In the interest of fairness and interspecies harmony, Hanna-Barbera made darn sure that any animal that looked good in a hat and bowtie had its own series. And in one of the earliest examples of using cartoon series to sell toys, Magilla Gorilla made his debut in 1964, first in syndication and then on ABC.

Magilla had pretty bad luck when it came to finding a place of his own. He spent his days in the window of a pet shop, waiting in vain to be bought by a kindly family. There were plenty of buyers but they all wanted the big ape for a short time. Sometimes Magilla’s new owner was a company that used him for a mascot or criminals who needed the services of an anthropomorphic gorilla wearing a bowtie. Every time the new owner returned the hapless gorilla to the pet shop and Mr. Peebles, the pet shop proprietor, grudgingly refunded their money. A little girl named Ogee constantly window-shopped Magilla but, alas, she never had enough money to purchase him.

The Magilla Gorilla Show included additional segments, with other cute animals having adventures. Punkin’ Puss and Mushmouse were a country cat and mouse team, which couldn’t stop feuding. Ricochet Rabbit, another segment on the show, served as sheriff and enforced the law with his deputy, Droop-a-Long Coyote.

The unlucky gorilla made many crossover appearances in other Hanna-Barbera cartoons, like Yogi’s Gang and Wake, Rattle, and Roll. The show’s theme song was quite catchy and remains a favorite even today.