LAFF-A-LYMPICS: A CARTOON MULTIVERSE PREVIEW

I first became aware of the fictional crossover/shared reality concept when I was five years old. As my family was about to embark on a drive from Massachusetts to California, my father gave me my first comic book to keep me occupied, and it was an issue of the Marvel Comics adaptation of Scooby’s All-Star Laff-A-Lympics. This is the first time I was able to comprehend what was going on here, on a significant level. All these characters from their own cartoons were appearing together, as part of the same reality, thus placing all their previous cartoons in the same reality.

Chris Nigro adds, from this except from his foreword in TELEVISION CROSSOVER UNIVERSE: WORLDS AND MYTHOLOGY I: Nevertheless, it’s far from a new concept. It was simply a trope not commonly presented to the general public, save in a few popular fictional universes we are encouraged (quite unfortunately) to “forget” once we enter the esteemed status of adulthood. Relevant to some of the timelines presented in this first volume of Television Crossovers, that includes the worlds presented to our childhood TV viewing eyes by Hanna-Barbera cartoons. During the 1970s, these two masters of old-style cel animation brought us shows like Yogi’s Gang (later shown as part of the Fred Flintstone and Friends anthology), which spun out of the animated TV special Yogi’s Ark Lark and brought numerous Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters from the 1960s into a single adventure (aboard a flying version of Noah’s Ark, no less). A bit later in the ‘70s, Scooby’s All-Star Laff-A-Lympics further expanded the roster of Hanna-Barbera crossover cast to include many of their characters who debuted in the 1970s, this time with Scooby Doo as the featured star, as he had since eclipsed Yogi Bear as Hanna-Barbera’s most popular cartoon character.



So. 1978, driving cross country with my parents, Laff-A-Lympics comic. You know all that stuff. You know about the notebooks. You know about the Wold Newton Group. You know I met Ivan, James and Gordon there. You know about the book club and Hannah Montana.

THE SCOOBY/YOGI/LAFF-A-LYMPICS TIMELINE

This is the timeline the TVCU Crew had traditionally identified as the Looniverse but the Cartoon Crossover Encyclopedia will identify as the Cartoon Universe. This timeline will be covered in depth in the upcoming Cartoon Crossover Encyclopedia by Robert E. Wronski, Jr.

10,000 YEARS AGO--The Flintstones --The misadventures of two modern-day Stone Age families, the Flintstones and the Rubbles. Followed by The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show

HANNA-BARBERA ERA BEGINS





1958 to 1961--THE HUCKLEBERRY HOUND SHOW--Preceded by The Ruff & Reddy Show (1957) and Followed by The Quick Draw McGraw Show (1959)





1959 to 1962--Quick Draw McGraw--Quick Draw Mcgraw was a dimwitted and lanky mustang (horse) who caused much chaos in the Old West. If he could get his own six shooter out of his holster at all, he would usually shoot the wrong man. His partner, a Mexican burro name Baba Looie, was always trying to help Quick Draw as much as he could. Also on the show were cartoons featuring Snooper and Blabber, Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy. Though it seems as though this series took place in the 19th century, most evidence shows that in fact it took place in a contemporary period, but in this universe, much of the western U.S. still seems to be very much identical to how it was in the 19th century. This series spun-off Quick Draw El Kabong (1999) (Short).

1961 to 1962--THE YOGI BEAR SHOW--Followed by Yogi Bear & Friends

1962 to 1963--THE HANNA-BARBERA NEW CARTOON SERIES--This series spun-off Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har (1962) (TV Series).




1964--HEY THERE, IT'S YOGI BEAR!--Ranger Smith, tired of Yogi's picnic basket stealing, has him and Boo-Boo shipped off to the San Diego Zoo. Yogi escapes being sent away, unknown to Yogi's girlfriend Cindy, who goes looking for him and is kidnapped by a circus owner. Yogi and Boo-Boo are forced to sneak out of the park and travel across the country to save Cindy and bring her back home. This film follows the Yogi Bear Show.
 



