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| Joseph Barbera, who along with his partner Bill Hanna created a slew of animated TV staples, died Monday at his home of natural causes. He was 95. Barbera and Hanna met while working at MGM animation studios in the 1930s, where they created the characters Tom and Jerry. The Tom and Jerry shorts won seven academy awards. In the 1950s they formed their own animation studio, Hanna/Barbera, out of the ashes of MGM's animation house. Hanna/Barbera went on to create the TV classics The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, Huckleberry Hound, and many others. The cartoons dominated children's viewing for decades. Catchphrases like "Yaba Daba Doo" and "Zoiks, Scoob" worked their way into the pop culture lexicon. "From the stone age to the space age and from prime-time to Saturday mornings, syndication and cable, the characters he created with his late partner, William Hanna, are not only animated superstars, but also a very beloved part of American pop culture. While he will be missed by his family and friends, Joe will live on through his work," Warner Bros. Chairman and Barry Meyer said in a statement on Monday. |