Ranger Smith
Encyclopedia
Ranger
John Francis Smith (originally voiced by Don Messick
) is a fiction
al character in the Yogi Bear
cartoon series.
thievery.
In the original Yogi Bear shorts on Huckleberry Hound
, the then-unnamed character that would become Ranger Smith had a much different appearance, appearing older and with a white mustache, though his voice was the same. Even after his trademark appearance had been established, Ranger Smith's design was notably inconsistently drawn throughout each episode of "The Yogi Bear Show". In one episode, he appears as his young self, but this is apparently his first actual encounter with Yogi as he doesn't recognize and refers to him as that bear.
Ranger Smith's relationship with Yogi seems to change with every episode. Sometimes he's very friendly with Yogi and was even reluctant to send him to a zoo in one episode; in other episodes, he wants nothing more than to send Yogi to the St. Louis Zoo. There seems to be a deep down if not grudging respect for Yogi. Although the two have a somewhat antagonistic relationship, if serious trouble were to befall one of them, the other, out of sheer guilt, usually attempts to rescue them. They also have a long-running friendly rivalry.
Ranger Smith is usually Boo-Boo's friend, because Boo-Boo always tries to do the correct thing, unlike Yogi. Yogi, for example, steals picnic baskets and doesn't even feel guilty about it.
Messick served as narrator for the Yogi Bear episodes, using his natural voice for both the Ranger and the narrations, implying that the Ranger himself was narrating.
In one episode, Ranger Smith clearly states that his first name is Harold.
Park ranger
A park ranger or forest ranger is a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks. Different countries use different names for the position. Ranger is the favored term in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Within the United...
John Francis Smith (originally voiced by Don Messick
Don Messick
Donald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
) is a fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al character in the Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear is a fictional bear who appears in animated cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera Productions. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in The Huckleberry Hound Show. Yogi Bear was the first breakout character created by Hanna-Barbera, and was eventually more popular than...
cartoon series.
Character
A former US Army soldier, he is the serious and stern authority figure in Jellystone Park, in contrast to the antics of the troublesome Yogi, and he greatly disapproves of Yogi's picnic basketPicnic basket
A picnic basket or food hamper is a basket intended to hold food and tableware for a picnic meal. Picnic baskets are standard equipment at many picnics....
thievery.
In the original Yogi Bear shorts on Huckleberry Hound
Huckleberry Hound
The Huckleberry Hound Show is a 1958 syndicated animated series and the second from Hanna-Barbera following The Ruff & Reddy Show, sponsored by Kellogg's. Three segments were included in the program: one featuring Huckleberry Hound; another starring Yogi Bear and his sidekick Boo Boo; and a third...
, the then-unnamed character that would become Ranger Smith had a much different appearance, appearing older and with a white mustache, though his voice was the same. Even after his trademark appearance had been established, Ranger Smith's design was notably inconsistently drawn throughout each episode of "The Yogi Bear Show". In one episode, he appears as his young self, but this is apparently his first actual encounter with Yogi as he doesn't recognize and refers to him as that bear.
Ranger Smith's relationship with Yogi seems to change with every episode. Sometimes he's very friendly with Yogi and was even reluctant to send him to a zoo in one episode; in other episodes, he wants nothing more than to send Yogi to the St. Louis Zoo. There seems to be a deep down if not grudging respect for Yogi. Although the two have a somewhat antagonistic relationship, if serious trouble were to befall one of them, the other, out of sheer guilt, usually attempts to rescue them. They also have a long-running friendly rivalry.
Ranger Smith is usually Boo-Boo's friend, because Boo-Boo always tries to do the correct thing, unlike Yogi. Yogi, for example, steals picnic baskets and doesn't even feel guilty about it.
Messick served as narrator for the Yogi Bear episodes, using his natural voice for both the Ranger and the narrations, implying that the Ranger himself was narrating.
In one episode, Ranger Smith clearly states that his first name is Harold.
Other appearances
- Ranger Smith has appeared in some episodes of Yogi's GangYogi's GangYogi's Gang is a 30-minute animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera which aired 16 half-hour episodes on ABC from , to . The show began as Yogi's Ark Lark, a special TV movie on The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie in 1972...