1965 to 1970--I DREAM OF JEANNIE--Astronaut Major Anthony Nelson finds a bottle and releases Jeannie. Even though he releases her from servitude, she has immediately fallen in love with him and follows him home to Coco Beach, Florida. Followed by I Dream of Jeannie... Fifteen Years Later







1968 to 1969--WACKY RACES--The villains (and also the stars) of the series drive a purple, rocket-powered car with an abundance of concealed weapons and the ability to fly. Dick Dastardly is an archetypal mustache-twirling villain; Muttley is his wheezily snickering dog henchman. Dastardly's usual race strategy revolves around using the Mean Machine's great speed to get ahead of the other racers, and then setting a trap to stop them and maintain the lead; but most of his plans backfire, causing him to fall back into last place. Dastardly never sees victory. The other racers include The Slag Brothers, Rock and Gravel, in two cavemen themed racers called the Boulder Mobile; the Gruesome Twosome, who are monsters in the Creepy Coupe; Professor Pat Pending, a scientist, in the Convert-a-Car; the Red Max in a car/plane hybrid; Penelope Pitstop, the lone female, in a 1930s racing costume; Sergeant Blast, in an army tank/jeep hybrid with a small steamroller wheel attached to the front, called the Army Surplus Special; the Ant Hill Mob, gangsters, in the Bulletproof Bomb; Luke, a hillbilly, and Blubber Bear, his pet bear, in the Arkansas Chugabug; Peter Perfect, a gentlemanly racer, in the Turbo Terrific; and finally Rufus Roughcut, a lumberjack, and his companion Sawtooth in the Buzzwagon. Followed by The Perils of Penelope Pitstop (1969–1970) and Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines (1969–1970)







1969 to 1978--SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU! (ANIMATED SERIES)--A group of teenagers and their talking dog go around solving mysteries which always involves debunking a fake haunting. Scooby was not the star within the Laff-A-Lympics series, but was one of three team captains with Yogi and Mumbly, but he got top billing because he was at the time the biggest star of the Hanna-Barbera Universe. Followed by The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972–1973)

1972 to 1973--THE NEW SCOOBY-DOO MOVIES (ANIMATED SERIES)--Mystery, Inc. continues to solve mysteries, but now they meet a lot of interesting people. This series is a continuation of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! It continues in 1976 as The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour. It was remade in 2002 as a live-action film. This series also spun off the animated Harlem Globetrotters series. The series has been referenced several times in other series and films. It has also been spoofed in Gremlins 2, Night of the Living Doo, and Family Guy.

1972--THE ABC SATURDAY SUPERSTAR MOVIE--"Yogi's Ark Lark"--In this, the pilot for what would eventually become "Yogi's Gang", Yogi, Boo Boo and many of his friends including Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, Magilla Gorilla among others decide to build an ark to look for the mythical Perfect Place which is peaceful and hasn't been affected by man and pollution. They hire the Jellystone's janitor Noah Smith to act as captain and travel throughout the world looking for such a place. Even though they think every place they land is a "Perfect place", they soon find out that there is definitely no place like home. Preceded by The Brady Kids on Mysterious Island and Followed by Mad Mad Mad Monsters




1973 to 1975--YOGI'S GANG--When his natural habitat is threatened to be overrun by civilization and pollution, Yogi Bear, together with his faithful sidekick, Boo Boo Bear, and a gaggle of cartoon notables ranging from Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, and Pixie and Dixie, to Peter Potamus, Augie Doggy, and Snagglepuss, build and board a muscle-powered, propeller-flying ark in search of a "Perfect Place" into which for cartoon animals to relocate. En route, Yogi's group encounter and battle a series of conniving villains. Preceded by Yogi Bear & Friends and Followed by Fred Flintstone and Friends

