Lippy the Lion & Hardy Har Har

Lippy the Lion & Hardy Har Har are a pair of anthropomorphic Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters, a lion in a tattered top hat and vest and a hyena in a porkpie hat and bow tie, respectively. The latter's name is ironic, as it suggests laughter (see onomatopoeia) and Hardy is an eternal pessimist. Hardy is the stereotype of someone with a very deep Major depressive disorder; indeed, one short implies that expression of joy or happiness actually puts Hardy in pain.

History
Lippy the Lion (voiced by Daws Butler) and Hardy Har Har the Hyena (voiced by Mel Blanc) first appeared in The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series in 1962, along with Wally Gator and Touché Turtle and Dum Dum. Mel Blanc used the same voice, personality and expressions for Hardy Har-Har that he used playing the postman on the Burns and Allen radio show.

Their cartoons revolved around ever-hopeful Lippy's attempts to get rich quick, with reluctant Hardy serving as a foil. Whatever the consequences were to Lippy's schemes, Hardy would end up getting the worst of it — a fact he always seemed to realize ahead of time, with his moans of, "Oh me, oh my, oh dear." Although the intro shows them in a jungle setting proper for such beasts, most of the cartoons' stories took place in an urban setting.

In 1971, Lippy and Hardy got their own cartoon show, simply titled Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har; it lasted one season.

Since then, the duo have been infrequently included in the cast of Hanna-Barbera's ensemble shows (e.g., Yogi's Gang). They were no longer constantly pursuing Lippy's get-rich-quick schemes, but their personalities were unchanged; Lippy was still the smiling optimist, Hardy the moaning pessimist.

Cast

 * Daws Butler - Lippy the Lion
 * Mel Blanc - Hardy Har Har

DVD release
The first episode, "Sea-saw," is available on the DVD Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960's Vol. 2.

Other appearances

 * Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har were seen in Yogi's Ark Lark. In one scene, Lippy was fed up with Hardy's behavior when those that were on the Noah's Ark were getting bored looking for the perfect place. Though he did save Hardy when the Ark ended up in a storm. Both of them were also in the TV movie's spin-off series Yogi's Gang. In both appearances, Hardy Har Har was voiced by John Stephenson (possibly because Mel Blanc was presumably unavailable) while Daws Butler reprised Lippy.


 * Lippy and Hardy appeared in the 1977 Hanna Barbera comic book issue called "The Flintstones' Christmas Party."


 * Lippy and Hardy had appeared in an episode of Yogi's Treasure Hunt.


 * Hardy Har Har was seen as a teenager in Yo Yogi!, voiced by Rob Paulsen. His appearance was in the episode "Tricky Dickie's Dirty Trickies" where Yogi ended up hanging out with Hardy after Dick Dastardly does something to get Yogi fired from the L.A.F. Squad so that Dick Dastardly can lead the L.A.F. Squad. Lippy the Lion wasn't in this series. This could be because he and Hardy hadn't met yet.

Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har in other languages

 * Brazilian Portuguese: Lippy e Hardy
 * Spanish: Leoncio el León y Tristón ("Leontion the Lion and Gloomy")
 * French: Lippy le Lion
 * Italian: I due masnadieri ("The Two Scoundrels")
 * Polish: Lew Lippy
 * Serbian: Lav Laza i hijena Maza