''The Peter Potamus Show'' is an American

animated television series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...

produced by

Hanna-Barbera Productions Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...

and starring Peter Potamus, a purple

hippopotamus The hippopotamus (''Hippopotamus amphibius;'' ; : hippopotamuses), often shortened to hippo (: hippos), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus and river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Sahar ...

. ''The Peter Potamus Show'' is divided into three segments: ''Peter Potamus and So-So'', '' Breezly and Sneezly'' and '' Yippee, Yappee and Yahooey''. ''Peter Potamus'' was broadcast as a companion series to ''

The Magilla Gorilla Show ''The Magilla Gorilla Show'' is an American animated television series starring Magilla Gorilla. The series was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for Screen Gems, and was originally sponsored in syndication by Ideal Toys from 1964 through ...

''. Both series premiered in

first-run syndication Broadcast syndication is the practice of content owners leasing the right to broadcast their content to other television stations or radio stations, without having an official broadcast network to air it on. It is common in the United States whe ...

before being picked up by

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

in January 1966. ''Peter Potamus'' ran on Sunday mornings and ''The Magilla Gorilla Show'' went to Saturday mornings before moving to Sundays the following year. At that time, the ''Breezly and Sneezly'' segment was swapped with ''

Ricochet Rabbit & Droop-a-Long ''Ricochet Rabbit & Droop-a-Long'' was a segment of Hanna-Barbera's 1964–66 cartoon ''The Magilla Gorilla Show'', and later appeared on '' The Peter Potamus Show''. Background Taking place in a Wild West setting, Ricochet Rabbit (voiced by D ...

'', a segment on ''The Magilla Gorilla Show''. After the ABC run ended in 1967, cartoons from ''Magilla Gorilla'' and ''Peter Potamus'' shows were syndicated together. The

Ideal Toy Company Ideal Toy Company was an American toy company founded by Morris Michtom and his wife, Rose. During the post–World War II baby boom era, Ideal became the largest doll-making company in the United States. Their most popular dolls included Betsy ...

sponsored the television series, and during the original run of the cartoon, the theme song ended with the phrase: "And there he goes Peter Potamus, our ideal". A similarly subtle sponsor reference appeared in the ''Magilla Gorilla'' theme song lyrics: "He's really ideal". Early promotional materials for the series carried the title ''Peter Potamus and His Magic Flying Balloon'', but that title never appeared on screen. The original ''Peter Potamus'' series was broadcast on the cable TV channel

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...

, often as part of its anthology series ''Boomerang Zoo''. It is currently airing on-and-off on the over-the-air antenna channel,

MeTV Toons MeTV Toons is an American broadcast television network owned and operated by Weigel Broadcasting in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched on June 25, 2024, as a spin-off of MeTV, the network's programming mainly consists of classic an ...

Plot and segments

Peter Potamus and So-So

The main segment features Peter Potamus (voiced by

Daws Butler Charles Dawson Butler (November 16, 1916May 18, 1988) was an American voice actor. He worked mostly for the Hanna-Barbera animation production company and the Walter Lantz cartoon studio. He originated the voices of many familiar Hanna-Barbera ...

impersonating Joe E. Brown; Butler uses an identical voice for Lippy the Lion) and his diminutive sidekick So-So the monkey (voiced by

Don Messick Donald Earle Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor, known for his performances in Hanna-Barbera cartoons. His best-remembered voice roles include Scooby-Doo; Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in ''The Flintsto ...

). Peter is big, purple, and friendly, dressed in a safari jacket and hat. Episodes generally consist of Peter and So-So exploring the world in his

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carri ...

, which has a

gondola The gondola (, ; , ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull, in a scul ...

shaped like a boat and is capable of time travel at the spin of a dial. When faced with a precarious situation, Peter uses his “Hippo Hurricane Holler” to blow away his opponents.

Breezly and Sneezly

polar bear The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can Hybrid (biology), interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear ...

named Breezly Bruin (voiced by Howard Morris) and his friend Sneezly Seal (voiced by

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for come ...

) use various schemes to break into an army camp in the frozen north, while trying to stay one step ahead of the camp's leader Colonel Fuzzby (voiced by John Stephenson).

Yippee, Yappee and Yahooey

Three

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...

s named Yippee (voiced by Doug Young), Yappee (voiced by Hal Smith), and Yahooey (voiced by

impersonating

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...

) aka The Goofy Guards, work for the King (voiced by Hal Smith), a short, complaining ruler who is often on the receiving end of their antics. The trio's plumed hats and swords are reminiscent of

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' () is a French historical adventure novel written and published in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is the first of the author's three d'Artagnan Romances. As with some of his other works, he wrote it in col ...

Episodes

Other appearances

* Peter Potamus and So-So appeared in '' Yogi's Ark Lark'' and its spin-off series, '' Yogi's Gang''. In both appearances, Butler reprised Peter Potamus. * Peter Potamus guest starred in the episode "India and Israel" on ''

Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics ''Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics'' is a two-hour Saturday morning animated program block produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and broadcast on ABC from September 10, 1977, until September 2, 1978. The block featured five Hanna-Barbera serie ...

''. * Peter Potamus guest starred in some episodes of '' Yogi's Treasure Hunt''. *

Gold Key Comics Gold Key Comics was an imprint of American company Western Publishing, created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984. History Gold Key Comics was created in 1962, when its ...

published one issue of a ''Peter Potamus'' comic book in 1965. * Peter Potamus made a cameo appearance in '' The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound'' as a captain of a boat to

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...

. * Peter Potamus appeared in the early 1990s series '' Yo Yogi!'', where he was voiced by

Greg Burson Gregory Lewis Burson (August 15, 1949 – July 22, 2008) was an American voice actor. He was best known for being one of the many successors to voice actors Daws Butler (who was also Burson's mentor) and Mel Blanc following their deaths in 1988 an ...

