Thanks for the Yabba Dabba Do

Monday Joe Barbera, co-creator of so many great cartoons like the Flintstones, The Jetsons & Scooby Doo, Tom & Jerry, Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear & so many other great icons from my childhood passed away at the age of 95. With him the golden age of animation saw its last great light go out.

From the 1930s when, with his partner, Bill Hanna, he created Tom & Jerry, to this day, his influence on on culture is indisputable. Jerry, the Mouse was dancing with Gene Kelly long before anything Disney did in the 60s. Just check out Joe Barbera's bio on IMDb to see how far his influence spread. He was still working on new projects when he died.

It is hard to know where to start with all the characters & phrases that they created that have become a part of our cultural heritage. In the 50s he brought Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound & friend to TV. In the early 60s he created 2 series that were the groundbreaker for the Simpsons adult oriented humor. The Flintstones were a stone-aged version of The Honeymooners. A couple years later he took us to what was then the future, the early 21st Century, with The Jetsons. (I'm still waiting for my flying car that folds up into a briefcase.) Scooby Doo was the 1st stoned dog ever. & if ever there was a doubt that cartoons weren't educational about the dangers of drugs, seeing how pot affected Shaggy should be proof enough. (OK, I'll admit they never smoked pot in the show, but be honest, how else do you explain them?) Top Cat, Atom Ant, Magilla Gorilla (poor Mr. Peebles), Jonny Quest, Smurfs, Quick Draw McGraw, Harvey Birdman, etc. Let's face it, Cartoon Network wouldn't exist without Hanna-Barbera.

Fred's "Yabba dabba doo!", El-Kabong, "His boy, Elroy!", sprockets, pikinic baskets, Huck's slightly off key "Oh, my darlin'!", smurfy, ". . . and I would have gotten away with it, too, if it wasn't for you meddling kids", have all become part of our group memory. I loved Quick Draw's dog who would always demand a treat before searching for the villian, then would hug himself with the thrill of it finally flying into the air & floating down.

I could go on & on, instead here are a few intros , etc, from some of the various shows he did for you to enjoy. (When checking these out I also was reminded of how different things are today. I had forgotten that the Flintstones was originally sponsored by Winston Cigarettes.)

The Flintstones:

(early opening)

(later)

(ending, B&W with ad for Winston)

The Jetsons:

(opening)

Huckleberry Hound:

(early opening, B&W, sponsored by Kellogg's)

(later, sponsored by Kellogg's)

(closing, B&W, sponsored by Kellogg's)

Yogi Bear (& Boo Boo):

(Intro)

Magilla Gorilla:

Scooby Doo

(Intro)

Thank you Hanna-Barbera

(Joe Barbera of Hanna-Barbera Team Dies at 95 - FoxNews.com)