1973 to 1975--JEANNIE--Corey Anders, an average California teenager, finds an unusual-looking bottle on the beach while surfing. He opens it, and a beautiful genie named Jeannie emerges. Her bumbling, corpulent sidekick genie Babu also emerges, and the two become Corey's servants. Most of the show's plots found Corey trying to live a normal teenager's life, while keeping the genies' identities secret, and teaming up with Jeannie to repair the damages caused by Babu's bungling. Spun-off from I Dream of Jeannie (1965) (TV Series)

1973 to 1983--SPEED BUGGY--Animated 'Saturday-morning' television cartoon about a race car. Speed Buggy has been referenced many times in other shows like Johnny Bravo, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, the Powerpuff Girls, Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated, and Futurama.

September 1973--THE NEW SCOOBY-DOO MOVIES (ANIMATED SERIES)--SEASON 2 EPISODE 3 “THE HAUNTED SHOWBOAT”--Mystery, Inc. find themselves aboard a showboat where Josie and the Pussycats are booked to perform. When ghosts appear, the two groups of teens join together to solve the mystery. This brings in the animated version of Josie and the Pussycats (and Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space) but not necessarily the comic books from which the characters originate.

September 1973--THE NEW SCOOBY-DOO MOVIES (ANIMATED SERIES)--SEASON 2 EPISODE 2 “SCOOBY-DOO MEETS JEANNIE (AKA MYSTERY IN PERSIA)”--Jeanie transports Mystery, Inc. back to ancient Egypt to solve a mystery. This crossover brings the animated Jeanie into the Cartoon Universe. This Jeanie was not the same from I Dream of Jeannie.

October 1973--THE NEW SCOOBY-DOO MOVIES (ANIMATED SERIES)--SEASON 2 EPISODE 6 “THE WEIRD WINDS OF WINONA”--Two groups of teens and their talking dog and car try to determine why people are fleeing their town. This brings in the animated Speed Buggy, which is about a living, talking, intelligent, animate car.



1974--HONG KONG PHOOEY--A martial arts canine super-hero. This series spun-off as Web Premiere Toons: Hong Kong Phooey (2001) (Video)





1975 to 1978--THE GREAT GRAPE APE SHOW--Grape Ape first appeared in "The New Tom & Jerry Show"




1976 to 1977--THE MUMBLY CARTOON SHOW--Mumbly is a cartoon dog character famous for his wheezy laugh, voiced by Don Messick. Mumbly appears to be the twin brother of Muttley from the animated series Wacky Races and Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines. Like Muttley, Mumbly does not really talk; he mumbles and grumbles unintelligibly, and often uses his trademark snicker. Detective Lieutenant Mumbly's boss is Schnooker (inspired by Telly Savalas' Kojak detective and voiced by John Stephenson), an aptly named egotistical police chief who tries to take credit for nearly all of Mumbly's heroic deeds. Mumbly may have been inspired by Peter Falk's TV character Columbo, as the two share a similar sartorial style and speech patterns. In addition, both are police lieutenants, wear trench coats, and drive old broken down cars. A further link is that Muttley was based on a similar premise to Peter Falk's character Max Meen in The Great Race. The Mumbly character first appeared on "The New Tom & Jerry Show".




1976 to 1978--THE SCOOBY-DOO SHOW--This show was part of a Scooby-Doo two hour block that included Laff-A-Lympics and Dynomutt. The show introduced Scooby-Dum and Scooby-Dee and also Scooby guest-starred on Dynomutt in three episodes of Dynomutt's series. Preceded by The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972–1973) and Followed by Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (1979–1980)





1976 to 1977--DYNOMUTT, DOG WONDER--This series was part of the Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour and later part of the larger Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics block. Scooby guest appeared in three episodes. This is part of why the newer animated movies are not part of the same canon. In the newer movies, Dynomutt and other HB talking animals are fictional. This series follows The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour (1976) (TV Series) and is followed by Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (1979) (TV Series).




