Laff-A-Lympics

".

Format

The sporting competitions that the characters would be called upon to perform in would often be comical and offbeat versions of Olympic sports and scavenger hunts. Each segment took place in a different location somewhere on the planet, including excursions to Africa, Italy, Canada, Washington D.C., and even the North Pole, apart from one event in the last episode, which occurred on the Moon as a climatic ending (and a twist to the usual, more down-to-earth (literally almost) events,) after a rocket race to the moon was held as the previous event. Each episode was presented in a format similar to an Olympic television broadcast, with hosting/announcing duties and color commentary provided by Snagglepuss from "The Yogi Bear Show" and Mildew Wolf from the "It's the Wolf" segments of "The Cattanooga Cats" (though unlike "It's the Wolf", Mildew was no longer voiced by Paul Lynde; he is now voiced by John Stephenson). Non-competing Hanna-Barbera characters such as Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble and Jabberjaw made appearances as guest announcers. Since the show was airing on ABC, Snagglepuss and Mildew wore the then-traditional yellow jackets of ABC Sports announcers.

The "Laff-A-Lympics" competition was based upon a point system. Various events were worth a certain point total for the first, second, and third place winners (usually 25, 15, and 10 respectively, but the last event usually was worth either double points or a larger point bonus for the winner), and the team that had the most points by the end of the half-hour--usually the Scooby Doobies or Yogi Yahooeys--was declared the winner and received the gold medal. Points could also be subtracted for treachery and sabotage, which were the specialties of the villainous Really Rottens team.

As with most Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoons of the 1970s, the basic plot and theme of each episode was mostly generic and repetitive. The two "good guy" teams, the Scooby Doobies and the Yogi Yahooeys, were good friends and their respective team members gladly helped each other whenever they got into a jam. The Really Rottens, however, always cheated and pulled dirty tricks -- and ultimately they would wind up the losers in most episodes. Much like Dick Dastardly typically the Really Rottens would be just on the verge of winning, before they would make a fatal error at the very end that allowed one of the other two teams to end up at the top. Occasionally, though, the Rottens' cheating technique wouldn't actually be against the rules, with them actually winning in a few episodes (there was even one episode where they won through sheer chance). The final episode, climaxing on the moon, was a three-way tie.

Only one complete season of "Laff-A-Lympics" episodes were produced, with eight new episodes combined with reruns for the second season of "Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics" (billed as "Scooby's All-Stars"). When it premiered in the fall of 1977, the series consisted of several segments, including "Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels" (which led off the two-hour program and later was spun off onto its own half-hour show), "Scooby-Doo" and "Dynomutt" (both of which featured a small number of newly-produced segments alongside repeated segments from earlier seasons) and the "Laff-A-Lympics" segments themselves. The show resurfaced in 1980 as a half-hour series on its own (sans the "Captain Caveman," "Scooby-Doo" and "Dynomutt" cartoons) and titled "Scooby's Laff-A-Lympics", and was rerun at various other points during the 1980s on ABC. It has also been frequently re-run in later years as "Laff-A-Lympics" on USA Cartoon Express, Cartoon Network and Boomerang.

Teams

The Scooby Doobies

This team drew mainly from the 1970s Hanna-Barbera cartoons, particularly the "mystery-solving" series derived from "Scooby-Doo", whose titular character served as team captain. Among its members are:
* Characters from "The Scooby-Doo Show":
** Scooby-Doo (team captain)
** Shaggy Rogers
** Scooby-Dum
* Characters from "Dynomutt, Dog Wonder":
** Dynomutt
** The Blue Falcon
* Characters from "Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels":
** Captain Caveman
** Brenda
** Dee Dee
** Taffy
* Characters from "Speed Buggy":
** Speed Buggy
** Tinker
* Babu (from "Jeannie")
* Hong Kong Phooey

The Yogi Yahooeys

This team drew mainly from the 1950s and 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoons, and is the only team made up completely of anthropomorphic animals. Grape Ape is the only post-1962 character in the line-up. Among its members are:

* Characters from "The Huckleberry Hound Show"/"The Yogi Bear Show":
** Yogi Bear (team captain)
** Boo-Boo Bear
** Cindy Bear
** Huckleberry Hound
** Pixie
** Dixie
** Mr. Jinks
** Hokey Wolf
** Yakky Doodle
* Characters from "Quick Draw McGraw":
** Quick Draw McGraw
** Snooper
** Blabber
** Augie Doggie
** Doggie Daddy
* Wally Gator from "The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series"
* The Great Grape Ape

The Really Rottens

This team is made up of villain characters, and, excepting Mumbly, is composed of original characters (though various Dalton Brothers appeared in 1950s and 1960s shorts, these particular three were new). Mumbly was also a good-guy detective rather than a villain on his original show but remained a villain in "Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose" which was also Dread Baron's only other role. Among its members are:

