I’ve stayed at quite a few Jellystone locations over the years in the U. S. and Canada, including Mill Run, Pennsylvania; Niagara Falls, Ontario; and the one outside Toronto.
Locally, there was a Jellystone Park out on U. S. Route 20 just outside of Bellevue back in the 1990s, but I never camped there.
I still remember seeing the small ads in the Journal during the early 1970s, looking for Jellystone Park investors. I even sent away for a campground directory, and brochures from specific parks. They all featured the drawing of Yogi shown at right.
It’s interesting today to look at some of these early promotional materials.
Best of all are the postcards showing Yogi himself. Back in the early days of the campground chain, the costumes were seemingly homemade. They eventually started looking a little more bear-able.
Although the artwork now used to promote Jellystone Park is first-rate, many of the early promotional illustrations of the smarter-than-the-average bear were lousier-than-the-average. But these off-model efforts still had a wacky charm.
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| This postcard featured a gluttonous Boo Boo Bear. |
A variety of Yogi Bear merchandise was – and still is – sold at the parks. Here’s a photo from what was likely an early franchise brochure (courtesy of yowpyowp.blogspot.com) showing all the goodies that were available.
To learn more about the history of Jellystone Parks, click here. Meanwhile, here are some vintage Ohio newspaper ads.
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| December 12, 1971 ad from the Plain Dealer |
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| June 18, 1973 ad from the Lorain Journal |
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| March 20, 1980 ad from the Plain Dealer |
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| July 25, 1980 Plain Dealer ad |
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing this! My family went to the Jellystone Park in Bellevue a number of times in the '80s and early '90s. As campgrounds go it wasn't the greatest (depending where your site was, the sparse woods weren't enough to block the Rt 20 highway noise), but we kept going there because it wasn't too far away and I loved Yogi. By today's standards the entertainment options were minimal, but somehow we managed to fill the daylight hours between the pool, mini golf, and video arcade.
I distinctly remember that yellow map with Yogi on the cover, because I traced it many times and would draw my own imaginary campground maps. Every now and then I search eBay for the Bellevue map, but I haven't found one yet.
We stayed there one last time in the mid-'90s when it became the Lazy J Family Campground. Granted I was a teenager by then, but it didn't seem as "fun" without the Yogi theme. It looks like now it's called Gotta Getaway RV Park.
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