Paw Paws facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Paw Paws
Title card
Directed by	Ray Patterson (Supervising) Art Davis Oscar Dufau Don Lusk Carl Urbano Rudy Zamora Alan Zaslove
Voices of	Susan Blu Ruth Buzzi John Ingle Don Messick Howard Morris Thom Pinto Robert Ridgely Stanley Ralph Ross Alexandra Stoddart Frank Welker
Theme music composer	Hoyt Curtin
Opening theme	"Paw Paw Bears"
Ending theme	"Paw Paw Bears" (Instrumental)
Composer(s)	Hoyt Curtin
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	21
Production
Executive producer(s)	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Producer(s)	Berny Wolf
Production company(s)	Hanna-Barbera Productions
Distributor	Worldvision Enterprises
Release
Original network	Syndicated
Original release	September 15, 1985 (1985-09-15) – February 2, 1986 (1986-02-02)

Paw Paws (also known as Paw Paw Bears) is an American cartoon show. Hanna-Barbera Productions made it, and it first aired in 1985 and 1986. The show was part of a bigger cartoon block called The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera.

The name "Paw Paws" is a fun play on words. It sounds like the paw paw fruit, which grows in North America. It also sounds like a bear's "paw," which is their foot. Old episodes of the show used to be shown on Cartoon Network and later on Boomerang.

The Story of the Paw Paws

This cartoon is about a group of bear cubs. They are like Native American tribes. These bears must defend themselves from their enemies, the Meanos. The evil sorcerer Dark Paw leads the Meanos.

Dark Paw and his helpers want to steal the Paw Paws' three big wooden totems. These totems are called Totem Bear, Totem Tortoise, and Totem Eagle. The totems also protect the tribe. They come to life when Princess Paw Paw uses her Mystic Moonstone. She wears this special stone around her neck to defend her village.

Just like other Hanna-Barbera shows, the bears have names that match their personalities. For example, there's Laughing Paw, Medicine Paw, and Bumble Paw. Brave Paw and Princess Paw Paw are usually the main characters. They ride into adventures on their magical flying ponies. Wise Paw is the oldest bear and gives advice to the tribe. The group's small pet dog is named PaPooch.

Meet the Characters

The Paw Paws Tribe

• Wise Paw (voiced by John Ingle) – He is the main leader of the Paw Paws. He is the oldest and smartest bear in the tribe.
• Princess Paw Paw (voiced by Susan Blu) – She is Wise Paw's daughter. Princess Paw Paw is kind and cares for everyone in her village. She carries the Mystic Moonstone. This stone can bring Totem Bear, Tortoise, and Eagle to life. When she blows her whistle, she can call her flying horse, Flying Cloud.
  • Flying Cloud - This is Princess Paw Paw's beautiful flying horse. Later in the series, she falls in love with the Black Stallion. They start a family and have two baby flying horses.
• Brave Paw (voiced by Thom Pinto) – Brave Paw is the Princess's best friend. He is brave and always ready to save his friends from danger. He also fights against evil. Brave Paw is the only other Paw Paw who rides a flying horse, besides the Princess.
  • Golden Thunder - Golden Thunder is Brave Paw's flying horse. Brave Paw can call Golden Thunder from Thunder Mountain just by saying his name.
• Mighty Paw (voiced by Robert Ridgely) – He is the biggest and strongest of the Paw Paws. Sometimes, he can be a bit slow.
• Laughing Paw (voiced by Alexandra Stoddart) – She is younger than the Princess. She is known for her great sense of humor and loves to laugh.
  • PaPooch (voiced by Don Messick) – Laughing Paw's pet puppy. He is loyal and brave, but he often gets into trouble. His name sounds like "papoose," a term for a Native American baby.
• Trembly Paw (voiced by Howard Morris) – He is the most scared bear in the tribe. He would rather run away from danger. But sometimes, he still does brave things.
• Medicine Paw (voiced by Jerry Dexter) – He is the tribe's shaman, or healer. He only appeared in a few episodes.
• Totem Animals – These are the main protectors of the village. Princess Paw Paw uses her Mystic Moonstone to wake them up. They then fight off the Meanos.
  • Totem Eagle - This is the top Totem Animal. He helps with air travel.
  • Totem Bear (Frank Welker) - This is the middle Totem Animal. He usually attacks first after Totem Eagle flies off his head. He often sends the Meanos flying.
  • Totem Tortoise - This is the bottom Totem Animal. Totem Tortoise is mainly used for water travel.