* Mumbly from "The New Tom & Jerry/Grape Ape/Mumbly Show" (team captain; he bears a strong resemblance to Muttley.)
* Dread Baron (he bears a strong resemblance to Dick Dastardly.)
* The Dalton Brothers: villainous cowboys (other Dalton brothers appeared previously in "Quick Draw McGraw" and "The Huckleberry Hound Show"):
** Dinky
** Dirty
** Dastardly (no relation to Dick Dastardly)
* The Creepleys, monsters in the mold of "The Munsters" and the Gruesomes:
** Mr. Creepley
** Mrs. Creepley
** Junior Creepley
* The Great Fondoo, an evil magician whose spells never work as intended.
* Magic Rabbit, the Great Fondoo's pet, who is more annoying than evil. He only said one word "Blak!"
* Daisy Mayhem, a mean-spirited hillbilly apparently based upon Li'l Abner characters (particularly Moonbeam McSwine), and her patch-eyed pig Sooey
* Orful Octopus, a crooked version of Squiddly Diddly

Episodes

"Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics" (1977-78)

SDLA-1. The Swiss Alps and Tokyo, Japan (September 10, 1977)
**Events - Downhill Ski Contest, Ice Skating, Toboggan Race, Sumo Wrestling, One-Point Tennis, Baseball Batting Contest
**Guest stars - Fred Flintstone & Barney Rubble
**Winners - The Scooby Doobies (105 points)

SDLA-2. Acapulco and England (September 17, 1977)
**Events - Cliff Diving, Underwater Relay, Speed Boat Race, Big Ben Tower Climb, Fox Hunt, Skateboard Polo
**Guest star - Jabberjaw
**Winners - The Scooby Doobies (70 points)

SDLA-3. Florida and China (September 24, 1977)
**Events - Swamp Buggy Race, Waterski Contest, Auto Track Race, Rickshaw Race, Ping Pong, Gymnastics
**Winners - The Scooby Doobies (115 points)

SDLA-4. The Sahara Desert and Scotland (October 1, 1977)
**Events - Dune Buggy Race, Fill Up the Oasis Race, Loch Ness Photograph Race, Three Legged Kilt Race
**Winners - The Yogi Yahooeys (70 points)

SDLA-5. France and Australia (October 8, 1977)
**Events - Tour de France Bicycle Race, Eiffel Tower Climb, Boomerang Throw, Kangaroo Race
**Winners - The Scooby Doobies (120 points)

SDLA-6. Athens, Greece and the Ozarks (October 15, 1977)
**Events - Pole Vault, Disco Throw (Discus), Rail Cart Race, Keelboat Race
**Winners - The Scooby Doobies (105 points)

SDLA-7. Italy and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (October 22, 1977)
**Events - Motor Scooter Race, Canal Boat Race, Hang Gliding, Skydiving, Hot Air Balloon Race
**Winners - The Scooby Doobies (85 points)

SDLA-8. Egypt and Sherwood Forest (October 29, 1977)
**Events - Touch the Tip of the Pyramid, Camel Race, Armor Foot Race, Princess Rescue Contest
**Winners - The Scooby Doobies (90 points)

SDLA-9. Spain and the Himalayas (November 5, 1977)
**Events - Bullfight, Gypsy Wagon Race, Hang the Bell on the Abominable Snowman, Climbing Mount Everest
**Winners - The Scooby Doobies (90 points)

SDLA-10. India and Israel (November 12, 1977)
**Events - Tiger Hunt, Elephant Bark Race, Sun Sail Sledding Contest, Reed Boat Race
**Guest stars - Jabberjaw, Peter Potamus, Fred Flintstone & Barney Rubble
**Winners - The Yogi Yahooeys (100 points)

SDLA-11. Africa and San Francisco (November 19, 1977)
**Events - Jungle Boat Race, Vine Swinging Contest, Rollerskating, Fishing
**Guest star - Jabberjaw
**Winners - The Yogi Yahooeys (80 points)

SDLA-12. The Grand Canyon and Ireland (November 26, 1977)
**Events - Burro Race, Tightrope Race, Catch the Leprechaun, Hole-in-one Golf Tournament
**Winners - The Yogi Yahooeys (135 points)

SDLA-13. Hawaii and Norway (December 3, 1977)
**Events - Surfing, Outrigger Race, Viking Longboat Races, Long Jump Wearing Snowshoes
**Winners - The Scooby Doobies (90 points)

SDLA-14. North Pole and Tahiti (December 10, 1977)
**Events - Dog Sled Races, Igloo Building Contest, Around the Reef Paddleboat Race, Sandcastle Building Contest
**Guest stars - Fred Flintstone & Barney Rubble
**Winners - The Scooby Doobies (120 points)

