You can’t really blame animals from wanting to escape from the zoo. Tennessee Tuxedo and Chumley did it regularly during their segments on Underdog. And equally successful were a trio of hippie-like bears residing in Cave Block #9 at the Wonderland Zoo.  Known as The Hair Bear Bunch, the animated series debuted on CBS in 1971 as part of its Saturday morning lineup.

Borrowing liberally from another Hanna Barbera cartoon series, Yogi Bear, the trio consisted of Hair Bear (proud owner of a huge afro that would make Jan Brady envious,) Square Bear, a goofy sort who had a proclivity for funky hats and Bubi Bear, who bore a striking similarity to Yogi’s pal Boo-Boo. Each week the group escaped from their confinement to explore the world that lay on the other side of the fence. Always in hot pursuit was the zoo curator Mr. Peevely and his assistant, Lionel J. Botch. But the bears had a few tricks up their sleeves, namely their invisible motorcycle which Hair Bear could summons by jumping in the air and kick-starting it. They also had some pretty fancy digs at the zoo that they carefully kept hidden from the zoo employees – so as to not risk losing their comfortable surroundings.

The show featured the legendary voices of Daws Butler as Hair Bear and Paul Winchell as Bubi Bear but, even with such acclaimed industry talent, the show only managed to last until 1974. Aside from making an appearance on 1977’s Hanna-Barbera All-Star Comedy Ice Review, where they participated in a celebrity roast for Fred Flintstone, sightings of the bear trio have been sparse over the years - until recently.  The Boomerang Network now occasionally airs reruns of The Hair Bear Bunch for nostalgic fans to enjoy.