Quick Draw and The Jetsons Like You've Never Seen 'Em Before!

 Hello everyone, and today, I've got something not huge, but still cool enough to share with you guys. These are two pieces of early concept art for Quick Draw McGraw and The Jetsons, showing versions of the characters radically different from what we'd end up with. These, like the last few posts, come courtesy of the old Cartoon Network website (although you'd probably guess that from the giant watermark in the bottom right).

I'm actually working on a post detailing some of the many early concept designs for the Hanna-Barbera characters, but I've never seen these two shared online before, so I felt they deserved a post for themselves. I'm kinda curious as to how you all feel about these designs? While the actual designs were no doubt the ones to go with in my eyes, I can't say that these are bad by any means. They still retain that trademark charm most of the earlier Hanna-Barbera character designs had, which is a testament to how talented the artists at the studio were in their heyday.

Hanna-Barbera Voice Actors in Classic TV Shows

 It's been a while since I did an installment in my "Hanna-Barbera Voices in Advertising" series, so today, I thought I could do something different. Instead of commercials, let's look at some of the Hanna-Barbera voice actors' appearances in the television shows of yesteryear. While we know them best for the various animated characters they portrayed, most did make plenty of onscreen appearances in the TV shows of the time. Starting things off is Jean Vander Pyl, in this short clip from an episode of Leave It to Beaver. Miss Vander Pyl made several appearances in the series, each time as a different character, a practice that wasn't uncommon back then.

You can't have Wilma without Fred, so here's Alan Reed in an episode of The Beverly Hillbillies. Reed made many onscreen appearances, from Breakfast at Tiffany's to the 1966 Batman series, but what's interesting about this series is that all of the principal cast members from The Flintstones appeared in this show. For example, Mel Blanc guest starred as a cab driver in one episode. I could have centered this entire post on this show, but as they say, variety is the spice of life!

One more today, here is Judy Jetson, Janet Waldo, in probably her most famous live-action appearance as the obsessive fan Peggy in I Love Lucy. This was Waldo's first TV role, and, as the video points out, was pregnant at the time of filming this episode, despite playing the role of a teenager. She really was an eternal teenager!

That's all for today, but as I alluded to earlier, there's a lot more to cover. From Howard Morris to John Stephenson to Frank Welker to Allan Melvin, if you can think of a classic Hanna-Barbera actor, the chances are high they at least made one or two onscreen appearances. I'd love to hear from you all if there are any actors or shows you'd like to see covered in a potential follow-up!

Animation How-To with Atom Ant

 Here's another cool feature from the old Cartoon Network "Department of Cartoons" website. Hosted by Atom Ant, it's a look at how cartoons are made, from the pitch meeting to airing on TV, and everything in between. You'll notice on some of the slides that there were clips attached to them, but the links to these seem to be lost to time. The site also doesn't credit whoever did these drawings, so I'm just going to assume Atom Ant himself did them!

Yogi Bear View-Master Sketches

 Here's something I think you guys will get a real kick out of. If you are a big Hanna-Barbera fan, you are probably familiar with their line of View-Master reels from the sixties. Before the days of home video and streaming, if you wanted to rewatch stories with your favorite cartoon characters, these were your best bets. Several were made, focusing on characters like Quick Draw and the Flintstones family, and each one rendered the characters in this charming 3D-esque look. Here's a frame from a Yogi reel for reference.

Now that you've seen the finished product, how would you like to see some concept art? From the Cartoon Network's "Department of Cartoons" website from back in the day, here are several concept pieces for the Yogi View-Master. Sadly, some of the links on the wayback machine do appear to be broken, and they don't make any mention of the original artist, but this was simply too cool of a find for me to not share it. 

Want to know more about these reels? I implore you to check out Yowp's post on them from 2016. Some great high-quality scans of them are included there!

Video of the Week: Behind the Scenes of What a Cartoon!

