The Forgotten Fried Chicken Chain Name Inspired By A Classic Cartoon (That Still Exists Today)

The 1960s saw the rise of celebrity-endorsed restaurants, marking a new age of advertising. One restaurateur was developing a recipe to incorporate honey into fried chicken in an effort to present an alternative to traditional oil-based renditions. His name was Gene Broome, and he wasn't succeeding in finding a celeb to promote his enterprise, so he pivoted into the world of cartoons. Broome struck a deal with Hanna-Barbera's merchandising supervisor, and licensed Yogi Bear as the brand ambassador.

Yogi Bear's Honey Fried Chicken featured all of the cartoon's best-known characters in both statues at the franchises and incorporated them into the menu offerings. Meals were sold as "baskets," each named after a character or feature of the show. The marketing choice, albeit a bit of a leap of faith, really took off, and the chain eventually expanded to over 20 locations. Hardee's caught on and wanted a piece of the action, buying the company for $1 million in 1968 — a sum equivalent to roughly $9.2 million today. Unfortunately, it became clear that Hardee's was primarily interested in owning the signature recipe rather than expanding the franchise. Locations received less and less attention until they began to close down, and by the late 1970s, only one location remained in Hartsville, South Carolina, where it still stands today.

When restaurants close down, their buildings are repurposed and their interior decor often discarded, rarely thought of again. In this case, the chain gained a new life, in a way, thanks to its "graveyard" of character statues. Tall fiberglass models of Yogi, Ranger Smith, Cindy Bear, and Boo-Boo decorated each location, with some standing over six feet tall. As locations started to close down, a campground bought up many of the statues to display. Eventually, that enterprise also went bust, and the decor ended up on the side of a highway in North Carolina. This became a tourist attraction in its own right, as abandoned cartoon characters from the 1960s made for an unexpected and slightly spooky feature on a road trip.

As for the last remaining location, there's life in it yet. Reviews praise the simple atmosphere and tasty, affordable food. The menu still pays homage to its roots with items like the "Boo-Boo Basket," but it has expanded to include a variety of Southern comfort food. Patrons can order the signature honey-infused fried chicken, of course, but also fried seafood like flounder and shrimp, bone-in pork chops, and classic sides such as crispy hushpuppies, mac and cheese, and mashed potatoes. For patrons who grew up watching the cartoon, and even for younger viewers who met Yogi in the 2010 "Yogi Bear" movie adaptation, there's the added nostalgia of childhood television combined with a memorable recipe that still stands out from mainstream fried chicken fast food chains today.