SDLA-15. Arizona and Holland (December 17, 1977)
**Events - Wild Bronc Riding Contest, Steer Roping, Windmill Riding contest, Dyke Building Contest
**Winners - The Scooby Doobies (75 points)

SDLA-16. Quebec and Baghdad (December 24, 1977)
**Events - Lacrosse Batting, Canadian Tree Cutting, Flying Carpet Races, Magic Rope Climbing
**Winners - The Scooby Doobies (65 points)

"Scooby's All-Stars" (1978-79)

* Russia and the Caribbean (September 9, 1978)
**Events - Siberian Moose Marathon, Dancing Race Through Moscow, Porpoise Race, Bluebeard's Treasure Hunt
**Winners - The Scooby Doobies (100 points)

* New York and Turkey (September 16, 1978)
**Events - Hansom Carriage Race, Crown the Statue of Liberty, Unicycle Race, Swimming Relay Race
**Winners - The Really Rottens (75 points)

* South America and Transylvania (September 23, 1978)
**Events - Bull Lasso Contest, Rubber Raft Race, Spooky Scavenger Hunt, Log Roll Race
**Winners - The Yogi Yahooeys (90 points)

* French Riviera and New Zealand (September 30, 1978)
**Events - Soapbox Derby, Free Flight Kite Contest, Ostrich Race, Mud Puddle Tug-of-War
**Guest star - Fred Flintstone
**Winners - The Scooby Doobies (90 points)

* New Orleans and Atlantis (October 7, 1978)
**Events - Antique Aircraft Distance Race, Chinese Dragon Race, Sea Horse Race, Mermaid Rescue
**Guest star - Jabberjaw
**Winners - The Yogi Yahooeys (70 points)

* Morocco and Washington, D.C. (October 14, 1978)
**Events - Roller Scooter Race, Sand Chariot Race, Rally Race, Marine Corp. Obstacle Course
**Winners - The Really Rottens (75 points)

* Canada and Warsaw, Poland (October 21, 1978)
**Events - Get Your Man Contest, Dog Sled Race, Freestyle Pole Vault, Pogostick Race
**Winners - The Yogi Yahooeys (85 points)

* Siam and the Moon (October 28, 1978)
**Events - Siamese Sampan Race, 3-Way Soccer, Rocket Race, Moon Foot Race
**Winners - For the last episode, all three teams win (80 points)

Overall standings: The Scooby Doobies 14 wins, The Yogi Yahooeys 7 wins, The Really Rottens 2 wins and 1 three way tie.

Cast

* Julie Bennett - Cindy Bear
* Joe Besser - Babu
* Mel Blanc - Barney Rubble, Captain Caveman, Speed Buggy
* Daws Butler - Yogi Bear, Augie Doggie, Blabber, Dirty Dalton, Dixie, Hokey Wolf, Huckleberry Hound, Mr. Jinks, Quick Draw McGraw, Scooby-Dum, Snagglepuss, Super Snooper, Wally Gator
* Scatman Crothers - Hong Kong Phooey
* Bob Holt - Dinky Dalton, Grape Ape, Orful Octopus
* Casey Kasem - Shaggy Rogers
* Don Messick - Scooby-Doo, Mumbly, Announcer, Boo Boo Bear, Creeply, Creeply Jr., Dastardly Dalton, Pixie
* Gary Owens - Blue Falcon
* Laurel Page - Mrs. Creeply, Taffy Dare
* Alan Reed - Fred Flintstone
* Marilyn Schrefler - Brenda Chance, Daisy Mayhem
* John Stephenson - Doggie Daddy, Dread Baron, Mildew Wolf, The Great Fondoo
* Vernee Watson - Dee Dee Sykes
* Frank Welker - Dynomutt, Jabberjaw, Magic Rabbit, Sooey Pig, Tinker, Yakky Doodle

Other media

In March 1978, Marvel Comics produced a comic book series based on the cartoon. Creative staff for the comic book included Mark Evanier, Carl Gafford, Scott Shaw, Jack Manning, Owen Fitzgerald and others. The series lasted 13 issues.

In 1996, four VHS editions of the show were released: Yippee for the Yogi Yahooeys!, On Your Marks, Get Set - Go Scoobys!, Something Smells Really Rotten and Heavens to Hilarity, This is it, Sports Fans!. Each edition contains two episodes for a running time of approx. 50 minutes. There are currently no plans to release Laff-A-Lympics on DVD.

Laff-A-Lympics was parodied on an episode of the Adult Swim show "Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law" entitled "Grape Juiced" where Grape Ape was accused for taking steroids and being held in court.

Laff-A-Lympics was recently parodied on the Robot Chicken episode "Ban on The Fun" in the vein of Steven Spielberg's Munich.

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Stage/3926/laff.html Final standings]
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