The Banana Splits was a ratings blockbuster.  the Banana Splits first appeared on television in 1968  it ran for two seasons, The producers were amazed as the Banana Splits were drawing an incredible 65 percent share of the Saturday morning audience.   The second season, however, proved disastrous: while the Hanna-Barbera production staff filmed all new episodes, they did so without changing the backgrounds or any of the set designs, prompting young viewers to mistakenly believe that the new segments were actually re-runs.  Consequently the  ratings for the show plummeted which lead to the Banana Splits being unceremoniously axed in 1970. The show went largely forgotten for much of the decade, however in the 1980s a resurgence began much to the delight of the older generation.

Did you know the cuckoo clock in the Banana Pad always read 6:55. However, the Splits only visited Hocus Pocus Park once, for a 1972 one-shot revival. Fleegle was the only character not to wear eyeglasses. Snorky was the only character that did not talk. He made a sound like a bicycle horn, the meaning of which was interpreted by the other characters. There were two different costumed versions of Snorky used during the show's run.

The arch-enemy gang of the Banana Splits were the Sour Grapes Bunch, represented by Shirley, one of five young girls.    All five Sour Grape Girls appeared together during the performance of the song "Doin' The Banana Split;". (the segment first appeared in show #5, aired October 5, 1968).

The Splits were also occasionally visited by the Mariachi-tuned Dilly Sisters (an actual musical act from Mexico).  They would appear at their door playing guitars and singing, "The Mexican Hat Dance" or "Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay".

The song "Wait Till Tomorrow" (written and sung by Ritchie Adams and Mark Barkan) appeared in two different episodes during the first season, (Show #7, first aired October 19, 1968). The footage was filmed in San Francisco, including the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf area, which is frequented by tourists.

The other airing's footage (Show #6, first telecast October 12, 1968) was shot at Six Flags Over Texas, most notably on the Log Flume and the rowboat attraction.

  Daws Butler Born: Nov 16, 1916 Died: May 18, 1988 Occupation: Actor Active: during the 1950’s to the 1980’s.  Major Genres: Children's/Family, Comedy Career Highlights: The Phantom Tollbooth, The Banana Splits in Hocus Pocus Park, Daws Butler was the voice of Bingo along with many other characters in his long career. Daws first Major Screen Credit was for Huckleberry Hound: Season 01 (1958) Daws Butler was one of the powerhouses of cartoon voices and has worked on scores of short and feature-length animated shows for both television and movies. Daws Butler came to Hollywood in the mid 1940s and got his start as part of The Three Short Waves, (a nightclub act that made fun of famous radio actors). Daws earned national recognition when he imitated Dragnet co-star Ben Alexander on Stan Freberg's classic comedy record St. George and the Dragonette. Daws starred in one of West Coast television's first puppet shows, Time for Beany (1949). He began working as a voice artist for the Hanna-Barbera animation studios in 1957, and during his long association with them provided the voices of at least 42 regular characters, including Yogi Bear, whose voice is a loose imitation of Art Carney - Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, based on comedian Burt Lahr and Wally Gator. Daws Butler also voiced characters on Jay Ward's Fractured Fairy Tales and Aesop and Son.  

Banana Splits & Friends Show DVD Release

Earl Kress, a reputable source in the animation industry who holds close ties with the Hanna-Barbera crew, posted on his blog that The Banana Splits Adventure Hour was tentatively scheduled to be released on DVD in 2007. After further research had been done on available master materials needed to reconstruct the shows for proper DVD release, the project was cancelled.

In his original blog post, Kress stated: "Notice I said these are tentative. As you all know by now, releases get cancelled, rescheduled and shuffled around depending on condition of masters and how much work needs to be done on them. I know, for instance, that the Banana Splits is going to be very difficult to piece back together".

 

Kings Island had two real steam trains which carried patrons and the Banana Splits over a mile of wooded Indian country.

The Steam trains at Kings Island could accommodate more than 5000 people per hour

BANANA SPLITS ADVENTURE HOUR (USA) BANANA SPLITS AND FRIENDS SHOW (UK)

The Banana Splits were the stars of their own Saturday morning Hanna - Barbera children's show. The Rock 'n' Rolling Banana Splits appeared in both "live" and animated form in a one-hour special. The animated film was called 

THE BANANA SPLITS IN HOCUS POCUS PARK

It was filmed at Kings Island Amusement Park in Ohio, USA in 1972

The Splits - Fleagle, Drooper, Bingo and Snorky perform at a spooky theme park, where they run a foul with a wicked sorcerer. Falling for the "old enchanted balloon trick", our anthropomorphic animal heroes find themselves smack dab in the middle of a power play between a sorcerer, a magician and a zany witch. The Banana Splits in Hocus Park originally aired as an episode of ABC Saturday Superstar Movie on November 25, 1972. 

READ UP ON THE BANANA SPLITS BIO'S
CLICK ON THE NAMES BELOW

Paul Winchell - Fleegle

Daws Butler - Bingo

Allan Melvin - Drooper

Don Messick - Snorky

Hey Drooper is your buggy in the shop?

Dear Drooper - Drooper acts as Agony Aunt to answer your queries.
Q: Dear Drooper, I live on a big ranch. How can I count all the cows quickly?
A: Easy - just count their hooves and divide by four!

Banana Splits Children's Annual
Haul Away, Joe

This is a really great hard to find Hanna-Barbera annual. Those  of you who are fortunate enough to own a copy of this rare Banana Splits children’s annual should look after it.

Banana Splits Mug (2003)

Bingo says: 

"Oh oh Danger Island next!"

Banana Splits Wacky Wobblers (2003)

Picture taken from a child's lunch box

2003 Banana Splits Mouse Mat