1976 to 1978--THE SCOOBY-DOO/DYNOMUTT HOUR--Scooby Doo and the gang solve mysteries; then Blue Falcon and Dynomutt fight crime in each two-part episode of this animated series. This series follows The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972) (TV Series) and is followed by Dynomutt Dog Wonder (1976) (TV Series).




1977 to 1980--CAPTAIN CAVEMAN AND THE TEEN ANGELS--The adventures of a superhero caveman and a trio of female amateur detectives. This series is spun-off from Scooby's Laff-A Lympics (1977) (TV Series) and has its own spin-off, The Flintstone Kids (1986) (TV Series).

1977 to 1979--SCOOBY’S ALL-STAR LAFF-A-LYMPICS (ANIMATED SERIES)--The Hanna-Barbera characters compete regularly in various sporting events. Every episode of the series was a crossover between all the major series owned by Hanna-Barbera. The three teams that compete are the Scooby-Doobies, the Yogi Yahooeys and the Really Rottens.

• Scooby-Doo is the team captain of the Scooby-Doobies. Scooby-Doo first appeared in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, which began in 1969. The Scooby-Doobies consisted mostly of characters from Hanna-Barbera’s mystery solving teen group of cartoons. The team roster was Scooby-Doo, Shaggy Rogers, Scooby-Dum, Dynomutt, the Blue Falcon, Captain Caveman, Brenda Chance, Taffy Dare, Dee Dee Skyes, Speed Buggy, Tinker, Babu and Hong Kong Phooey. Shaggy Rogers also debuted in 1969 in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? He is Scooby’s owner. Scooby-Dum is Scooby-Doo’s cousin, who first appeared in the Scooby-Doo Show in the 1976 episode “The Gruesome Game of the Gator Ghoul”. Dynomutt and the Blue Falcon originated from Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, which debuted in 1976. Captain Caveman, Brenda, Taffy, and Dee Dee originated in Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, starting in 1977. Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels were allegedly created as substitutes for Josie and the Pussycats (due to clearance issues with "Radio Comics"). Speed Buggy and Tinker originate from Speed Buggy, that first aired in 1973. Babu is from Jeannie, which began airing in 1973. Babu appeared alone because Columbia Pictures Television still owned I Dream of Jeannie (never mind that Jeannie and Babu appeared together on The New Scooby-Doo Movies). Curiously, ABC's print ad for Laff-a-Lympics in the Sept. 10–16, 1977, issue of TV Guide had Jeannie and Josie and the Pussycats featured. The order of who got bumped or replaced before whom is debated, except that Jeannie's removal was clearly last as she's counted in the opening narration and was included in the main model sheets for the series. During the Canada sled race, pause when Mildew and Snag are shown talking. Jeannie can be spotted standing between Babu and Hong Kong Phooey. In the opening credits it says there are 45 stars. Counting all three teams and announcers, there's 44. If recurring guest stars are counted (Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble, Jabberjaw), there are 47. The real reason being that it was written before Jeannie was cut. Unless the narrator is counting himself as the 45th (and hey, Don Messick narrated a lot of Hanna-Barbera cartoons in that "Ranger Smith" voice, so why not?) Finally, Hong Kong Phooey is from the cartoon of the same name that began in 1974. The Narrator and Announcers make multiple references to unseen "judges" that often hand out rulings and penalties. In the trivia What Could Have Been entry, it would appear at one point Hong Kong Phooey and Spot were to have filled this role before Spot was dropped and Phooey joined the Scooby Doobies. Some of the members of this team have met before this series and some would meet again after this series ended, but for the most part, the series that combined to make the Scooby-Doobies continued to stay separate for the most part, thus it still makes sense to count them as crossovers whenever they interact with each other. 
• Yogi Bear is the team captain of the Yogi Yahooeys. Yogi Bear first appeared in his own segment in The Huckleberry Hound Show in 1958. The Yogi Yahooeys consisted of characters from Hanna-Barbera’s anthropomorphic funny talking animals group of cartoons. The team roster was Yogi Bear, Boo-Boo Bear, Cindy Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Pixie, Dixie, Mr. Jinks, Hokey Wolf, Yakky Doodle, Quick Draw McGraw, Snooper, Blabber, Augie Doggie, Doggie Daddy, Wally Gator and Grape Ape. Boo-Boo Bear also debuted in also debuted in 1958 in the Yogi Bear segment of The Huckleberry Hound Show. Cindy Bear first appeared in the Yogi Bear Show in the 1961 episode “Acrobatty Bear”. Huckleberry Hound originated from The Huckleberry Hound Show, which debuted in 1958. Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks originated in their own segment in The Huckleberry Hound Show, starting in 1958. Hokey Wolf originates from his own segment in The Huckleberry Hound Show, that first aired in 1960. Yakky Doodle is from the Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy segments of the Huckleberry Hound Show, debuting in the 1960 episode “Gone to the Ducks”. He would later spin-off into his own segments on the Yogi Bear Show. Quick Draw McGraw originated from The Quick Draw McGraw Show, which debuted in 1959. Snooper and Blabber originated in their own segment in The Quick Draw McGraw Show, starting in 1959. Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy originated in their own segment in The Quick Draw McGraw Show, starting in 1959. Wally Gator originated from his own segments of The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series, starting in 1962. Finally, Grape Ape is from The Great Grape Ape Show that began in 1975. Unlike the Scooby-Doobies, the members of the Yogi Yahooeys would regularly appear together even beyond this series. From this point on, the members of this team would become supporting cast members in cartoons that feature Yogi Bear. For that reason, any crossovers after this point between members of the Yogi Yahooeys will not be listed, just as I do not consider crosses between members of Disney’s “Mickey Mouse Universe” after the debut of Disneyland and the Mickey Mouse Club, or between Looney Tunes characters after the debut of the Bugs Bunny Show. 
• Mumbly is the team captain of the Really Rottens. Mumbly first appeared in The Mumbly Cartoon Show in 1976. The Really Rottens consisted of original characters (except for Mumbly), though most of the roster were based on other villains that had previously appeared in Hanna-Barbera cartoons. The team roster was Mumbly, Dread Baron, Dinky Dalton, Dirty Dalton, Dastardly Dalton, Mr. Creepley, Mrs. Creepley, Junior Creepley, Orful Octopus, the Great Fondoo, Magic Rabbit, Daisy Mayhem and Sooey. Mumbly is almost identical to Muttley, who first appeared in 1968’s Wacky Races. In the second season, Mumbly did get mistakenly called "Muttley". Mumbly was originally a police detective. The studio attempted to distinguish Mumbly and Muttley by fur color (Muttley was light green, Mumbly light blue), ears (Muttley's were black, Mumbly's were the same color as his fur) and clothing (Muttley wore a collar, then his flying helmet and scarf; Mumbly, a trenchcoat). Dread Baron is identical to Dick Dastardly, who also debuted in 1968’s Wacky Races. In the Marvel Comics’ continuation of Laff-A-Lympics, it’s said that Dick and Dread Baron are twin brothers. Using this logic, it could be that Muttley and Mumbly are also twin brothers. Hanna-Barbera wanted to use Dick Dastardly and Muttley as captains of the Rottens, but Merrill Heatter allegedly still had part ownership of the Wacky Races characters. The Dalton Gang are original characters based on real life brothers of the 19th century who were infamous bank and train robbers. The Creepleys were a family modeled after the Gruesomes, who were neighbors of the Flintstones. And the Gruesomes were modeled after the previous Hanna-Barbera creations, Mr. & Mrs. J. Evil Scientist, as well as live-action series, the Addams Family and the Munsters. Orful Octopus is a Composite Character Expy of Squiddly Diddly and Occy the Octopus (The Gruesomes' pet octopus.) There may be a trace of Ocho, the pet octopus from the 1973 Addams Family cartoon. The Great Fondoo was an evil stage magician and is similar to Abner K. Dabra from the 1963 book, Yogi Bear and the Cranky Magician. Magic Rabbit is Pet of the Great Fondoo and bears a resemblance to the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland (or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This?) Finally, Daisy Mayhem is a bad girl redneck, who seems to be modeled after Moonbeam McShine from Li’l Abner, and also seems to be a bad guy counterpart of the Teen Angels and the Pussycats. Most of these villains would show up in later Hanna-Barbera cartoons as bad guys. 
• The show’s hosts were Snagglepuss and Mildew Wolf. Snagglepuss is from his own segments of the Quick Draw McGraw Show, starting in 1959, while Mildew is from the It’s the Wolf! segments of the Cattanooga Cats, which began airing in 1969. Because the series aired on ABC, commentators Snagglepuss and Mildew Wolf were depicted wearing the then-standard yellow sportscoats worn by ABC Sports broadcasters. Mildew Wolf referring to everyone as "savages" is a double reference to both his original voice actor, Paul Lynde (who again, originally voiced Mildew), and the Hanna-Barbera series Where's Huddles? (CBS, 1970), in which Lynde played Claude Pertwee, a character who often referred to show's football-playing Fred and Barney expies as "savages". 
• Jabberjaw and Peter Potamus were frequent guest judges. Jabberjaw is from his own series that debuted in 1976. Jabberjaw takes place in the future, but based on how time works in the Cartoon Universe, he seems to easily visit the 20th century. Peter Potamus also comes from his own show that debuted in 1964. 
• Fred and Barney from the Flintstones also show up from time to time as guest commentators. See my comments for the Flintstones for how Fred and Barney often show up in the 20th century. 
• Preceded by The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour (1976–77)

