Would you look at that.  Winter has come to Jellystone Park. The mountains are draped in snow and the tree branches are blanketed with layers of white wonder. 

Yogi Bear is walking through the forest heading for home and a long winter nap. 

Is this episode a symbol of rest and relaxation after a period of hard-work? I don’t think so. 

It’s more likely a thinly veiled warning to the Walt Disney Company that Hanna Barbera is about to unleash their own lovable duck to the world, and relations between the studios are about to get, well let’s say, icy.

As yogi enters his cave, complete with door,  bed and dresser, he pulls back the covers on his bed and prepares to sleep.  A knock comes to the door, and who do you think it is?  It’s a tiny blue bird who sounds exactly like Donald Duck.

Say, isn’t Donald Duck’s signature color also blue?  This little duck wants to invade yogi’s house for the winter. When yogi asks if the duck is going to be loud, the little blue Donald sounding duck looks yogi in the eyes and says.. “Ill be as quiet, as a, mouse.”  A mouse you say? Could this be the yogi bear show warning Disney that its creeping up on its six, getting ready to disrupt the comfortable market share dominance it’s enjoyed for the last 20 years? I don’t see how anyone could come to any other conclusion. 

The blue donald sounding duck spends the night in yogi’s house, agitating him while he is trying to hibernate. In one scene, yogi begins to sleep walk. This sleep walking scene is clearly a metaphor for the Disney company’s complacency.  When the duck sees a bear walking around like a zombie outside, it pulls down yogi’s semi automatic rifle and fires exactly 12 shots at it.  12 shots huh?  Could these 12 shots represent the 12 films disney released during the 1940s and 50s? I think so.  

At the end of the episode Yogi is so annoyed that he builds a giant slingshot and shoots himself out of the picture.  A final jab at Disney, and the final warning that their little blue duck, that sounds like Donald, will soon be living in the house that mouse built. 

A year later the duck who sounded like Donald, would have its color changed from blue to yellow and be named, Yakky Doodle. No serious rivalry ever developed between Disney and Hanna Barbera and  Donald duck would get along just fine,  starring in over 128 cartoons.