The Funtastic World of Hanna Barbera

17. Here Comes Huckle Hero!

July, 1987

Have you ever wondered what happens when a TV superhero suddenly comes to life for real? Well, it happened to Huckleberry Hound one day. It all started when he and his friends had just finished filming their latest episode of their hit TV show Yogi's Treasure Hunt. In the episode, Dick Dastardly had just swiped their treasure, a sacred island statuette known as The Idol of Tom-Tom. By now he had the gang all tied up in ropes on board a small watercraft, minus Huck. He proceeded to pull the plug out of the boat, and they started sinking. Huck saw this going on, and jumped into his Huckle Hero costume to save them. But after the filming had finished, and Huck changed back to his normal clothes, he started walking home with a smile, but soon wondered...does being a TV superhero feel uncomfortable sometimes? Well, he got his answer when he passed by a poster with "Huckle Hero" on it.

"Sometimes, being a TV superhero can be itchy..." he said. "Literally."

Huck cringed at the thought of having to wear that super suit again in a future episode. It fit so tightly on him and the material aggravated his skin so much that it made him itch. Though he had to admit, the gold cape and the red mask he wore over his eyes did look pretty stylish. If only the rest of his costume didn't feel so uncomfortable. And why did those booster boots of his always have to clonk out on him? He knew that the audience wanted to see some humor in the show, but that was one running gag he was getting a little weary about.

"I can't believe I had to wear that itchy suit again today," he sighed. "Oh well...at least we had a good day. That episode is sure to be a smasheroo once it goes on the air!"

He decided that a good way to celebrate a hard day's work was to head home and treat himself to two of his favorites...chocolate cake and triple-fudge ripple ice cream!

"Now this is what I call comfortable!" he smiled as he sat down to enjoy his cake and ice cream. "My chair is like an ol' friend. Always gives me a place to sit a spell after a long day."

His puppy dog Pudgy and his kitten Mimi were right there at his feet, begging for food as usual, but Huck shook his head.

"Remember, no chocolate for you two," he told them.

His two pets looked sad, but Huck fed them some cherries from the fridge as a treat. After that, he decided to hop in the tub for a bubble bath. While he was in there, he had his toy submarine and he was pretending to lead the crew on a mission under the sea. Huck may have been a young adult, but he still loved to let his inner pup loose, and that included the fact that he still loved to play with toys.

"Permission to dive, Cap'n!" he cried as he dunked his toy submarine into the water. "Down we go!" Then he used his other paw, pretending it was a sea monster, and he snapped his fingers up and down like jaws. "Oh-oh! Sea monster on the radar! Quick! Evasive maneuvers!" He snapped his other paw at the submarine, pretending that the "sea monster" was trying to eat it. "Rrrawr! Rrrawr!" Then he pretended to ram his paw with the submarine. "Oh no you don't, you ornery monster, you! Take that!"

By the time he finished with his bath, he was still laughing. Then he brushed his teeth, put on his nightcap and got ready for bed. Mimi was already curled up at the foot of his bed in a fuzzy little ball, purring.

"I think tomorrow I'm gonna go roller skating," he said to himself. "It's supposed to be a bright sunny day! Hmm, maybe I'll ask Quick Draw if'n he'd like to join me!"

But as he settled down to go to sleep, he noticed something rather strange outside his window. It looked like a star, and it seemed to be coming toward his house!

"Eh?" he whispered. "What's goin' on?"

As he got out of bed to take a look, his window suddenly opened, and a bright light filled the room as the star gently came right toward him! When the light dimmed down a bit, Huck opened his eyes to find a beautiful woman standing there! She had long flowing hair, which was as golden as the morning sun. She wore a bright blue robe that hung down to her ankles, as well as golden sandals. And on her forehead was a golden circlet with a bright blue gem in the middle! She stood there, giving him a warm smile.