 Doing something a little bit different this week by sharing this week's video at the beginning of the week, and I've got a cool one to share today! This is a behind-the-scenes CNN news report on the What A Cartoon! show from 1995. Included are some great interviews with Joe Barbera, Bill Hanna, Craig McCracken (creator of The Powerpuff Girls), and Van Partible (creator of Johnny Bravo). The segment also shows some interesting footage of the studio at that time, and a look at the state of animation as a whole in the nineties. Give it a look below!

Hanna-Barbera Superstars Arrive on Blu-Ray!

 Well, this is a post I didn't think I'd be making! Announced yesterday morning, it looks like the entire collection of Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 movies will be making their way to Blu-Ray via the Warner Archive Collection. Retailing for $69.99 and releasing on February 20th, this will be the first time this collection will be released in HD. If you're only interested in a select few of the films, worry not, as there are also plans to release each movie individually as well. Unfortunately, the bonus features are a bit on the slim side here. Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf features the Scooby Goes Hollywood special as its bonus, while Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears features the "Yogi's Ark Lark" episode from Yogi's Gang. While I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of these movies (for reasons I may discuss if I review this set), I'm more than happy to see Warner Archive continue to release Hanna-Barbera titles in their collection. 

If you're interested in preordering the films, check out its page on MovieZyng Warehouse, the same site where this collection was announced. There are currently no listings on Amazon or any other websites, but I'm sure they will be up soon enough. All in all, this was some great news to hear this week, and the set looks to be a great addition to any Hanna-Barbera fans home-video collection.

1966 Hanna-Barbera Characters Reference Book

 The stuff you can find on auction sites is nothing short of incredible. As proof of this, here's something I uncovered recently: a 1966 reference book created for the Hanna-Barbera characters. This was intended for artists inside the studio to use, and features model sheets, color references, and other guides for many of the characters featured in their shows. Below is the front, as well as a picture of Huckleberry Hound's model sheet.

While it's indeed a cool piece of animation history, I find some things in it quite odd. Below is a set of several pages from the book, showing the main cast for several shows. The models used for Rosie in The Jetsons and Top Cat in the series of the same name are a far cry from the ones seen in the actual shows. I'm curious why this was, as it's definitely not the only time Hanna-Barbera characters sported radically different designs. Also notice Rosie is referred to as "Rosey", which is how her name was spelled up until the 80s episodes.

One great element of this book is that it doesn't just focus on the major characters of the shows. From what I've seen, there is also a decent amount of focus on side characters. Take a look below at the sheets for The Great Gazoo and Perry Gunite, the latter of whom only appeared in one episode of the original Flintstones.

From what I've gathered, several other reference books were created by HB over the years, like a series in the mid-90s that featured multiple books, each based on a different franchise. Maybe I'll look at them all in-depth one day, but being that this is the first they did and highlights my favorite years of the studio, I couldn't help but shed some light on it.

The Life and Adventures of Jerry Eisenberg

 If you consider yourself a big Hanna-Barbera person, you're probably at least a little familiar with Jerry Eisenberg. He, along with others like Willie Ito and Tony Benedict, are among the last surviving crew members of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons. Jerry, the son of comic book and animation artist Harvey Eisenberg, began working for the company in 1961 until he departed for Ruby-Spears in 1977. Over a decade later, he returned to the studio, and worked on some of their 90s output, like Tom and Jerry Kids and Johnny Bravo. He's had quite an impressive career, and I am pleased to share that you can now read all about it.

Coming to us from Stuart Ng Books and limited to only 200 copies, Meet Jerry: My Life, My Adventure is a recently released book that covers, as you would imagine, the life of Jerry Eisenberg. The book has sections dedicated to his father, his time (or times?) at Hanna-Barbera, his inspirations, and much more, all accompanied by photos and artwork from the many studios he worked for in his thirty-year-plus career. 

If you follow Kamden Spies's "Termite Terrace Headlines" (which you most definitely should), you're likely already aware of this book's release, as he featured it in his most recent blog post. But, I figure there are a few of you who don't follow him, and since I love to discuss new books on Hanna-Barbera, it felt right to make some sort of post discussing it. As I mentioned before, this book has a limited production run, so if you want it, I'd suggest you act fast. I imagine the $150 price tag might dissuade some, but given the contents, I think it's more than worth it! Jerry Eisenberg more than deserves it.

