Projecting an air of sophistication and fancying himself as something of a bon vivant, actor and a poet, Snagglepuss's mountain lion origins dictate he spent much of his time in the gun sights of hunters or having to escape capture from zoos or circuses. His passion for classic literature came through in his frequent (mis)quotes of Shakespearean phrases or passages. Uttered his catchphrase, "Heavens to Mergatroyd!" when he was surprised or alarmed, or the even more popular "Exit...stage left (or right)" before running off screen when attempting to escape danger.
Snagglepuss may- or may not!- have started off in an episode of Quick Draw McGraw in 1959. The episode
Lamb Chopped featured a character very similar in design called Snaggletooth. Despite the name difference and a more orange color, he definitely formed the seed of the Snagglepuss character. In addition to his initial
Quick Draw McGraw Show appearance, Snagglepuss got work as a supporting character on
Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy and with
Snooper And Blabber before getting his own segment on
The Yogi Bear Show in 1961.
Snagglepuss found himself in conflict with a different adversary in nearly every episode. The only recurring supporting character in the series was Major Minor, an otherwise successful big game hunter whose one failure was bagging Snagglepuss. Major Minor's membership with The Adventurers Club was always in jeopardy because of this embarrassment.
When his own series ended, Snagglepuss went on to appear in a variety of made for TV specials, as well as becoming a regular cast member of several brand new series, including
Yogi's Gang (1973),
Scooby's All Star Laff-A-Lympics (1977),
Yogi's Treasure Hunt (1985) and
Yo Yogi! (1991).