Casper's First Christmas is a 1979 animated Christmas television special and crossover produced by Hanna-Barbera. It features Casper the Friendly Ghost and his friend Hairy Scarey from the animated series Casper and the Angels.[1] The special features guest stars Yogi Bear, Boo-Boo, Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, Quick Draw McGraw, and Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy. It aired on NBC on December 18, 1979.[2]
| Casper's First Christmas | |
|---|---|
 VHS cover | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Based on | Casper the Friendly Ghost by Seymour Reit Joe Oriolo |
| Story by | Bob Ogle |
| Directed by | Carl Urbano |
| Starring | Julie McWhirter Daws Butler Don Messick Hal Smith John Stephenson |
| Music by | Hoyt Curtin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| Producer | Alex Lovy |
| Editor | Robert Ciaglia |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | Hanna-Barbera Productions Harvey Films |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | December 18, 1979 |
The theme song, "Comin' Up Christmas Time", sung by Yogi's pals was used again a year later in Yogi's First Christmas, depicting a different premise in which Yogi and Boo Boo (who, being bears are supposed to be hibernating in the winter) can be seen celebrating Christmas with the other cast members. "Comin' Up Christmas Time" was released on Hanna-Barbera's Christmas Sing-A-Long[3] album on CD and cassette in 1991 and is currently on various streaming services.
This also marked the first and only time that this special pairs together the characters from its owners, Hanna-Barbera and Harvey Entertainment. Like many animated series created by Hanna-Barbera in the 1970s, the show contained a laugh track created by the studio.
Network Ten aired the special in Australia.
Plot
editCasper and his friend Hairy Scary are in a house about to be demolished on Christmas Eve and go out to look for a new place to move to after Christmas in California. Yogi and his friends get lost and arrive at Casper and Hairy's house and clean and decorate it to celebrate Christmas. Casper befriends Yogi and company only for Hairy to try to ruin the party with Casper and his new friends. Hairy has a change of heart and celebrates Christmas with Casper and his new friends and ending with Santa Claus saving the house and turning it into Hairy's Haunting Lodge.
Cast
edit- Julie McWhirter as Casper the Friendly Ghost
- Daws Butler as Yogi Bear / Huckleberry Hound / Quick Draw McGraw / Snagglepuss / Augie Doggie
- Don Messick as Boo-Boo Bear
- Hal Smith as Santa Claus
- John Stephenson as Hairy Scary the Ghost / Doggie Daddy
- Paul DeKorte as Singer
- Ida Sue McCune as Singer
- Michael Redman as Singer
Home media
editTurner Home Entertainment released Casper's First Christmas on VHS on September 26, 1995.[4] Warner Bros. released Hanna-Barbera Christmas Classics Collection on DVD in region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection in July 2012; this was a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and only in the US. This collection features a trilogy of Christmas specials: Casper's First Christmas, The Town That Santa Forgot and A Christmas Story.
VHS release dates
edit- December 4, 1986 (Worldvision Home Video)
- December 3, 1987 (Worldvision Home Video/Kids Klassics Home Video)
- 1991 (Hanna-Barbera Home Video)
- September 26, 1995 (Turner Home Entertainment)
- September 29, 1998 (Warner Home Video)
- November 2, 1999 (Warner Home Video)
- October 31, 2000 (Warner Home Video)
- October 16, 2001 (Warner Home Video)
DVD release date
editJuly 31, 2012 (Warner Home Video/Warner Archive)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. pp. 41–42. ISBN 9781476672939.
- ^ Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962–1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 62–63. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear & Friends, Hanna-Barbera's Christmas Sing-A-Long, retrieved 2021-12-14
- ^ Casper's First Christmas [VHS]: Daws Butler, Ida Sue McCune, Paul DeKorte, Julie McWhirter, Don Messick, John Stephenson, Hal Smith, Michael Redman, Carl Urbano, Chris Cuddington, Gil Iverson, Robert Ciaglia, Alex Lovy, Doug Paterson, Joseph Barbera, William Hanna, Bob Ogle: Movies & TV. ISBN 156039577X.