. In those appearances, he is seen with blond hair instead of black.
- Ranger Smith was a supporting character in Yogi's Treasure HuntYogi's Treasure HuntYogi's Treasure Hunt is a segment that kicked-off in 1985 as the first of the programming block, The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera. It also ran as a regular series in syndication from 1985 to 1988.-Plot:...
.
- In Yo Yogi!Yo Yogi!Yo Yogi! is an animated series first aired on NBC on Saturday mornings during the 1991-92 season. It is, to date, the last television series to feature or star Yogi Bear. It is also the last Hanna-Barbera show to premiere on NBC to this date...
, Ranger Smith is shown as Officer Smith who is a security guard at Jellystone Mall. Officer Smith is voiced by Greg BursonGreg Burson-Biography:Greg Burson was given the responsibility of voicing Bugs Bunny in the 1995 Carrotblanca, a well-received 8-minute Looney Tunes cartoon originally shown in cinemas alongside The Amazing Panda Adventure and The Pebble and the Penguin...
.
- Ranger Smith has become a starring character in parody shorts produced by the now-defunct animation company SpümcøSpümcøSpümcø, Inc. was an American animation production company based in Los Angeles, California. The studio produced three traditionally animated series, two Flash-animated cartoon series, two music videos, five animated shorts, and a comic book. The company also went on to produce content for a few...
, including Boo Boo Runs WildBoo Boo Runs WildBoo Boo Runs Wild is a stand-alone special parody of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series, The Yogi Bear Show. It was made by The Ren & Stimpy Show creator John Kricfalusi and his company Spümcø. Boo Boo Runs Wild originally aired on Cartoon Network on September 24, 1999, along with A Day in the Life...
, A Day in the Life of Ranger SmithA Day in the Life of Ranger SmithA Day in the Life of Ranger Smith is a stand-alone special parody of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series, The Yogi Bear Show, which revolves around Ranger Smith. A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith was made by The Ren & Stimpy Show creator John Kricfalusi and his company Spümcø...
, and Boo Boo and the Man. In those appearances, Ranger Smith was voiced by Corey BurtonCorey BurtonCorey Burton is an American voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe and Spike Witwicky and Shockwave in the Transformers universe...
.
- Various designs for Ranger Smith made non-speaking appearances in the Harvey Birdman, Attorney at LawHarvey Birdman, Attorney at LawHarvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is an American animated television series comedy created by Williams Street and produced by Cartoon Network Studios that aired on Cartoon Network during its Adult Swim late night programming block. The series' pilot first aired in 2000, and later became a series in...
episode "Identity Theft", referencing the noticeable inconsistencies the design experienced in the original cartoon.
- Ranger Smith appeared in the Robot ChickenRobot ChickenRobot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
episode "President Evil" voiced by Seth GreenSeth GreenSeth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris...
. In a movie trailer segment that featured Yogi and Boo Boo, Ranger Smith tells the sheriff that the cops won't catch Yogi since he's smarter than the average bear.
- Ranger Smith appears in the Yogi BearYogi Bear (film)Yogi Bear is a 2010 American live-action film adaptation of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series The Yogi Bear Show directed by Eric Brevig. The film stars Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake, Tom Cavanagh, Anna Faris, T. J. Miller, Nate Corddry, and Andrew Daly....
feature film that was released December 17, 2010. He is portrayed by actor Tom CavanaghTom CavanaghThomas "Tom" Cavanagh is a Canadian actor.-Early life:Cavanagh was born in Ottawa, Ontario. He is of Irish descent and was raised in a large Roman Catholic family. Cavanagh moved with his family to Winneba, a small city in Ghana, when he was seven years old. In his teens, the family moved to...
. In this film, Ranger Smith learns that Jellystone is being shut down and he tries to avoid this with a firework celebration that is ruined by Yogi, and Ranger Smith is sent to a fake patch of land. However, this does not to stop him from helping Yogi and Boo Boo stop Mayor Brown from cutting down all the trees.