Since Funko has released a new line of Hanna-Barbera Pops! and has plans of releasing more I got to thinking about all the H-B cartoons that needed to be fashioned into figures. After much more thought I realized that there were a ton of great characters that need to be dimmortalized in vinyl. What I didn’t realize is how many of them were made by the Hanna-Barbera team.
If it were not for Hanna-Barbera we wouldn’t have most of the child hood memories we hold dear today. Most of us can remember waking up early on Saturday morning get a big bowl of your favorite cereal or having Mom whip up some pancakes, bacon, eggs, and chocolate milk or OJ to wash it all down. And sit down in front of the TV for hours watching all kinds of cartoon goodness. Man those were the days there was nothing like it and hasn’t been since.
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc or Hanna-Barbera amongst other names was an American animation studio that dominated television animation in America for nearly four decades throughout the mid-to-late 20th century. Founded by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera former directors of animation at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (credited for creating Tom & Jerry) along with live-action director George Sidney partnered with Columbia Pictures’ Screen Gems television division.
For over thirty years, the Hanna-Barbera Company produced many successful animated shows, including Yogi Bear, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, the Smurfs, and the Flintstones, which was the longest running animated series of all time until the Simpsons broke the record. Hanna-Barbera achieved many great things not only did they win eight Emmy Awards, but they also won a Golden Globe Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame just to name a few of their many accomplishments.
Did you know that the first animated project that Hanna and Barbera worked on together was Puss Gets the Boot in 1940, which is what created the iconic Tom and Jerry series. They would continue to write and direct the shorts for eighteen years. Seven of the shorts won them seven Oscars for Best Short Subject (Cartoons) from 1943 until 1953. What I think is a big rip off is that they were not given the trophies instead their producer Fred Quimby received them even though he had nothing to do with the creative development of the shorts.
Here is something else you may not know they were also responsible for the original title sequences and commercials for I Love Lucy and the cartoon sequence for Bewitched. After MGM decided to close down its animation department Hannna and Barbera decided to open H-B Enterprises, which was later reincorporated as Hanna-Barbera Productions. The company began to lose steam after the Saturday Morning Cartoon craze faded forcing the company to reinvent itself.
Shows like G.I Joe, Transformers, He-Man, and the Thundercats also took away the stronghold Hanna Barbera had on the cartoon generation. As most of us know Hanna-Barbera had many ups and downs and in the end was bought by Turner Broadcasting and turned into what we know today as Cartoon Network. Today the Hanna-Barbera company is no longer functional as both William Hanna and Joseph Barbera are no longer with us and the rights are owned by CN, but the name is still used to sell licensed products of the characters, which brings us back to square one.
Funko has been making Hanna Barbera Wacky Wobblers for quite some time. Last year they released a set of Hanna-Barbera Pops including: Hong Kong Phooey, Huckleberry Hound, Fred and Barney, and Frankenstein Jr. They are expected to release a new set including Dick Dastardly, Muttley, Lil Gruesome, Secret Squirrel, and Morocco Mole. Check out the images of what we can expect to see hit stores soon. There are a few to be featured at New York Comic Con this weekend as well! What other Hanna Barbera characters would you like to see get a Pop! make over?
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Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanna-Barbera