Lippy the Lion & Hardy Har Har

Walking on a ship's deck, Lippy (right) leads Hardy Har Har (left)

Lippy the Lion & Hardy Har Har are a pair of anthropomorphic Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters, 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 suggests the sound of laughter associated with a hyena (see onomatopoeia) and Hardy is an eternal pessimist.

History

Lippy the Lion (voiced by Daws Butler) and Hardy Har Har the Hyena (voiced by Mel Blanc) 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 postman 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.

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.

Episode list

Cast

Theme song

"Here comes Lippy and Hardy!

The most lovable, laughable loonies by far

Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har"

DVD release

The first episode, "Sea-saw," is available on the DVD Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960's Vol. 2.

Other appearances

Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har in other languages

External links

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