Yogi Bear S1E1 - A Theory of What Yogi's Big Break Really Broke.

We find Yogi Bear being held against his will, inside the park boundary of Jellystone Park. Yogi is fed up with his life inside the park. He’s tired of being a tourist attraction. He’s tired of being a captive, and, he’s finally decided to escape.  It should be pretty easy for a bear to escape a national park, right? I mean, it’s a huge area, filled with secluded spots of natural beauty. One would think an escape from Jellystone might involve walking a few hundred feet into the woods, and turning left.

You’d be right in this assumption, if Jellystones park weren’t surrounded by a perimeter wall of stone, which it is.   The only way in and out of Jellystone prison is through the main ranger station gate. This is a problem for Yogi, as the park ranger stationed there will not let any bears out of the park.  For bears like Yogi, Jellystone is a life sentence.

Yogi Bear will not let a park ranger deter him from his mission to break free from Jellystone and tries the following methods of escape.  Hiding on a leaving car. Playing dead on leaving car. Pole vaulting over the wall. Digging his way out. Being launched by a bent over tree. Parachuting and, of course, being launched out of a homemade cannon.  All the items needed for these escape plans can be purchased in the Jellystone store, next to the fine selection of bear length ties.

After many attempts, Yogi finally escapes Jellystone, over the wall and into the woods. Unfortunately hunting season has just started and there are a line of hunters at the park gate waiting to shoot any bears that step over the park boundary. Fish in a barrel you might say.  Yogi runs for the parks front gate, but the ranger closes it before Yogi can get there.  At least we are led to believe its the ranger. The viewer never actually sees who closed the gate and thats because, it’s not the ranger who closed it.

I have reason to believe that Boo Boo, Yogi’s bowtie wearing bear friend, is the one the shuts Yogi out of Jellystone, leaving him to be perforated by hunters.

I don’t think Boo Boo wanted Yogi to get hurt, but I do believe there was a lesson Yogi needed to learn. That lesson is. When a bear spends all its time trying to escapes its home.  When a bear goes to greater and greater lengths to try and flee.  When a bear is so discontent with where its at that its willing to risk life and limb to be somewhere else.  Well, that bears best friend might take offense to this.  That little bear named boo boo might feel incredibly hurt that Yogi has no regard for thier friendship, for their bond, for the life they’ve built together.  I think Boo Boo was rightfully hurt by Yogi when he understood that Yogi would rather die trying to escape than spend another minute being Boo Boo’s friend.  Ouch.

Who shut the gate on Yogi? Who left yogi outside the park during hunting season? Well, I think it was a little bear with a blue bow tie that just couldn’t handle having his heart broken anymore.