1978 to 1999--VARIOUS COMICS--Jabberjaw has appeared over the years in comics such as Laff-A-Lympics issues No. 10 and No. 12 in 1978 and 1979. Hanna Barbera Presents No. 6 in 1995, and Cartoon Network Presents No. 23 in 1999.


 


June, 1978--Worcester, MA. . My parents decide to move to California. I am five. To keep me occupied for the long trip, I'm given a handheld football video game, and a comic book, and that book was the spark. It was an issue of Scooby's Laff-a-Lympics, based on the cartoon. It was my first crossover. Scooby, Yogi, the Flintstones, and all the rest, interacting in the same story. It was amazing.

December 1979--CASPER'S FIRST CHRISTMAS--Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, Huckleberry Hound and more Hanna-Barbera characters get lost and decide to spend Christmas by vising Casper, the friendly ghost. But soon they encounter a not-so-friendly ghost.

Early 1980s--LOST ISSUES--From Ross Pearsall: Who wouldn't have wanted to tune in and see this pairing together on TV in the early 80's? I used to love seeing cartoon crossovers back in the day. Birdman showing up on Space Ghost, Batman meeting Shaggy and Scoobie, The Laff-A-Lympics, even Fred and Barney meeting The Thing... they were all so cool to me! Those offbeat and sometimes cross-company team ups were right up my alley and fueled my imagination. They were definitely a big influence on this blog. See more Lost Issues here.





1982--YOGI BEAR’S ALL STAR COMEDY CHRISTMAS CAPER (ANIMATED SPECIAL)--When Yogi’s friends go to visit him at Jellystone for Christmas, they find he and Boo Boo have escaped to New York where they are posing as department store Santa and elf. While the gang search for Yogi, the smarter than average bear helps the daughter of a billionaire reunite with her busy father for Christmas. Most of the above are alumni of the “Yogi Yahooeys” group that often appear together in modern times as part of Yogi’s gang of friends, despite having all come from independent series. Not all modern Hanna Barbera cartoons featuring Yogi and his anthropomorphic pals will be listed, as the crossovers are not very unique following Laff-a-Lympics. This falls under the same policy being used for “the Mickey Mouse Universe” following the debut of Disneyland and Mickey Mouse Club, and for the Looney Tunes characters following the Saturday morning television debut. However, with the extra added camoes of Fred and Barney as street Santas, this crossover is particularly worth mentioning.

