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If you’re a fan of vintage animation and a collector of physical media, then 2025 is shaping up to be an extraordinary year, thanks to the dedicated efforts of Warner Archive. Earlier this year, we highlighted their impressive Blu-ray collections of classic Looney Tunes cartoons, all meticulously restored and released with exceptional quality. Now, under the expert guidance of film historian George Feltenstein, Warner Archive is back with a remarkable 11-disc Blu-ray package of “The Huckleberry Hound Show,” showcasing one of their most ambitious reconstruction and preservation projects to date.

While Huckleberry Hound and his friends from the beloved Hanna-Barbera series have remained in the public eye, their original shows have not been available in their complete form for over 60 years. This iconic series, which aired from 1958 to 1962, introduced audiences to the laid-back title character, along with fan favorites like Yogi Bear and Mr. Jinks. Originally sponsored by Kellogg’s, the show featured its characters in commercials that aired alongside the cartoons.

Each episode of “The Huckleberry Hound Show” presented a delightful mix of cartoons featuring Huckleberry and his pals, interspersed with Kellogg’s commercials and other animated segments. After four successful seasons, the series experienced a brief hiatus before being sold to individual stations, which led to a fragmented distribution of the cartoons. Generations of children became familiar with Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, and others through these repackaged segments, which were often stripped of their original context.

Unfortunately, Hanna-Barbera did not preserve the complete half-hour episodes, opting instead to inventory segments by character. This meant that when Feltenstein and a dedicated team of Warner Bros. archivists began their work on the Blu-ray nearly three years ago, they faced significant challenges. The original shows were not saved in their entirety, but fortunately, the original 35mm negatives of most character segments survived, allowing the team to scan them in stunning 4K resolution. The only exception was one segment sourced from a 16mm reduction negative.

The real challenge lay in locating and restoring the connective material, including bumpers, bridges, and original commercials. This extensive process involved sifting through various film and audio elements based on legacy documents from the Hanna-Barbera archives, some of which were contradictory. The team faced hurdles such as finding picture without audio or vice versa, and some materials were unusable due to vinegar syndrome.

After months of meticulous work, the team successfully matched the original broadcast versions of all 68 shows as closely as possible. The result is a treasure trove for animation enthusiasts, featuring a wealth of newly restored material presented with the technical excellence that Warner Archive is known for. A delightful surprise awaits viewers in the form of the original opening main title sequence, complete with Kellogg’s mentions and presented in color—something even seasoned animation scholars believed was never filmed in color.

Watching these shows with their original structure and commercials intact feels like stepping back in time. The vintage commercials and bumpers evoke a sense of joyful nostalgia, even for those who weren’t alive during the show’s original run. The cartoons themselves, brought to life by the incredible voice talents of Daws Butler and Don Messick, have aged gracefully. They remain smart and hilarious, and in this expertly assembled package, they look and sound better than ever.