Video of the Week: Entertainment Tonight Previews a Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration

 Here's a neat video I came across a few weeks ago. From a segment on Entertainment Tonight in 1989, this is a preview of Hanna-Barbera's 50th: A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration TV special, which aired that July on TNT. The special, for those who haven't seen it, chronicles the careers of Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera from the late thirties until the end of the eighties. It features a host of celebrity guest appearances and new animated segments made just for the special. If that sounds exciting, I must sadly say it's not quite as great as it sounds. It's worth a watch if you're especially interested in the studio and its history in the way I am, but I couldn't recommend it otherwise. Still, it's unfortunate that the special has never seen any kind of home video release.

Shortly before the special, ET aired a sneak peek of it, featuring some small appearances from Bill and Joe themselves (including an excerpt from their acceptance speech for the Governors Award in '88), and a brief rundown of their careers. It's always a pleasant surprise to find videos of Bill, Joe, and other Hanna-Barbera creators that you've never seen before, so I had to share this one with you all!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Meet Top Cat

 It was on September 27th, 1961 that ABC premiered Top Cat, a Hanna-Barbera series focusing on a group of back-alley felines concocting various get-rich-quick schemes, although never quite succeeding. The show, like a lot of Hanna-Barbera cartoons, wasn't a big success after premiering, being canceled after only one season. However, also like many of their shows, the series found a second chance through reruns. Since then, it's become one of their most recognizable and beloved series, and a personal favorite of mine. 

Today, to celebrate a series I haven't gotten to discuss a lot on this blog, here's a cool newspaper article from September 22nd, 1961, previewing the show just days before it premiered. This one appeared in The Minneapolis Star.

Yogi Bear's House Bursting at Seams

By FORREST POWERS

Minneapolis Star Staff Writer

    Hollywood, California - From the outside, the house that Yogi Bear helped to build looks like any small office building. A neat, one-story structure, it is located well off the beaten track of other Hollywood studios.
    Inside, however, the building is unbelievably cluttered and crowded. Artists, actors, technicians, and office workers perform their duties in quarters spilling over with desks, drawing and recording equipment, posters, and merchandise "endorsed" by the studio's stable of animated cartoon "stars."
    "When we started four years ago, we had five people working for us; now we have 160," said Joe Barbera, co-creator of Yogi and his famous friends. "Many of our artists have to do the work in their own homes."

    "We've bought three acres of land across the street," said Bill Hanna, Barbera's partner. "We're going to put up a building four times as large as this one. Then, for the first time, all of our family will work under one roof."
    For 20 years, Hanna and Barbera worked together at MGM, turning out "Tom and Jerry" cartoons.
    "People thought we were crazy when we moved to TV," Hanna said. "Until that time, cartoons were considered too expensive to produce for that medium."
    Hanna and Barbera, however, developed a technique which eliminated a number of steps used in conventional cartooning.
    "In the movies, a cartoon character walks or runs completely out of the scene of action," Hanna explained. "We break off the action immediately, and switch to a close-up. That eliminates hundreds of drawings and cuts the costs considerably."
    Starting with the TV series "Ruff and Reddy", Hanna and Barbera went on to "Quick Draw McGraw," "Huckleberry Hound" (the top money maker), "The Yogi Bear Show" and finally to "The Flintstones," their first venture into the prime-time viewing hours.

    This year they have prepared a new cartoon series dealing with the self-styled chieftain of a Runyonesque mob of cats that operates out of an ash can in a New York alley. Entitled "Top Cat," the series debuts Wednesday evening on ABC-TV.
    Arnold Stang, the little comedian who used to "cheep, cheep, cheep" at Milton Berle, serves as the voice for the title character.
    "We tested for the voice for more than a year," Barbera said. "We tried Michael Shea, Mickey Rooney, and even Jack Oakie. Stang gave us the voice quality we were looking for, but it still didn't fit our picture of "Top Cat". We wound up tailoring the cartoon character to Stang's voice."

