Ricochet Rabbit and villain in foreground, Droop-along Coyote in background.

RICOCHET RABBIT

Medium: TV animation
Produced by: Hanna-Barbera
First Appeared: 1963
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Animated cartoons exist in a timeless land of make-believe. And if you don't believe that, consider the fact that Ricochet Rabbit, a western based, like most westerns, in what looked like …

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… 19th century America, was first seen in a 1963 episode of Touché Turtle, whose setting appeared to be 17th century France.

Like Yakky Doodle, Snagglepuss and several other 1960s Hanna-Barbera characters that started in single-shot supporting roles, Ricochet (no relation) went on to a series of his own. When Magilla Gorilla's show debuted in syndication (January 16, 1964), Ricochet Rabbit starred in one of his back segments. (The third segment was occupied by Punkin' Puss & Mushmouse, residents of an unspecified mountainous part of the American South.)

Ricochet was the sheriff of Hoopen Holler, a town that looked just like any number of other fictional towns of the Old West, except of course for being drawn in cartoon style. His schtick was speed. True to his name, he'd ricochet off of every surface in the vicinity, going ping-ping-ping, just like the bullets from his gun. His deputy, Droop-along Coyote, was the opposite. Even Droop-along's bullets moved in slow motion. When Droop-along tried Ricochet's "ricochet" technique, he usually wound up crashing through a store window. Ricochet's voice was Don Messick (Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf and much more) and Droop-along's was Mel Blanc (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and much, much more).

Ricochet and Droop-along appeared in only ten segments on Magilla's show before being replaced by Breezly & Sneezly, a pair of arctic fauna that mooched off a nearby military base. But they continued as a back segment in Peter Potamus's show, which Breezly & Sneezly had vacated, and appeared in another 13 segments there.

Like all Hanna-Barbera characters, they were merchandised as coloring books, lunch boxes, toys etc. But they never starred in a comic book unless you count a few back-up stories in a couple of Gold Key titles. When Peter Potamus went off the air, so did they, and they haven't been back.

— DDM

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Text ©2003-04 Donald D. Markstein. Art © Hanna-Barbera.