Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har

Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har are a pair of anthropomorphic characters created by Hanna-Barbera, a lion in a tattered top hat and vest, and a hyena in a porkpie hat and bow tie, respectively. The latter's name is ironic, as it's an onomatopoeia for laughter, but Hardy is an eternal pessimist, Hardy is the stereotype of someone with a very deep major depressive disorder; indeed, one short implies that expressions of joy or happiness actually puts Hardy in pain.

History[]

Lippy and Hardy (voiced by Daws Butler and Mel Blanc respectively) first appeared in The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series in 1962, along with Wally Gator and Touché Turtle and Dum Dum. Mel Blanc used the same voice, personality and expressions for Hardy Har-Har that he used playing the Happy Postman character on the Burns and Allen radio show.

Their cartoons revolved around ever-hopeful Lippy's attempts to get rich quick, with reluctant Hardy serving as a foil. Whatever the consequences were to Lippy's schemes, Hardy would end up getting the worst of it — a fact he always seemed to realize ahead of time, with his moans of, "Oh me, oh my, oh dear." Although the intro shows them in a jungle setting proper for such beasts, most of the cartoons' stories took place in an urban setting.

In 1971, Lippy and Hardy got their own cartoon show, simply titled Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har; it lasted one season.

Since then, the duo have been infrequently included in the cast of Hanna-Barbera's ensemble shows (e.g., Yogi's Gang). They were no longer constantly pursuing Lippy's get-rich-quick schemes, but their personalities were unchanged; Lippy was still the smiling optimist, Hardy the moaning pessimist.

Other Appearances[]

Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har were seen in Yogi's Ark Lark. In one scene, Lippy was fed up with Hardy's behavior when those that were on the Noah's Ark were getting bored looking for the perfect place. Though, he did save Hardy when the Ark ended up in a storm. Both of them were also in the TV movie's spin-off series, Yogi's Gang. In both appearances, Hardy Har Har was voiced by John Stephenson while Daws Butler reprised Lippy.
Lippy and Hardy appeared in the 1977 Hanna Barbera comic book issue called "The Flintstones' Christmas Party".
Lippy and Hardy appeared in the 1978 Laff-a-Lympics comic book story "The Man Who Stole Thursday".
Lippy and Hardy had appeared in an episode of Yogi's Treasure Hunt.
Hardy Har Har was seen as a teenager in Yo Yogi!, voiced by Rob Paulsen. His appearance was in the episode "Tricky Dickie's Dirty Trickies" where, after Dickie Dastardly gets Yogi fired from the L.A.F. Squad, Yogi ended up hanging out with Hardy. For some reason, Lippy the Lion, voiced by Greg Burson, didn't appear with him as he remained an adult and owned a shop in the mall called "Gems and Jams".
Lippy's "birthday" is November 17th.
Lippy and Hardy appeared in Jellystone! Hardy is a woman in the series. The characters are also an elderly Jewish-Latino married couple.^[1]

Filmography[]

Television[]

The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series (1962-1963)
Yogi's Gang (1973)
Jellystone! (2021-present)

Films and Specials[]

Yogi's Ark Lark (1972)

Guest Appearances[]

The Quick Draw McGraw Show
- Snooper and Blabber segment - "Laughing Guess" (1959) (Hardy only)
Yogi's Treasure Hunt
- "The Great American Treasure" (1987)
- "The Moaning Liza" (1987)
- "Yogi's Heroes" (1987)
- "The Attack of Dr. Mars" (1987)
- "20,000 Leaks Under the Sea" (1987) (Lippy only)
Yo Yogi!
- "Tricky Dickie's Dirty Trickies" (1991) (Hardy only)
- "Polly Wants a Safe Cracker" (1991) (Lippy only)