    Other voices on the show will include Maurice Gosfield (Sgt. Bilko's former pal Doberman) as Benny the Ball; Leo De Lyon, as The Brain and Spook; John Stephenson as Fancy Fancy, and Marvin Kaplan as Choo Choo. Allen Jenkins speaks for Dibble, a harassed "human" policeman.
    Other cats will put in an appearance from time to time. The voice of one, A.T. Jazz (for All That Jazz), will be done by Daws Butler, who also works as Huckleberry, Yogi, and Quick Draw.
    Hanna admitted that the success of "The Flintstones" last year took both him and his partner by surprise.
    "This year we're doing a group of characters for the first time," he said, "but we're prepared for anything. We've got 'Top Cat' magazines, toys, dolls, and games ready to sell before the series goes on. So far we haven't experienced a single flop."
    Stang, heretofore an eastern-based performer, is so high on the series that he bought a home in Los Angeles.
    This is a nice way to earn a living," he said. "Kind of like old radio days. A guy can earn a good living and still enjoy anonymity when he walks down the street."
    "And cartoon shows are the only place left for comedy on TV," said Kaplan, a round-faced actor who spent four years on the former "Meet Millie" series. "You can do things in cartoons that can't be done on 'live' shows." There are so many silly restrictions there."
    "I think the nicest part of our business, Barbera noted, "is that there is no temperament among the cartoon 'stars'. One squawk out of Yogi, and we can slam down the lid on his ink bottle."

Drawing with Iwao

 If there's one member of the Hanna-Barbera family I feel like I should mention more on this blog, the first one that comes to mind has to be Iwao Takamoto. A Japanese-American animator, Iwao Takamoto started off as an animator for Walt Disney in the forties and fifties, working on films like Lady and The Tramp and Sleeping Beauty. In the sixties, Takamoto moved to Hanna-Barbera and became one of the longest-tenured employees at the studio. Takamoto proved instrumental in creating character designs for shows such as Scooby-Doo and Wacky Races and produced many of their later projects. He played a pivotal role in the studio from 1961 until the Time Warner/Turner merger of 1996. Even after that, Iwao continued to be involved in new projects featuring the Hanna-Barbera characters until he passed away on January 8th, 2007.

Unlike many other crew members who worked on Hanna-Barbera classics, Iwao Takamoto was often interviewed for his role in shaping these shows. If you have any of the Hanna-Barbera DVD sets, the chances are high that he'll be featured in one of the BTS featurettes. However, for today, I have something a bit more special to honor this animation legend. Taken way back in 2002, here's an awesome video of Takamoto drawing two Hanna-Barbera favorites: Scooby-Doo and Fred Flintstone! Sit back, relax, and watch an animation expert at work!

If you want to know more about Iwao, I suggest you check out the book Iwao Takamoto: My Life with a Thousand Characters. This title collects many of his memoirs and is a great read for both general animation fans and Hanna-Barbera diehards. If you enjoy reading about animation history, this is one book that deserves to have a spot in your collection!

Questions and Answers with Henry Corden

We all know Alan Reed as the original Fred Flintstone, voicing the character from the series debut in 1960 all the way until he died in 1977. His passing left a huge hole in the world of Hanna-Barbera, so who could take his place? That man ended up being Henry Corden. Born in 1920, Corden was, like many of the earlier Hanna-Barbera voice actors, no stranger to live-action TV and film. He made appearances in works like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Perry Mason, among many others. His agent, Don Pitts, once remarked that he was always a perfect pick for villains. When the sixties began, he slowly but surely became one of the mainstay voices of Hanna-Barbera. At first, he did a few minor roles in shows like Jonny Quest and The Flintstones, but as the decade progressed, he found himself as the voice of Fred Flintstone. Or, his singing voice, that is, as Alan Reed had trouble singing on pitch.

