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It was summer 1981, when I arrived in New York, from Colombia. As a child coming from a country where we only had 2 channels, which began at 8am and ended at 12am, my discovery of dozens of channels all hosting Saturday morning cartoons was a huge turning point in my young life. The only cartoon I had ever watched before arriving in the US was the Flintstones or “Los Picapiedras” and the Smurfs or “Los Pitufos” both which were dubbed in Spanish.

Yikes!

Now there I was, I couldn’t speak a lick of English, but at least I had hours of cartoons, and with a bowl of cereal in my lap, it made the language all worth the learning.

I remember coming home from school every afternoon, and planting myself in from of the tv to watch: Tom & Jerry, Scooby-Doo, and in the evenings, The Jetsons, and The Flintstones to name a few.
I remember the MGM growling lion at the beginning of the Tom & Jerry Show, and the Hanna-Barbera logo at the end. I especially remember singing along to all the openings of the shows…. “HEY! Scooby…. HUH? Where are YOU!!!…” All which I am happy to admit, I can still sing today.

All of the Hanna-Barbera shows found a very special place in my heart. They helped me in learning a new language and piling up great big sandwiches like in Scooby-Doo. And what parent didn’t enjoy hearing their child ask for a “Scooby Snack” in order to take out the trash? or yell from across the room YABA DABA DOOOOO!!!! ?

Little do many people realize, the huge impact the 400 + Hanna-Barbera cartoons had on their childhood. I still have long trips down memory lane with many of my friends. We’d sit around and call out our favorite cartoons, and be shocked to hear when someone doesn’t know what show we’re talking about. For myself, I was not introduced to The Herculoids, Johnny Quest, or even Space Ghost until later in my 20′s!

A few years ago, Animation Celebration held tribute to Hanna and Barbera. I had the pleasure to sit in an auditorium filled with fans of the Hanna-Barbera cartoons, along with Leonard Maltin as the main presenter, Lucille Bliss giving the recognition award in her “Smurfette”; voice, and of course, Both William Hanna and Joseph Barbera speak about each other and their experiences of working together for so many years. It was definitely a treat to all cartoon lovers, and an inspiration to young animators.

On Thursday, March 22, 2001, I received an email titled “sad news” When I followed the link, I found an article on cnn announcing William Hanna’s death.

I think what I’m summing up is, both William Hanna, and Joseph Barbera created a lifetime of memories that helped us enjoy and happily pass through our childhood.

So, Mr. William Hanna, you will be greatly missed, but you are now forever immortalized in every adult and child who have had and will have the great fortune to be inspired by your creativity.

HISTORY LESSON:
William Hanna was born in Melrose, New Mexico on July 14, 1910. Hanna initially studied to become a structural engineer but dropped out of college when the Depression struck the country. His talent for drawing led him to join the Harman-Ising animation studio in 1930 where he worked for seven years in the story and layout departments. After the establishment of the MGM animation unit, Hanna became one of its first staff members and directed many of the Captain and the Kids cartoons in 1938-39 with William Allen. 1938 was the first year he was paired with Joseph Barbera working on Gallopin’ Gals. Joseph Barbera was born in New York City in 1911. Barbera also found himself out of a job at the start of the Depression when he was a accountant for a law firm. Barbera then became associated with the Van Beruren Studio in 1932 after unsuccessfully working as a magazine cartoonist. After the duo worked on Gallopin’ Gals they collaborated again on Puss Gets the Boot, the first in the Tom and Jerry series in 1939 which originally used human characters instead of the familiar cat and mouse. The Tom and Jerry series was a huge success earning Hanna & Barbera 7 Academy Awards during the next 18 years in over 200 Tom and Jerry cartoons. During the 1940′s, the duo then won critical acclaim when thier cartoon characters danced with Gene Kelly in the motion picture Anchors Away and Invitation to Dance, and with Esther Williams in the film Dangerous When Wet. Hanna-Barbera were now inseparable. They continued to design more cartoons (over 2000 characters) which include Huckleberry Hound, Yogi and Boo-Boo, the Flinstones, Jonny Quest, the Smurfs, and the canine we have grown to love, Scooby-Doo.

William Hanna
July 14, 1910 – March 23, 2001
Credits: In order to really get a sense of his vast genious, be sure to visit IMDB.
Obituary Article: Cnn’s article I visited in the “sad news” email I received.
Remember these? if you love cartoons, take a trip down memory lane at yesturdayland.com