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Meet the man behind Yogi Bear, Elroy Jetson, Wally Gator, and more!
The voice behind your favorite lions, gators, and bears, oh my!
Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, and most of your favorite Hanna-Barbera characters wouldn't have a voice without Daws Butler. As a child, he began to learn impressions to overcome his shyness and eventually became really good at it - so good that he was winning competitions at 18. He then began a radio career that, following a brief pause to serve in the Navy in World War II, would lead to being discovered by cartoonist Tex Avery, who quickly cast Butler in several MGM cartoons.
Over his forty-year career, Butler not only portrayed dozens of cartoon characters but also trained several famous voice actors including Nancy Cartwright and Bob Bergen. His approach to each character shows a commitment to the art of voice acting, from his celebrity impressions to working with cartoonists to create a brand-new voice for a character. Let's take a look at some of Butler's most famous characters.
Mr. Jinks
In a 1964 interview with the Detroit Free Press, Butler said Mr. Jinks was his favorite character to voice "Because there is a drollness to him. You can do a lot of things with words - abuse them or elongate them, it's almost like blank verse - and Jinks has more sides to his character."
Spike
Butler first voiced Spike in 1949 in the short Love That Pup. He voiced the character in the Tom and Jerry theatrical shorts until 1957.
Merlin the Magic Mouse (and Second Banana)
Atascadero Escondido! Throughout his career, Butler provided additional voices in many Looney Tunes shorts, but one character he originated was Merlin the Magic Mouse, and his assistant Second Banana.
Elroy Jetson
Butler's creative approach to voice acting for younger characters, particularly Elroy, included recruiting his four young sons to offer feedback on how to sound more like a kid. You can read more about it here!
Larry Fine and Curly Joe DeRita
In The New Scooby-Doo Movies, Butler voiced two out of Three Stooges! He also provided additional voices throughout the Scooby-Doo universe, occasionally filling in for Scrappy and Scooby-Dum.
Peter Potamus
Butler described his approach to Peter Potamus as a physical improv experience. Speaking with the Detroit Free Press, he said "I see this big hippo with a big mouth and I shape my mouth like his and I talk like this."
Snagglepuss
Snagglepuss's voice was inspired by comedian Bert Lahr, who you may know as the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz. Butler's impersonation was so close that Lahr sued to credit Butler in the commercials so audiences wouldn't get confused and think that, for example, Lahr was endorsing cereal brands. Butler also used this voice in The Funky Phantom where he played Mudsy the ghost.
Huckleberry Hound
Oh, my darling Clementine! For years rumors swirled that Butler's inspiration for his laid-back, Southern voice for Huckleberry Hound was Andy Griffith. Butler himself refuted this rumor and instead, it turns out he was inspired by his wife's neighbors in her hometown of Albemarle, North Carolina.
Loopy de Loop
Oui, oui! Butler provided the outrageously exagerrated French Canadian accent for Hanna-Barbera's do-good wolf, Loopy de Loop.
The Red Max
Butler voiced many of the characters on Wacky Races, including The Red Max, a Manfred von Richthofen/Red Baron-style character. Butler approached the role by giving the Red Max a very slight German accent.
Peter Perfect
Butler also voiced the British racer Peter Perfect in Wacky Races.
Lippy the Lion
Impersonating comedian Joe E. Brown, Butler voiced Lippy the Lion and legendary voice actor Mel Blanc voiced Hardy Har-Har the Hyena.
Rock Slag
Teaming up with his buddy Don Messick, Butler voiced one-half of the Slag Brothers: Rock Slag.
Sgt. Blast
In addition to Sgt. Blast, Butler also voiced Big Gruesome and Rufus Roughcut.
Wally Gator
Impersonating another comedian, this time vaudeville actor Ed Wynn, Butler voiced the swingin' alligator in the swamp...who actually lived in the zoo, Wally Gator.
Yogi Bear
One of Butler's most famous roles, Yogi Bear, and one of his clear favorites. Butler described the work of voicing the bear as "Yogi, for instance, has a sing-songy way of talking. There's almost a triplet in Yogi's sing-song. There's very little variation."
