant of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Nugget Nose re-evaluating why he hangs out with a couple of teenagers.

            NBC cancelled the series before it concluded airing its only season. To make it more maneuverable on the schedule, Galaxy Goof-Ups was broken off into its own series on November 4, reducing Space Race to a 60-minute program for the remainder of its initial run. When the series entered the rerun cycle, it was further broken up into the half-hour Yogi’s Space Race and Buford and the Galloping Ghost that February. Space Race left the NBC schedule that March, with Goof-Ups following shortly after. Buford and the Galloping Ghost lasted until the debut of the 1979 season. Beginning in the late 1980s, Space Race was seen in on USA Cartoon Express, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Boomerang. Although it hasn’t been released to DVD, the entire Space Race segment is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. In 2024, Space Race returned to television on retro animation network MeTV Toons in rotation with other Yogi shows.

And the results:
            Captain Good & Clean Kat – 4
            Phantom Phink & Sinister Sludge – 3
            Yogi Bear & Scare Bear – 2
            Huckleberry Hound & Quack-Up – 2
            Jabberjaw & Buford – 1
            Nugget Nose, Wendy & Rita – 1

EPISODE GUIDE (Space Race segment only):
“The Saturn 500” (9/9/78) – The frozen rings of Saturn yield a series of abominable threats for the racers.
 
“The Neptune 9000” (9/16/78) – The racers blast through the oceans of planet Neptune.
 
“The Pongo Planet” (9/23/78) – Phink plans to win the race by forming an alliance with Medusa, Queen of the Space People.
 
“The Prehistoric Planet” (9/30/78) – The racers head to a prehistoric planet with special guest Fred Flintstone.
 
“The Spartikan Spectacular” (10/7/78) – On an ancient Roman-like planet, Phink offers Scarebear as a sacrifices to a five-headed dragon.
 
“The Mizar Marathon” (10/14/78) – Phink intends to sick an evil space sorcerer on the other racers.
 
“The Lost Planet of Atlantis” (10/21/78) – Winning the treacherous race through Atlantis’ oceans requires finding safe passage through the Archevil Archipelago.
 
“Race Through Oz” (10/28/78) – Phink makes a bargain with the wicked Space Witch of the West as the racers traverse through the magical land of Oz.
 
“Race Through Wet Galoshes” (11/4/78) – Quick Draw McGraw proves a boon on the lawless western-themed planet.
 
“The Borealis Triangle” (11/11/78) – Phink’s Diabolical Doomsday Device ends up sucking up all the other racers into a giant whirlpool.
 
“Race to the Center of the Universe” (11/18/78) – The racers head to the literal center of the universe to win a trip to the greatest amusement park in the cosmos.
 
“Race Through the Planet of the Monsters” (11/25/78) – Phantom Phink recruits Count Cracula and the Space Mummy to help sabotage the other racers.
 
“Franzia” (12/2/78) – Phink uses the music of The Phantom of the Space Opera to distract the other racers.

Originally posted in 2020. Updated in 2025.