The Funtastic World of Hanna Barbera

15. The Birthday Treasure Hunt

January, 1989

Do you ever have one of those days where you end up getting what you don't expect? Well, it happened to Huckleberry Hound! It all began when Huck was looking at his calendar on a very special morning. He crossed off the number 16 on the month of January, and on the number 17 was a picture of a birthday cake. The hound felt a mixture of joy and excitement as he knew what today was.

"Hmm, let's see. Today is January 17th..." Then he gasped. "JANUARY 17TH? That means it's my birthday! YAHOO!!" He leapt and cheered with happiness as he ran to the kitchen. "And since it's my birthday, I know just what I'm having for breakfast!"

He got out the ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream and rainbow colored sprinkles, and made himself a great big ice cream sundae!

"After all, it's my special day, so I should make it really special! That includes eating whatever I'd like to eat for breakfast!" he said to himself as he hungrily licked his lips.

As he sat down to eat his sundae, his puppy dog, Pudgy, and his kitten, Mimi wanted to have some too.

"Sorry, you two," Huck said to them. "You can't have chocolate, remember?"

The two pets whimpered sadly.

"But you two can have some of the cherries I bought from the supermarket!"

Pudgy let out a happy bark, and Mimi let out a small meow. Then the two pets began to eat the cherries from their bowls. After breakfast, Huck decided to take his pets for a walk. So he brought them outside, but before they could start walking, Mr. Post had just rode his bike past the hound's mailbox. Huck opened the mailbox, and inside was a bright blue envelope that read, "To Huckleberry Hound, From Your Special Friend."

"Huh?" Huck wondered. "What's this?"

He opened the envelope, and inside was a letter. He read it out loud, and it read,

"Dear Huckleberry,

There's a special surprise waiting for you! But in order to get it, you have to find it. Follow the clues in this surprise treasure hunt, and you'll see what your surprise is!

First, where is the place you put on your show,

With clowns, and animals, and lights all aglow?

Sincerely,

Your special friend."

"Oh, boy!" Huck beamed. "A surprise treasure hunt! Now, let's see here. Where do I put on my show with clowns, and animals, and lights all aglow? The theater has bright lights, and animals do sometimes perform there, but there aren't any clowns there. Hmmmm, this is a good one. Clowns perform at an amusement park, but there aren't that many lights there...except at night. The only other places I know where there are clowns, animals, and lights are the studio, and the...the...wait! That's it! The circus! I remember when I did my old TV show there! Oh, the memories! Come on, you two! We've gotta head to the circus!"

And off they ran. They soon reached the circus, where performers were rehearsing their acts. There were clowns on unicycles, animals doing tricks, a ballerina walking the tightrope, and there was even a strongman!

"Wow! It sure is good to see that the circus is back in town!" Huck smiled. "It's one of my favorite places in the whole world!"

Huck walked through the tent with his pets following right behind him. Mimi then found a little streamer on the ground. She started playing with it, thinking that it could be a brand new toy. Huck looked at the little kitten, and chuckled. "Mimi, you silly kitty. That's a streamer."

Mimi looked at Huck and meowed. Huck picked her up, and pet her gently. "Mimi, you're such a cutie pie."

One clown on a unicycle pedaled over to Huck. "Hey, are you Huckleberry Hound?" he asked.