Follow TV Tropes

Following

Western Animation / Paw Paw Bears

Go To

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paw_paws.png
Paw Paws (refered to as such on screen despite what the theme song calls them) is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon from The '80s, shown as part of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera, a syndicated weekend morning block with Yogi's Treasure Hunt and Galtar and the Golden Lance. Basically The Smurfs + Pacific Northwest Indians as anthropomorphic bears, with their totem doubling as a sort of Combining Mecha.

Paw Paw Bears contains examples of:

  • Bamboo Technology: The Paw Paws and Dark Paw made devices from wood, hides, rocks and whatever else they found. One episode has the Paw Paws make a water wheel, Dark Paw makes a tank in another and the show's opening shows Medicine Paw flying in a propeller plane crafted from wooden sticks and hide!
  • Big Bad: Dark Paw. He was the main antagonist of the Paw Paws, using evil schemes against them.
  • Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Princess Paw Paw is a blonde; Brave Paw, Trembly Paw, and Laughing Paw are brunettes, and Mighty Paw is a redhead.
  • Braids, Beads and Buckskins: The Paw Paws chosen attire. Many of the characters like Brave Paw and Trembly Paw wore their hair in braids; their clothes do resemble cloth from animal skin.
  • Bullying a Dragon: Happens when Dark Paw tries to battle Totem Bear head on. In "the Big Spill", Dark Paw shoots at Totem Bear with a tank. Three guesses how that turns out.
  • Bumbling Henchmen Duo: Slippery Paw and Bumble Paw.
  • "Everybody Laughs" Ending: Several episodes have this, usually at Dark Paw's expense.
  • Furry Female Mane: Princess Paw Paw has one down to her hips. So does Dark Paw's Aunt Pruney.
  • Good Angel, Bad Angel: In "The Great Paw Paw Turnaround", after being hit with a Reversatron (a zapper that makes someone the opposite of who they are) both Dark Paw and the Paw Paws get lectured by their angels and devils and revert back to their normal selves. Though Trembly Paw wasn't hit, he bravely takes down the Meanos and gets scolded by his angel for it.
  • Heel–Face Brainwashing: In "The Great Paw Paw Turnaround", Dark Paw and his minions are visited by a bear who once a Meano named Nasty Paw. However, after being abducted by aliens who used a Reversatron on him, Nasty Paw was now Nice Paw.
  • Insult Backfire: In "The Wishing Star Crystal":
    Dark Paw: Get moving, you two! And build me a catapult!
    Bumble Paw: (mumbles) "Build me a catapult." Boy, are you mean!
    Dark Paw: Never mind the compliments! GET GOING!
  • The Juggernaut: Totem Bear. He was a giant-sized statue brought to life by Princess Paw Paw's magic amulet and none of the villains were any match for him in direct combat.
  • Lilliputians: The eponymous bears are extremely small, roughly comparable to Smurfs in size.
  • Music Soothes the Savage Beast: Princess Paw Paw was able to save the Paw Paws from a hungry dinosaur this way in "Totem Time Trip".
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: In "Waif Goodbye to the Paw Paws", Aunt Pruney succeeded in swiping the Mystic Moonstone and was using Totem Bear to attack the Paw Paw village. Fortunately for the Paw Paws, Dark Paw was tinkering with his aunt's remote control console in an attempt to take over the village before Pruney. He summons a force of nature, a lightning storm, which was the only thing capable of stopping Totem Bear. Once it was hit by the lightning, Totem Bear threw another lightning bolt at Aunt Pruney, causing her to lose the Mystic Moonstone (which Princess Paw and Brave Paw retrieved) and retreat.
  • Overshadowed by Awesome: Totem Turtle. As the bottom of the totem animals, it's always the last one to respond to any trouble; and because of its place in the Land, Sea, Sky trio, it's prone to falling into This Looks Like a Job for Aquaman. That said, it's the only one of the totems with any skill in the water and is still a giant turtle effigy charged with protecting the Paw Paws.
  • Princesses Rule: The tribe is governed by Princess Paw Paw, who uses her pendant to awaken the totem.
  • Rhetorical Question Blunder: After an attempt to get the Mystic Moonstone results in the necklace winding up in Lost Lake:
    Dark Paw: Oooh! Why do I put up with your stupidity?
    Bumble Paw: Because I work cheap?
    Dark Paw: (pauses) You know, he's right.
  • Save the Villain: The Paw Paws decide to save Dark Paw in "The Greedie Greenies".
  • Squashed Flat: in the episode "S'no Business," Dark Paw and the Meanos become this when the Totem Bear falls on them.
  • Terrible Trio: Dark Paw and his two henchbears are the main antagonists and always appear together.
  • You Are Better Than You Think You Are: The Paw Paws have become too dependent on Totem Bear in "The Golden Falcon". When he (and the other Totem Animals) suddenly disappears, a small falcon appears and turns into a golden statue. The Paw Paws believe the Golden Falcon will provide them power if needed. Later in the episode, Dark Paw tricks Bigfoot into fighting Brave Paw for him. All seems lost for Brave Paw until the Paw Paws ask the Golden Falcon to give Brave Paw power. Unknown to the Paw Paws, however, they were asking a fake golden falcon statue that the Meanos carved. Brave Paw succeeds in defeating Bigfoot and just then, Mighty Paw appears with the real Golden Falcon. Realizing Brave Paw defeated Bigfoot on his own, the Paw Paws understand that they had the power inside them all along and the Golden Falcon really came to them to help them see this.

Top