MeTV Toons to Launch Hanna-Barbera Block, Featuring Yogi Bear, Secret Squirrel, Magilla Gorilla and Others

MeTV Toons has a treat to drop into everyone’s pic-a-nic basket.

MeTV’s seven-month-old offshoot dedicated exclusively to classic animation is getting read to launch “The House of Hanna-Barbera,” a weekday and Sunday-afternoon programming block showcasing characters sired by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, including Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Secret Squirrel, Snagglepuss, Pixie and Dixie, Wally Gator, Touché Turtle, Magilla Gorilla, Atom Ant, Squiddly Diddly and others.

More from TVLine

• The Cleaning Lady and Alert: Missing Persons Unit Returning to Fox in March

• TVLine Items: Lincoln Lawyer Adds Constance Zimmer, Jelly Roll Joins Idol and More

• Amber Ruffin to Headline White House Correspondents' Dinner - But Will Donald Trump Attend?

Watch a promo above.

“The House of Hanna-Barbera” will get a three-hour, primetime sneak peek on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8/7c, before it christens its regular Monday-Friday time slot of 11 am-1pm, beginning Monday, Feb. 17. The block will also air on Sunday afternoons from 1-3 pm, starting Feb. 23.

“These cartoons are the cream of the crop,” says animation historian Jerry Beck, author of The Hanna-Barbera Treasury. “The characters are the backbone of the studio — the personalities, the character designs, the whole Hanna-Barbera aesthetic.

“The lines, written by their top writers, formerly of Warner Bros. and Disney, with quotes we all remember: ‘How much is that gorilla in the window’, ‘Touche away!’, ‘I hate those meeces to pieces!’” notes Beck. “These cartoons are filled with the voices that became the soundtrack of our childhood. Daws Butler, Mel Blanc, June Foray, Don Messick on and on — the theme songs by Hoyt Curtin — all classic. The H and B cartoons became the inspiration for other artists and future studios, and pretty much all television animation that followed. And here’s the best news — they are still funny. In fact, they seem to have gotten better over time. I’m laughing at jokes that went way over my head when I saw them as a kid.”

Which Hanna-Barbera favorite are you most excited to revisit via MeTV Toons?

Best of TVLine

• The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More

• 'Missing' Shows, Found! The Latest on Severance, Holey Moley, Poker Face, YOU, Primo, Transplant and 25+ Others

• Summer TV Calendar: Your Guide to 85+ Season and Series Premieres

Sign up for TVLine's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.