#blogging notes

Again, this is essentially a transition period before we see a revamp of the "Postcards from Snagglepuss" feature as will see a Monday edition alongside the established Wednesday such, what with the "Would you rather ..." piece having essentially been discontinued in favour of the odd poll or two here in Tumblr.

Speaking of the new "Postcards from Snagglepuss," such will not only have Snagglepuss in the lead, but also Huckleberry Hound as part of the crew; aide-memoire, you know. Not to mention a seasonally-changing cast of your favourite Funtastics in a series of potentially fresh and fascinating adventures with the same spirited road trip mentality you've come to know and love.

Next week (May 29th) being Memorial Day, the traditional holiday weekend hiatus will be observed for this blog and its content.

Otherwise, Your Humble Narrator hopes you're continuing to enjoy this blog and all there's to be so had, especially absent anything viable from Warner Bros. Animation, as heirs and successors to the Hanna-Barbera studio, to maintain the classic Hanna-Barbera whimsicalia and serendipity--at least stateside. Remember to get back to me with your comments and suggestions to make this endeavour even more the experience you've come to enjoy.

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Hanna-Barbera's Funtastics are going to make the July 4th celebrations especially memorable!

While some of you (especially in areas where English is not exactly the lingua franca) may be curious to know how this blog would read in different languages--a credit to Google Translate and a few other online software programmes capable of website translation--just be aware that these services rely on machine-based translation as may or may not involve Artificial Intelligence.

Meaning, ergo, that the ensuing translation into your chosen language may not actually be accurate and, more than likely, could wind up unintentionally funny, especially where the desire is one of "round-trip translation," where a word, phrase or expression--or, for that matter, webpage--is translated from English to another language, then back into English. (Itself calling to mind a story from the early days of computer development about where an attempt to translate the Apostle Paul's observation that "the flesh is weak, but the spirit is strong" from English to Russian, then back into English, came back as "The meat was rotten, but the vodka tasted excellent." But then, such were the limitations of computing before microprocessors and chip technology.)

This, know, is a transition period here at It's So Hanna-Barberaesque ahead of a serious revamp of the "Postcards from Snagglepuss" feature you've come to know and love Wednesdays in this space.

As part of said revamp, which will have Snagglepuss and Huckleberry Hound out on a new series of road trips with a seasonally-changing cast of fellow Funtastics in a slightly-used motorhome (but expect not Yogi's Gang, if you know how that went), the feature will appear on both Mondays and Wednesdays starting in June.

I've essentially retired the "Would you rather--?" feature as previously appeared Mondays in this space, what with polling now offered in Tumblr and yours truly at a loss for fresh and fascinating questions to ask in this vein. Hence, the addition of a Monday edition of "Postcards from Snagglepuss" in addition to the established Wednesday such. Which, you'll be pleased to know, is a byproduct of the late Character Convocation coincident with Ocean City (Maryland) Springfest.

So if you have any ideas for how this new generation of road trip a la Snagglepuss and Huckleberry Hound ought be going, or nominate characters worthy of joining along with the fall and winter runs, please to let me know.

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Your favourite weekly adventures of Snagglepuss "on the road" are about to get a revamp, and I MEAN a revamp most significant!

Starting with the upcoming Character Convocation at Ocean City Springfest, Snagglepuss is going to "kick things up a notch" with such road trips of his that are certain to make Yogi's Gang look rather pale by comparison ... because:

Snag will be swapping his long-cherished Mini Cooper for a motorhome as will make things more or less self-contained;

Huckleberry Hound, something of a longtime compadre of Snagglepuss (remember the #2 Half-Dog, Half-Cat, Half-Track from the Fender Bender 500 segment on Wake, Rattle and Roll?), will be joining along on these experiences cross-country; and

Joining Snag and Huck in the new motorhome bivouac will be a seasonally-adjusted cast of characters from among many of your favourite Funtastic-type characters (and you thought Yogi's Gang was "going to the dogs!" with its predictable story lines!).

One thing is for certain, though: The new improved Postcards from Snagglepuss aren't expected to be anywhere near Yogi's Gang in terms of their plot or story. Nor Duffy's Dozen, for that matter. More or less, it'll be more like "going back to our Funtastic roots" as many of your favourite Hanna-Barbera characters have some interesting experiences out on the road.

Tenatively scheduled as the spring compadres of Snagglepuss and Huckleberry will be Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo (would any of you like to see Cindy along?), Magilla Gorilla, Wally Gator and Squiddly Diddly; for the summer, Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy and Hokey Wolf and Ding-a-Ling are planned to join along, with Wally Gator part of the company as well.

Meanwhile, reader, your advice would be appreciated on the sort of motorhome our crew could be imagined roaming around the country in (hopefully, a practically-designed such, though not too ostentatious, in keeping with the classic Hanna-Barbera aesthetic), some of the other Funtastically-inclined characters as could be imagined joining in (remember, such will vary in line with the seasons), and where they can be expected to head to among the more interesting parts of the country, while not overdoing it on the jingo aspect such as Yogi's Gang was bound to do and Duffy's Dozen had in mind vis-a-vis the National Park System.

Among tenative destinations for the first motorhome-based journey are the Stroudsburg Railroad in Pennsylvania (America's oldest short-line railroad); Breezewood, Pennsylvania (as unlikely a crossroads as it could get for the Lincoln Highway/US 30, the Pennsylvania Turnpike/I-76 and I-70) and some lakes in and around Estes Park, Colorado, with maybe some hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park or close-by areas.

Still, readers, at any rate, suggestions for the revamped Postcards from Snagglepuss (which will continue appearing Wednesdays, as before) in any of the preceding areas would be appreciated.

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When it comes to Polynesia Uncharted, Peter Potamus can get to be a rather interesting personality in the fanfic and vignettes offered in this vein from time to time. In fact, the two just seem to be made for each other.

In fact, as I enjoy picturing it, Peter would not be the sort associating with greedy, unscrupulous and obnoxiously race-conscious traders and pearl merchants who see such otherwise proud natives as cannon-fodder for the sake of profit, forcing the natives to push the limits of human endurance by diving all the deeper in search of pearls in general and that elusive Pearl of Great Price in particular, which in such exploitative circles cannot be spoken of without emotion rivalled only by misguided religious serving churches targeting mainly "poor white trash" as see religion more or less as a distractive from their lives of despondency and privation excused as pride.

Rather, Peter (in a trait perhaps learned from his late father, Perry Potamus) sees such unmapped and uncharted reaches of that mystical hinterland known as Polynesia with awe and fascination tinctured with respect for their traditional folkways to such extent as requires him to not disclose their true names and locales. Such folkways as are fond of overt nakedness and equally overt sexuality seen as equally natural and enjoyable, as well as a most unlikely sort of dolphin/human relationship putting the marine-life parks and dolphinaria to shame.

Particularly because such a bond is a natural one, helped all the more by the natives' fondness for diving naked out of as much tradition as comfort (and the dolphins obviously like the natives for that, as Peter Potamus has noted in several journals of his).

Equally worthy of note when it comes to Peter's "quality time" among Polynesians Uncharted: To avoid potential embarrassment unto the natives, Peter prefers parking the Magic Balloon to just outside the traditional three-mile line offshore, leaving his simian compadre So-So in charge ... and Peter makes his entrance in most natural form (as in naked, naturally) via an "old-school" Polynesian surfboard once given his late father out of affection, repurposed in the stylee of an Australian "kneelo" paddleboard. How wonderful an arrival can this get, fellow Hanna-Barberians?

Oh, and let's not forget about the diving and surfing and love among native women ...

Satisfied? Or have you possible fanfic ideas in this vein?

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