R.I.P. Joseph Barbera

Joseph Barbera, half of the famous Hanna and Barbera, died of natural causes yesterday at the age of 95. This duo is responsible for some of the most famous and beloved cartoons of all time: Tom and Jerry, the Jetsons, Yogi Bear....the list is pretty long. There have been several movies made based on Hanna-Barbera cartoons including Scooby-Doo, Josie and the Pussycats, and The Flintstones (the Flintstones, for the record, was the first cartoon ever aired in prime time). They made tons of other cartoons we all loved as kids, spread over half a century. In going over the long list of characters they created in preparation for this post, I found several I had no idea they'd made, including the Smurfs and the Snorks (sorta the same, I know). They'd even made one of my all-time favorite non-animated shows from my childhood: the Banana Splits.


My personal Hanna-Barbera favorites are:

• Captain Caveman (Captain...Caaaaaaaavemaaaaaaaaaan)
• Huckleberry Hound (one of my favorite shirts as a teen proudly sported Huckleberry)
• The Herculoids (what were the names of those glob-guys?)
• Jonny Quest (Haji! Bandit!)
• Superfriends
• Jabberjaw (who can resist a big funny shark?)
• Top Cat
• Hong Kong Phooey
• Quick Draw McGraw
• Great Grape Ape (the song sticks with me mostly)
• Birdman
• Space Ghost (who can be seen even today on The Cartoon Network)

Which were your favorites?


Rest in Peace, Mr. Barbera.