Hee-Haw's Animated Critters

In 1969, CBS canceled the controversial Smothers Brothers show and replaced it with another variety show.  Titled Hee-Haw, this show unlike most was targeted towards country music fans.  Buck Owens and Roy Clark hosted the show each week, and the show featured comedy, jokes, and country music by the greatest stars of the time like Dolly Parton and Merl Haggart .

As part of the series, some animated segments were made for the series.  Much has been said about the TV show, the stars of the show, the comedy, and the music stars that performed, but very little has been talked about Hee-Haw's Animated Critters.

These segments were animated by Format Films.  Format Films is best known for The Alvin Show and The Lone Ranger cartoons.  Their UPA/Jay Ward style animation made them a great pick for the show.  Even at the beginning of the show, you saw the donkey going "Hee-Haw" with his eyes rolling around and around.

But the donkey wasn't the only character.  Others include The Little Yellow Chicken, a pig, and a few more chickens.  Sometimes they only show up just to laugh at a joke someone just made or just to have some comedy of their own.  The most popular one was probably The Little Yellow Chicken whose joke was always laying an egg, but when the chicken looks down, it's not an egg.  It was a bomb or maybe a football or even a billiard ball, and always inflicting pain on the chicken.

Below are some more pictures of these cartoons.

You don't have to hang from a tree to be a nut

While these segments are a nice touch to the show, the show as a whole is an acquired taste for some.  Many of the jokes range from funny to just plain stupid.  Not everyone like country music, and the show can get corny.  However, some may check out some eye candy here and there.  The set looks good, and for those interested....they did have standards for many of the "farm girls" you see on the show.  While I don't see those specifications for girls wanting to be on Hee-Haw, most of them I agree were pretty.  And at the end of the day, they will never make shows like this anymore without being dirty.