. He and So-So were shown to own a plant store at Jellystone Mall called Peter Potamus' Plant Palace. In "Tricky Dickie's Dirty Trickies", he is shown to be allergic to goldenrods. He later appeared in "Mall or Nothing" as part of the Mall-a-thon. * Peter Potamus and So-So were seen as animatronics in the ''

Dexter's Laboratory ''Dexter's Laboratory'' is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network. The series follows Dexter, an enthusiastic boy-genius with a science laboratory in his bedroom, which he keeps secret from his u ...

'' episode "Chubby Cheese" during Chubby's song sequence. * Potamus was also a recurring character on ''

Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law ''Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law'' is an American adult animated television sitcom created by Michael Ouweleen and Erik Richter for Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. The first season of ''Harvey Birdman, Attorney ...

'', where he is voiced in a Brooklyn accent by

Joe Alaskey Joseph Francis Alaskey III (April 17, 1952 – February 3, 2016) was an American actor and comedian. He was one of Mel Blanc's successors at the Warner Bros. Animation studio until his death. He alternated with Jeff Bergman, Greg Burson, Ji ...

and later voiced by

Chris Edgerly Chris Edgerly is an American voice actor. Life and career Edgerly provided the voice of Peter Potamus on the Adult Swim animated series ''Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law'', in addition to several guest voices on the TV series ''Drawn Togeth ...

. In it, he is a lecherous glutton and a lazy and sleazy (but inexplicably successful) lawyer in constant pursuit of women and

sandwich A sandwich is a Dish (food), dish typically consisting variously of meat, cheese, sauces, and vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as a ''co ...

es. He works at the Sebben & Sebben law firm with Harvey Birdman. Peter has the trademark phrase "Did you get that thing I sent you?" Starting with the episode "Return of Birdgirl", Peter's hands were changed to hooves. * Peter Potamus appeared in

Velma Dinkley Velma Dinkley is a fictional character in the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise. She is usually seen wearing a baggy orange turtleneck sweater, a short red pleated skirt, knee high socks, Mary Jane shoes, and a pair of black square glasses, which she ...

's feverish dream in issue #10 'Velma - Warrior Queen of Monsterworld!" of '' Scooby Apocalypse''. * Peter Potamus and So-So appeared in

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

''Deathstroke/Yogi Bear Special'' #1 as captured animals alongside other Hanna-Barbera characters. * Peter Potamus made a brief cameo in the ''

Wacky Races ''Wacky Races'' is a media franchise containing five animated series, several video games, and a comic book, with most centered on the theme of various Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters primarily engaged in auto racing (although occasionally employ ...

'' episode "King Solomon's Races". * Peter Potamus and So-So also appeared in the 2021 feature film '' Space Jam: A New Legacy''. They are seen watching the basketball game between the Tune Squad and the Goon Squad from their balloon. * Peter Potamus and So-So appear in the series ''

Jellystone! ''Jellystone!'' is an American animated television comedy, comedy television series developed by C. H. Greenblatt for the streaming service HBO Max. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and features reimagined versions of various cha ...

'' with Peter Potamus voiced by C.H. Greenblatt and So-So voiced by

George Takei George Takei ( ; born April20, 1937), born , is an American actor, author and activist known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS ''Enterprise'' in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. Takei was born to Japanese-American parents, with w ...

. Peter Potamus and So-So are portrayed as

Otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, such as anime, manga, video games, computers or other highly enthusiastic hobbies. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. ...

s, Peter is also a martial arts specialist who considers his action figures to be his friends. Though has been shown trying to hang out with the other citizens. So-So was seen as Peter's fighting coach. Peter also works as a mail carrier by using his hot air balloon. So-So was silent until the season 2 episode "Balloon Kids". * Peter Potamus' balloon makes a cameo in the background of "The Court" map in the platform fighting game ''

MultiVersus ''MultiVersus'' (''MVS'') is a 2024 free-to-play platform fighting game developed by Player First Games and published by Warner Bros. Games. In the game, players battle on different stages as characters from Warner Bros. franchises, including ...

''. * A restaurant named "Pizza Potamus" is seen in several episodes of ''

Aqua Teen Hunger Force ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force'' (also branded with different #Alternative titles, alternative titles for seasons 8–11), is an American adult animated television series created by Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro for Cartoon Network's late night progra ...

'', being portrayed as a dilapidated abandoned building that would frequently be destroyed in some form by the lead characters' actions; in several shots, faded and worn-out paintings of Peter Potamus are seen in the background.

Home media

The episode ''Fe Fi Fo Fun'' is available on the DVD ''Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960s Vol. 1''. The episode ''Wagon Train Strain'' is available on the ''Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960's Vol. 2'' set. The episode ''Cleo Trio'' is on the ''Hanna Barbera 25 Cartoon Collection'' DVD, part of ''The Best of Warner Bros.'' series. On November 1, 2016,

Warner Archive The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the int ...

released ''The Peter Potamus Show- The Complete Series'' on DVD in region 1 as part of their

Hanna–Barbera Classics Collection This is a list of animated television series, made-for-television films, direct-to-video films, theatrical short subjects, and feature films produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions (also known as ''H-B Enterprises'', ''H-B Production Co.'' and ''Ha ...

. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peter Potamus Show, The 1964 American animated television series debuts 1966 American television series endings 1960s American animated comedy television series 1960s American children's comedy television series American children's animated comedy television series American English-language television shows First-run syndicated animated television series Television series by Hanna-Barbera Television series by Screen Gems Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Animated television series about hippopotamuses Hanna-Barbera characters Television characters introduced in 1964 Animated characters introduced in 1964 Children's television series about talking animals