1992 to Present--CARTOON NETWORK (COMMERCIALS)--Several short stories featuring numerous Cartoon Network characters, original and acquired, in various shared reality segments. Since its inception, Cartoon Network has run numerous promos that featured it’s original characters and acquired properties in original short segments that demonstrate that everything seen on Cartoon Network, original or reruns from other networks, takes place in the same shared reality. Most of the segments take place at the Cartoon Network studios, or the town the studio is set in, which seems to be Townsville from the Powerpuff Girls. I conjecture that Townsville is nearby Los Angeles and Toontown. However, there is evidence elsewhere, in Phineas and Ferb, that Townsville is part of the same Tri-State Area as Dansville from Phineas and Ferb. There are several areas in the United States that are known as the Tri-State area, and California is not in any known “tri-state area”. Note that some of the series above are not part of the main Cartoon Universe. Also, some of these series exist in the past for future. Clearly Cartoon Network has access to travel between time and alternate realities.

1996--HANNA-BARBERA PRESENTS # 6--An updated Laff-A-Lympics called the "Superstar Olympics" appeared in the Hanna-Barbera Presents #6 comic book in 1996. The Superstar Olympics featured Atom Ant, Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy, Barney Rubble, Betty Rubble, Boo Boo Bear, Chopper, Cindy Bear, Dick Dastardly, Fred Flintstone, Grape Ape, Hokey Wolf, Huckleberry Hound, Jabberjaw, Magilla Gorilla, Muttley, Peter Potamus, Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks, Quick Draw McGraw, Ranger Smith, Secret Squirrel, Snagglepuss, Snooper and Blabber, Squiddly Diddly, Top Cat, Touché Turtle, Wally Gator, Wilma Flintstone, and Yogi Bear.

May 2004--HARVEY BIRDMAN ATTORNEY-AT-LAW--"Grape Juiced"-- In that episode, Grape Ape is accused of using steroids at the recent Laff-A-Lympics event. Yakky Doodle, Grape Ape's teammate from the Yogi Yahooeys, also makes a cameo appearance as a witness during Grape Ape's trial. The Magic Rabbit makes a cameo in the episode "SPF" as a victim of CyberSquatting.

April 2011--CLEVELAND SHOW--"Ship'rect"--Mumbly appears on a boat crewed by vaguely evil looking characters intended to parody the team of the "Really Rottens" in the cartoon show the Laff-A-Lympics.

March 1, 2016--TVCU #12 - Robert E. Wronski, Jr., or the one where the host is the guest--Join us this week as our host, Robert E. Wronski, Jr., takes the night off from his regular duties to appear as guest on his own show. The TVCU Crew chat with the author and podcast host about Laff-a-Lympics, Happy Days, Leave it to Beaver, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Batman'66, Scooby-Doo Team-Up, Superman, the secret origin of the Television Crossover Universe, the Horror Crossover Encyclopedia, the Cartoon Crossover Encyclopedia, Worlds and Mythology, Bones, and Sleepy Hollow!!!

OTHER REALITIES OF THE TELEVISION CROSSOVER MULTIVERSE:

FAN FICTION--I don't like to include too much fan fiction, but everything happens somewhere and there is a notable fan made continuation of Laff-A-Lympics which you can find here.

ROBOT CHICKEN UNIVERSE--Captain Caveman appeared in the Robot Chicken episode "Ban on the Fun" voiced by Breckin Meyer. In a segment that parodies the Laff-A-Lympics in the style of the Munich massacre, Captain Caveman and Shaggy Rogers confront Daisy Mayhem and Captain Caveman blows her up with the wrong club.