He made his debut in October 1958 as a supporting character on The Huckleberry Hound Show, but Yogi became so popular, he was given his own show in 1960.

Most of Yogi's adventures take place in Jellystone Park, a variant of the real Yellowstone National Park.

Besides speaking in rhyme, Yogi has a number of catchphrases, including his favorite greeting ("Hey, Hey, Hey"), his pet name for picnic baskets ("pic-a-nic baskets"), and his shameless self-promotion ("I'm smarter than the av-er-age bear!"), although he often overestimates his own cleverness.

Ranger Smith disapproves of Yogi's picnic basket thievery, mainly because it repels parkgoers and creates extra work for him.

Boo Boo tries to keep Yogi from stealing picnic baskets, but it never seems to work. He first appeared along with Yogi in the "Yogi Bear" segment of The Huckleberry Hound Show in 1958, and came along for the ride when Yogi got his own series in 1961.

In "Oinks and Boinks", Yogi and Boo Boo are tricked by the Three Little Pigs into moving into the straw house, then the wood house, just before each is blown down by the Big Bad Wolf.

Cindy Bear appears prominently in the 1964 feature film Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! in which she is kidnapped, prompting Yogi and Boo-Boo to come to her rescue.

In the 1972 animated film Yogi's Ark Lark, dozens of animals gather for a meeting in Jellystone Park, chaired by Yogi Bear. Concerned about the terrible state of the environment, they decide to leave their homes and search for a place free of pollution. Smitty helps them build a flying ship (which looks like Noah's Ark with a propeller on top) for their journey, and they decide to name it after him. Because "Smitty's Houseboat" is too long to paint on the bow, they name it "Noah's Ark."

In "Touch and Go-Go-Go", Yogi's fairy godmother grants him the power to turn anything he touches into a picnic basket. At first, Yogi gorges himself to his heart's content, but when he accidentally turn Boo Boo and Ranger Smith into picnic baskets, he realizes he has a problem.

When Ranger Smith goes on vacation, his seat is filled by "Iron Hand" Jones, an ex-paratrooper who is more strict than Yogi can stand.