Think about it. Yogi Bear is a free spirit who chafes at the rules and regulations of his limited world, and yet enjoys the comforts it offers. His swiping of picnic baskets is less to satisfy hunger than to thumb his nose at the "establishment", personified by Ranger Smith. His appearance on TV in the early 60's was fortuitous, as it coincided with the start of the Beatles' career and the beginning of the hippie movement. I wouldn't have been surprised to see Yogi wearing love beads and carrying a "Make Love, Not War" sign. LOL Trouble with Hanna-Barbera, though, is once they had a good thing going, they didn't know when to stop. After the success of Yogi, they churned out numerous, inferior copies: "Wally Gator", "Magilla Gorilla", "The Hair Bear Bunch", etc. Originality was not their forte.