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Hoops & Yoyo

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Animated characters Fictional character
Hoops & Yoyo
Hallmark (Hallmark Cards, Hallmark Channel) character
Hoops (left), Yoyo (right), Piddles (center)
First appearance2001
Created byBob Holt & Mike Adair

Hoops & Yoyo (stylized as hoops&yoyo) is an animated franchise by Hallmark Cards that centers around the titular pair of hyperactive and rambunctious characters: a pink cat and a green bunny. Primitive versions of the characters were created by Bob Holt and Mike Adair in 2001, who also voice the duo, although they weren’t given their current names until around 2003 (they were originally dubbed as Pink Kitty and Green Bunny). While the franchise is primarily a line of greeting cards, the characters also had a website that featured: e-cards, animated episodes, an "Ask hoops & yoyo" section, desktop and phone wallpapers, audio snippets, IM icons, fan photos, interactive monthly calendars, a blog, a podcast, games, and merchandise available for purchase. The plotlines for Hoops & Yoyo-related content center around the titular characters having fun and enjoying life, occasionally alongside their other friends. The last piece of content produced for the franchise to date was the fourth episode of its podcast in 2015. The e-cards would typically be made using Adobe Flash. Hoops & Yoyo had different media outside of e-cards, including different calendars, games, merchandise, and screensavers.

Currently, there is an archive website that is dedicated to archiving Hoops & Yoyo media.

History

Hallmark artist Bob Holt was assigned to create an e-card for the 4th of July in 2001. He created a sketch of a green bunny (which eventually became Yoyo), but then drew a pink cat, which eventually became Hoops. The card debuted on July 3, 2001 on the Hallmark website. Holt eventually got fellow Hallmark artist Mike Adair to join and brought Yoyo alongside Hoops.

Characters

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  • Hoops (voiced by Mike Adair) – Hoops is a sassy pink cat who is best friends with Yoyo. He often gets excited and starts yelling or talking fast. He likes coffee, donuts, and his two best friends, Yoyo and Piddles.
  • Yoyo (voiced by Bob Holt) – Yoyo is a green rabbit. He is excitable and prone to mistakes. Yoyo shares the same hyperactive qualities and food preferences as his best friend, Hoops.
  • Piddles (voiced by Bev Carlson) – Piddles is a small, blue hamster who is a close friend to Hoops and Yoyo, and she has a high-pitched voice and is highly intelligent.
  • Chili Bear (voiced by Peter Martin) – Chili Bear is a grizzly bear. He is Hoops and Yoyo's boss at work. He only talks very rarely, and was mostly seen on the Hoops and Yoyo website. Chili Bear appears briefly near the ending of Hoops & Yoyo's Haunted Halloween.
  • Marshy (voiced by Mike Adair) – Marshy is a marshmallow monster that antagonizes Hoops and Yoyo, and also appears in their nightmares. He sometimes does things wrong, and always talks about him being so large.
  • Puck – Puck is a purple mouse that occasionally appeared on the Hoops and Yoyo website's homepages.
  • Bluebird – Bluebird is a bluebird that appeared on the Hoops and Yoyo website.

Television

The characters were used on the Hallmark Channel in November and December 2009-2010 as part of a programming block titled "Hallmark Channel's Movie Night with Hoops & Yoyo." This is the first time that Hallmark Cards and Hallmark Channel collaborated on a project together. On November 25, 2011, CBS premiered a Hoops & Yoyo Christmas TV special produced by Hallmark, titled Hoops & Yoyo Ruin Christmas. On October 26, 2012, Hallmark Channel aired a sequel, Hoops & Yoyo's Haunted Halloween.

Albums

In December 2005, Hallmark released a Hoops & Yoyo holiday CD entitled Jingle Jingle Wiggle. It features both vocal and instrumental music. All of the music is played by Yoyo. The CD also features the animated short "A Bongo Christmas." They have also released a CD entitled One Donut a Day! on July 1, 2007. It includes 19 short songs. One Donut a Day! also has 3 animated music videos, that can be accessible through placing the CD into a computer.

References

  1. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304451104577392480520672876
  2. "Hallmark's Furry Flash Friends". 24 July 2009.
  3. "The Adventures of Green Bunny".
  4. "Hoops & Yoyo: Old Glory". 4 July 2001.
  5. Milligan, Mercedes (2009-07-24). "Hallmark's Furry Flash Friends". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  6. "Hoops & Yoyo Website". Archived from the original on June 26, 2012.
  7. hoops&yoyo Valentine's Day tubecast, 13 February 2015, retrieved 2022-12-19
  8. "the hoops&yoyo archive". archive.piddles.net. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  9. "More Fun with hoops&yoyo and How They Help Keep One Military Family Connected".
  10. Eggerton, John (2009-10-19). "Hallmark Channel, Greeting Cards Get Together on Screen Animated greeting card characters to host channel's "Countdown to Christmas"". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  11. Crump, William D. (2017). How the Movies Saved Christmas: 228 Rescues from Clausnappers, Sleigh Crashes, Lost Presents and Holiday Disasters. McFarland & Co. pp. 122–123. ISBN 9781476664880.
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