The 10 Most Underrated Hanna Barbera Characters

Everyone remembers Scooby-Doo, George Jetson, and Fred Flintstone, but it’s time we pay tribute to some of Hanna Barbera’s underrated characters.

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Hanna Barbera created cartoons that made the childhoods of several generations of audiences. Fans remember beloved characters like Scooby-Doo, The Jetsons family, and The Flintstone gang decades after the debuts of their cartoons.

Yet, while these were popular and mainstream, fans may have overlooked other Hanna Barbera characters over the years. Remember Speed Buggy, or Snagglepuss? These names sound familiar, but they’re not as well-known as Fred Flintstone or Scooby-Doo. Nonetheless, revisiting these cartoon characters are more than worth the time, as they’ve long been underrated and deserve more recognition, if only because they brightened the childhoods of so many fans over the years.

10 Jonathan Wellington “Mudsy” Muddlemore

Mudsy appears in The Funky Phantom as one of the protagonists. He had an unfortunate ending, alongside his cat, Boo, when he hid from Redcoats in a clock and later suffocated inside, only to be released centuries later by three teens and their dog.

Though a ghost himself, everything scares Mudsy, but he does come through for the kids when they need him most and helps them solve mysteries. For Hanna Barbera fans, his voice will sound very familiar, given his voice is very similar to that of fellow Hanna Barbera character Snagglepuss. This is due to the fact that both characters were voiced by legend Daws Butler. The Funky Phantom contains a theme not too different from Scooby-Doo, but it maintains its unique angle by using a ghost to accompany the kids on mysteries, which does come in handy on more than one occasion.

9 Quick Draw McGraw

Quick Draw McGraw was a sheriff in the Old West alongside his deputy, a Mexican burro called Baba Looey—which is always fun to say! Baba Looey usually referred to the sheriff as “Queeks Draw.” Quick Draw wasn’t the smartest, but he always had good intentions, not to mention that he had some fun catchphrases, like “now hold on there!” and “ooooh that smarts!”

Quick Draw even held another identity as the masked vigilante “El Kabong,” all in the name of justice. Quick Draw is something of a parody of westerns in cartoon form, and he never disappoints in bringing good old fashioned entertainment.

8 Muttley

Muttley is best-known for his laugh, which resembles something along the lines of a “wheezy snicker.” He never really spoke, only communicating via his laugh or with a gruff grumble that was his version of cursing out Dick Dastardly, whom Muttley served as a foil to.

He usually laughed at whatever unfortunate thing would befall Dastardly, to which Dastardly would usually hit him on the head in retaliation. Muttley first appeared on Wacky Races, and he’d help Dastardly try to thwart the other racers so as to prevent them from winning. Muttley wasn’t the best partner to Dastardly, but he sure was hilarious!

7 Stanley Chan

Stanley Chan is one of the main characters from The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan. The second-eldest sibling, Stanley is always up to something, whether it be a new disguise or annoying his brother Henry, whom he usually teamed up with. Along with his nine other siblings, he’d try to help his detective father solve whatever case had come up in any given episode.

However, like the rest of his siblings, Stanley would fail to find certain clues, which his father would uncover and ultimately use to solve the case himself. Stanley played guitar in the band formed with his siblings, and his goofy ways made him a funny and lovable character, as well as his signature catchphrase of “wham bam, we’re in a jam!”

6 Babu

Babu is a character from the cartoon Jeannie. He’s long been Jeannie’s apprentice, having trouble with magic and its concepts. Whenever he uses magic, he exclaims “Yapple dapple!” and he tends to mess up, in turn causing problems for those around him, relying on Jeannie to help him fix his mistakes.

He made an appearance with the other characters from Jeannie in The New Scooby-Doo Movies and is shown to be kind-hearted and like Shaggy and Scooby, afraid of ghosts. Though maybe not the fastest learner, Babu is very eager and tries his best.

5 Snagglepuss

Snagglepuss, a pink cougar, held a love of all things fancy, which is easy to tell given his collar, cuffs, and tie. Snagglepuss always tries to better his life but never quite succeeds. He’s also frequently chased by Major Minor, the tiny-sized hunter pictured above.

Snagglepuss may come off as snobbish or pathetic, but he really is good-mannered and simply wants to achieve the lifestyle he dreams of. He comes with memorable catchphrases like “Heavens to Murgatroyd!” and often ends his sentences with an emphasized “even.”

4 Speed Buggy

Speed Buggy follows the lives of three teenagers–Mark, Debbie, and Tinker–and their talking dune buggy, Speed Buggy. The group, known as the “Speed Buggs” travel to participate in races all around the world.

Following a similar formula to Scooby-Doo, the kids and their talking car would somehow find trouble wherever they went. While Tinker and “Speedy,” as he’s affectionately called, would be more wary of becoming involved in a mystery, Mark and Debbie were usually more inclined. They met and defeated villains of all kinds and had many great adventures that were, unfortunately, cut short, with only 16 episodes ever released. Still, Speed Buggy left his mark in the cartoon universe, solving mysteries and always being a good friend to the three teens.

3 Huckleberry Hound

Huckleberry Hound is notable for his drawl and his frequent renditions of “Oh My Darling, Clementine.” Unfortunately for anyone around to hear him, their eardrums were shattered, as Huckleberry wasn’t much of a singer.

Good-natured and sweet, he first appeared on The Huckleberry Hound Show, which won an Emmy Award in 1960 for “Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Children’s Programming.” He’s worth revisiting, or discovering, for younger audiences.

2 Hong Kong Phooey

Hong Kong Phooey had everything: humor, a cool car, and a handy sidekick. Hong Kong Phooey is the secret identity of Penrod “Penry” Pooch, who transforms into his superhero self through a filing cabinet, which he usually gets stuck inside of until Spot, his cat and unofficial sidekick, frees him.

Hong Kong Phooey utilizes “The Hong Kong Kung Fu Book of Tricks” to help him fight crime, but, because of his tendency to be clumsy or clueless, he only achieves success through Spot’s intervention or as an unintentional result. His frequent screw-ups are a recurring gag, and, though he may not be the best superhero, he’s definitely among the most lovable and kind-hearted.

1 Jonny Quest

Jonny travels around the world with his scientist father Dr. Benton Quest, as well as his best friend and adoptive brother Hadji, and his assigned protector and friend, Race Bannon. While Dr. Quest is investigating scientific mysteries, it usually leads him and the rest of the gang into some kind of trouble against adversaries who don’t want their operation exposed. They face everything from Egyptian mummies to robots, and a day in the life of Jonny Quest is never boring, filled with mystery, action, and adventures galore.

The animation was also ahead of its time. Jonny was more into fun and adventures than homework, but he was intelligent and was shown to get out of many scrapes a time or two, as he was skilled and resourceful. Jonny had an awesome childhood, and audiences got to experience it through him.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/underrated-hanna-barbera-characters/