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Hanna-Barbera Biography

Dec 27, 2006

Birthdates:

Bill Hanna
July 7, 1910 to March 3, 2001

Joe Barbera

March 24, 1911 to present

Hanna-Barbera - The Beginning

Bill Hanna began his workin' years at a California engineering firm and it wasn't until 1930 that he decided to take a job in cartooning. And despite having a flair for drawing in high school, Joe Barbera started his career as an accountant. It wasn't long before he turned to cartooning as a profession as well.

Hanna-Barbera - Big Breaks

In 1937, both Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera joined the team of cartoonists at MGM studios in Hollywood, where they were paired up to work on a little cartoon about a cat and mouse duo called Tom and Jerry. Hanna and Barbera went on to create over 100 Tom and Jerry cartoons and continued on as a drawing/producing team for the rest of their careers.

Hanna-Barbera - Makes the Move

Faced with MGM studios shutting down their animation department in 1957, Hanna and Barbera decided to strike out on their own and created Hanna-Barbera Productions that same year.

Hanna-Barbera - Did U Know?

  • Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera worked together for nearly 50 years.
  • Between 1943 and 1953, the two animators won seven Oscars for their work on Tom and Jerry.
  • The very first characters created at the Hanna-Barbera studios were Ruff and Ready (which was a cat and dog duo this time) and Huckleberry Hound.

    A Few Hanna-Barbera Credits:

  • Yogi Bear (1960)
  • The Flintstones (1960)
  • The Jetsons (1962)
  • Magilla Gorilla (1964)
  • Scooby-Doo Where Are You? (1969)
  • Josie and the Pussycats (1970)
  • The Harlem Globetrotters (1970)
  • Scooby & Scrappy-Doo (1979)
  • The Smurfs (1981)
  • The Snorks (1984)

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