Saturday Morning Cartoons

Elmer Fudd, the bumbling hunter who could never quite say his R's correctly, spent cartoon after cartoon chasing 'that wascally wabbit' without success. His catchphrase and Bugs's cool wit made them one of animation's greatest comedy pairs.

Bedrock was the Stone Age suburb where Fred, Wilma, Barney, and Betty lived — complete with dinosaur appliances and foot-powered cars. The show premiered in 1960 and was the first animated series to air in prime time.

The Acme Corporation was the fictional mail-order company whose products — from rocket skates to giant magnets — always backfired spectacularly on poor Wile E. Coyote. 'Acme' became a pop-culture shorthand for a comically unreliable brand.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! debuted on CBS on September 13, 1969, created by Hanna-Barbera. The show was so popular it spawned dozens of spin-offs and specials over the following decades.

Rosie the Robot was the Jetson family's lovable housekeeper, voiced by Jean Vander Pyl (who also voiced Wilma Flintstone). She was depicted as a slightly older model robot with a warm personality, and she debuted in 1962.

Jonny Quest was Hanna-Barbera's first action-adventure series, breaking away from the studio's typical comedy format. It followed young Jonny and his scientist father on globe-trotting missions, and its realistic style influenced many cartoons that followed.

CBS broadcast 'The Bugs Bunny / Road Runner Hour' (later expanded to 90 minutes) for much of the 1970s, making Saturday mornings on CBS a staple for Looney Tunes fans. The block combined classic theatrical shorts into a packaged TV format.

Jellystone Park was a gentle spoof of the real Yellowstone National Park, and Yogi Bear spent his days outsmarting Ranger Smith to steal 'pic-a-nic baskets' from tourists. Yogi's name was itself a nod to baseball legend Yogi Berra.

The Legion of Doom, led by Lex Luthor from their Hall of Doom swamp headquarters, was the primary villain group in 'The Challenge of the Super Friends' (1978). The show featured 13 villains facing off against Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and their allies.

Daffy Duck frequently sputtered 'You're despicable!' — often directed at Bugs Bunny — as part of his jealous, scheming personality. Mel Blanc voiced Daffy with a distinctive lisp, and the character became one of Warner Bros.' most beloved creations.

Space Ghost was created by Alex Toth and produced by Hanna-Barbera, premiering in 1966. The masked superhero patrolled the galaxy with teen sidekicks Jan and Jace and a pet monkey named Blip, and he later became famous again in the 1990s talk-show parody.

Josie and the Pussycats (1970) followed an all-girl rock band who stumbled into adventures on the road — a formula inspired by the success of Scooby-Doo. It was based on the Archie Comics character and even produced a real charting single.

Yogi Bear first appeared as a supporting character on 'The Huckleberry Hound Show' in 1958 before getting his own series in 1961. His catchphrase 'I'm smarter than the av-er-age bear!' became a beloved part of American cartoon culture.

Billy Batson was the young man who shouted 'Shazam!' to transform into the adult superhero Captain Marvel. Filmation's live-action series aired on CBS's Saturday-morning lineup from 1974 to 1976, later paired with 'The Secrets of Isis'.

The Smurfs premiered on NBC in September 1981 and immediately became a phenomenon, topping Saturday-morning ratings for years. Created by Belgian cartoonist Peyo in 1958, the tiny blue characters were adapted for American TV by Hanna-Barbera and ran until 1989.