Boo Boo Runs Wild is a stand-alone special parody of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series, The Yogi Bear Show. It was made by The Ren and Stimpy Show creator John Kricfalusi and his company, Spümcø. Boo Boo Runs Wild originally aired on Cartoon Network on September 24, 1999, along with A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith, a similar Yogi Bear-themed stand alone special. Despite Boo-Boo being the arguable star of this short, it is title carded as "A Ranger Smith Cartoon".
Plot[]
The special takes place before the events of A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith, in the same universe its events took place in. The cartoon starts with Boo Boo waking up Yogi and telling him it’s time to do some “bear type activities”. Ranger Smith reminds Yogi that they can’t go outside because they are naked and the Jellystone handbook says forest animals must wear clothes. Yogi decides he’s tired of following the rules and wants to go back to his bear roots. He decides from that day forward he will walk on all fours and grunt instead of talking. Yogi is worried about Boo Boo but Yogi says he’ll be back.
Boo Boo ends up getting captured by Ranger Smith for acting wild. Yogi feels bad and goes to Ranger Smith to ask for Boo Boo back. After Boo Boo feeds the bears, peeling tree bark and is caught eating honey with Cindy Bear, Yogi decides to see Ranger Smith for advice. Ranger Smith is surprised that Yogi has come to him for help and tells Yogi he’s proud of the concern he’s showing for Boo Boo. Yogi suggests rewarding Boo Boo, am idea that intrigues Ranger Smith.
However, Rancher Smity answers a phone call from the Chief who tells Ranger Smith he must follow the handbook and take care of the rogue little Bear. A reluctant Ranger Smith picks up his musket to do his duty only to be stopped by Yogi. Boo Boo snaps out of his wild antics when he witnesses the two fighting and the short ends with the trio laughing and slapping each other's rear ends.
Characters[]
- Ranger Smith
- Yogi Bear
- Boo-Boo Bear
- Cindy Bear
- Anthropomorphic trees (only appearance)
Locations[]
Jellystone Park[]
- Yogi's Cave
- Ranger Station
- Cindy's Cave
Objects[]
- Picnic basket
- Beehive (destroyed)
- Pinecone cups (only appearance)
- Teapot
- Rogue animal rifles (only appearance, including Moose, Cow, Fly and Little Bear)
Food[]
- Drumstick
- Sandwich
- Honey (from a destroyed beehive)
Animals[]
- Bears
- Moose
- Squirrel
- Bees
- Cow (labeled from a Rogue Cow rifle trophy)
- Fly (labeled from a Rogue Fly rifle trophy)
Cast[]
| Corey Burton | Ranger Smith Moose |
|---|---|
| Stephen Worth | Yogi Bear |
| John Kricfalusi | Boo-Boo Bear Tree |
| Mary Ellen Thomas | Cindy Bear |
| Michael Pataki | Chief |
Broadcast and Release[]
Since its original debut in 1999, Boo Boo Runs Wild has aired multiple times on Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. Despite airing on Adult Swim, it retained its original TV-Y7 rating until 2016, when it was rerated to TV-PG. From January 2006 until April 2006, Boo Boo Runs Wild aired every Sunday on Adult Swim. Promos for these Sunday reruns would treat the program as if it was an actual series, previewing the "next episode" yet also calling it the "premiere episode" later on in the promo. On April 1, 2006, following the normal Neon Genesis Evangelion bump, Adult Swim aired Boo Boo Runs Wild as an April Fool's Day joke, despite all TV listings showing Evangelion in its normal time slot. Adult Swim re-aired Boo Boo Runs Wild on Halloween night, October 31, 2008, as part of an advertised "Halloween Stunt" night, where obscure or randomly seen shows preempted the usual programming for that Friday night. In 2011, Adult Swim re-aired Boo Boo Runs Wild every night from January 10 until January 14, as part of their "DVR Theatre". It aired again on the nights of August 12, 2016, September 5, 2017 (as a part of a "History of Adult Swim" programming event, despite not being made for the block in mind), and January 6, 2019.
Notes/Trivia[]
- The short is dedicated to Ed Benedict, the original character designer for The Huckleberry Hound Show, The Yogi Bear Show and other Hanna-Barbera properties of the 1950s–1960s.