Joe Barbera, 1911-2006

Joe Barbera began his career as an animator in 1932 when he joined the Van Beuren Studio. Over the next 70+ years he (and his partner Bill Hannah) entertained multiple generations of kids and adults with cartoons like Tom & Jerry, The Ruff & Reddy Show, Yogi Bear, The Flintstones, Quickdraw McGraw, Huckleberry Hound, The Jetsons, Jonny Quest, and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and many, many more.

Their animation style, coming as it did during the golden years of Disney, looked crude. But the characters were iconic and the humor was irrepressible. C'mon -- admit it -- you cracked up when you discovered that there actually was a man named Yogi Berra!

"From the Stone Age to the Space Age and from primetime to Saturday mornings, syndication and cable, the characters (Barbera) 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 CEO Barry Meyer said Monday.

Here's one to remember Joe Barbera by:

Man, don't that band swing?

Here's some other classics:

• Huckleberry Hound (whose title intro didn't even include the Hound himself, but rather the Kellogg's rooster!)
  
• Yogi Bear (in another Kellogg's cereal tie-in)
  
• Jerry the Mouse (and that hoofer Gene Kelly)