The Villains

• Meanos - The Meanos are the main bad guys in the show. They often attack the Paw Paws. But the Paw Paws and the Totem Animals always defeat them.
  • Dark Paw (voiced by Stanley Ralph Ross) – He is the chief of the Meanos. He carries a magic staff. He uses it to zap his enemies. Sometimes, he even zaps his own helpers if they annoy him. Dark Paw thinks he is very smart, but he often makes mistakes.
  • Slippery Paw – He is known for his greasy long hair. He is smarter than Bumble Paw, but not very smart overall.
  • Bumble Paw (voiced by Frank Welker) – He is the shortest and least intelligent of the group.
• Aunt Pruney (voiced by Ruth Buzzi) – Aunt Pruney is Dark Paw's aunt. She is also a witch who rides a vacuum cleaner instead of a broom. She often complains that Dark Paw never calls her. Aunt Pruney is often upset by his failures. She even tries to help him sometimes. Aunt Pruney and Wise Paw knew each other from before.
• The Greedy Greenies – These are green, slimy monsters. They appeared in a few episodes. They have eyes and are very, very hungry. They ate most of the Paw Paw village, including houses and food. They prefer to come out at night. They only make gurgling noises. They can dig through the ground easily. They live in a secret underground place near the Paw Paw village. The Great Greenie leads them. Even Dark Paw is scared of them.
  • Great Greenie - The leader of the Greedy Greenies.

Other Friends and Foes

• Eugene the Genie (voiced by Scatman Crothers) – Eugene is a genie and a friend of the Paw Paws. He has magic powers and a sassy attitude. He especially likes to tease Dark Paw. He appeared in a few episodes.
• Nice Paw – Nice Paw used to be a Meano called Nasty Paw. Aliens took him away and changed him into a good guy. He travels with the aliens and sometimes comes back to Earth.

Episode Adventures

1. "The Big Spill": The Paw Paw bears care for an injured duckling. Meanwhile, Dark Paw and his Meanos cause a flood. They want to steal the Princess's mystic moonstone.
2. "The Wishing Star Crystal": Dark Paw uses a magic flower to put Princess Paw Paw into a deep sleep. Her friends must go on a dangerous journey. They need to find a magic crystal to wake her up.
3. "The Flying Horse Napper": Dark Paw steals the Princess's magic whistle. This whistle lets her call Flying Cloud. He plans to use the flying horse to get a potion from his Aunt Pruney.
4. "The Creepy Cave Creature": Dark Paw stops the Paw Paws from calling Totem Bear. Then, he controls a large creature to attack their village.
5. "The Greedie Greenies": Green blobs come to the village and eat everything. The Paw Paws must then rescue their enemy, Dark Paw.
6. "The Rise of the Evil Spirits": Old evil spirits wake up after 200 years. They cause trouble for the Paw Paws. Dark Paw tries to control them to take over the village.
7. "The Genie-athalon": Eugene the Genie's lamp is found. Everyone tries to claim it. The Paw Paws compete against the cheating Dark Paw to win his three wishes.
8. "The Golden Falcon": The Great Totem disappears. A mysterious golden falcon statue appears. Dark Paw challenges Brave Paw to a fight.
9. "Honey of a Robbery": It's Wise Paw's 100th birthday. Dark Paw plans to ruin the party. He tries to steal all the village's honey.
10. "Tot 'em Termi' Nation": Dark Paw brings the Black Stallion to lure away Flying Cloud. This keeps the Princess busy. An army of termites then tries to turn the Great Totem into sawdust.
11. "Waif Goodbye to the Paw Paws": Dark Paw's Aunt Pruney helps him take over the Paw Paw's village. She disguises herself as a young and pretty Paw Paw.
12. "The Dark Totem Pole Monster": Dark Paw wants the moonstone around Totem Bear's neck. He builds a giant robot version of himself. Meanwhile, Trembly Paw tries to help a young flying horse who is afraid to fly.
13. "Dark Paw Under Wraps": A flood uncovers an old Paw Paw mummy. Dark Paw uses an ancient curse to become the new leader.
14. "Genie Without a Lamp"
15. "Egging Dark Paw On"
16. "Two Heads Are Better than One"
17. "The Great Paw Paw Turnaround"
18. "The Lost Lake Monster"
19. "Totem Time Trip"
20. "S'no Business"
21. "The Zip Zap 4-D Trap"

Paw Paws Toys and Merchandise

A company called Applause made Paw Paws toys in 1985. They made small PVC figures, about 2 to 3 inches tall. These included Princess Paw Paw, Brave Paw, Mighty Paw, Pupooch, Medicine Paw, and the Meanos. The figures sometimes came with accessories like a canoe or a cart. Pupooch was also made as a plush toy. These toys were only made for a short time, so they are quite rare today.

Voice Actors

• Susan Blu – Princess Paw Paw
• Ruth Buzzi – Aunt Pruney
• Scatman Crothers – Eugene the Genie
• Leo De Lyon –
• Jerry Dexter - Medicine Paw
• Laurie Faso -
• Pat Fraley -
• Billie Hayes -
• John Ingle – Wise Paw
• Tom Kratochvil -
• Mitzi McCall -
• Don Messick – PaPooch, additional voices
• Howard Morris – Trembly Paw
• Rob Paulsen -
• Thom Pinto – Brave Paw
• Robert Ridgely – Mighty Paw
• Nielson Ross -
• Stanley Ralph Ross – Dark Paw
• Marilyn Schreffler -
• Alexandra Stoddart - Laughing Paw
• Frank Welker – Bumble Paw, Totem Bear, additional voices