Corden continued to voice Fred on and off in minor appearances until Alan Reed's tragic death in 1977. After that, Corden seemed to be the no-brainer to take over the role, although he did audition for the part once again. For the next three decades, Corden was the primary voice of Mr. Flintstone, surpassing Reed's seventeen-year run as the character. He passed away from emphysema in 2005, and since then, the role has been filled by both Jeff Bergman and James Arnold Taylor.

Although I unfortunately never had the chance to meet Mr. Corden, from what I've heard from friends and acquaintances who knew him, he was nothing but sweet, and always credited Alan Reed for originating the character of Fred. To celebrate what would've been his 104th birthday (January 6th, to be exact), here's a fun Q&A session he did with the folks at Newsday. This originally appeared in the September 29th, 1991 edition of the paper.

HENRY CORDEN

By Kevin Kretz, Jimmy Guarini, and Elizabeth Messman 

    We interviewed Henry Corden, who has been providing the voice for the famous cartoon character, Fred Flintstone, since 1977.

    Q. Are you similar to Fred Flintstone?

    A. Yes, my wife never lets me go bowling.

    Q. Why does he always wear the same clothes?

    A. When you work at the quarry in Bedrock, you can't afford to buy many clothes because all you are is a caveman. Your father killed a dinosaur or some kind of a furry beast, stripped the skin off him, created a garment and then passed it on to you. I'd like to think they wash it occasionally.

    Q. How are the sound effects made?

    A. That's a collection of tapes they've had since radio days. Some of those laugh tracks go all the way back to a radio show that Fred Allen started. He was one of the great comedians of his time.

    Q. Do you have a favorite episode?

    A. I've truly enjoyed everyone with the exception of my first one because it was nerve-wracking for me. A man by the name of Alan Reed was the first Fred Flintstone. Unfortunately, he died in 1977. He was the one who created the character so a lot of the credit goes to him. I am merely an imitator.

    Q. How long did it take to learn Fred's voice?

    A. It took some time because I had to imitate Alan Reed and listen to tapes of him. Eventually, I got pretty close to him but as the years progressed I decided to make Fred more my own so I don't have to imitate Alan so much.

    Q. Have you done any other voices?

    A. A number of voices in cartoons. I did a series in 1961 called "Jonny Quest" for Hanna-Barbera. It was a wonderful adventure story. I have a good ability with dialects and I would be a different villain each week.

    Q. How much do you get paid each time a cartoon airs?

    A. You're given a fee to do the original recording. After it plays one time, we get residuals. Each time it's shown, we get a small portion of the original amount. Not a lot of it. Like the other day, I got a residual check from Columbia Studios for having done an old series, it was for 16 cents. Nineteen cents was for the payment and 3 cents was taken off for tax.

    Q. Who is your favorite Flintstone?

    A. Pebbles. I have 17 grandchildren. I love and relate to young children because they have a great need for people.

   Q. Do you have any hobbies?

    A. I used to. One of them was coin collecting, another was music. I have a large collection of records, most of them are jazz and music of the early '30s and '40s. Reading is terribly important to me. My biggest hobby is the family.

    Q. Do you have any tips for kids who'd like to be a voice of a cartoon character?

    A. Educate yourself. I'm not just saying that because everyone else does. My education has allowed me to speak grammatically correctly and to relate to words on a page so that I can get on a microphone and read my lines with no trouble. I've seen it happen where guys don't quite get the printed word.

Video of the Week: Bill and Joe on 30 Years of The Flintstones

 It's time for the first "video of the week" post for 2024, and for today, I've got a pretty cool interview I only uncovered a few days ago. From sometime around 1990/1991, here is an interview with both Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera on Inside Entertainment. This was done as part of the press junket for The Flintstones' 30th anniversary, so the interview mostly focuses on that series, but they do discuss other moments in their careers, as well as their views on the modern animation scene. Give it a look right below!

Comic Conversations With Fred, Wilma, and Judy

If you've been following this blog for any significant amount of time, you likely know I love the old Hanna-Barbera vocal artists. From Daws Butler to Don Messick, I love their many performances, and I take great joy in finding lost or forgotten interviews with them. Today, I have three to share from 1991, all of which come courtesy of the Internet Archive!

The first one I'll share appeared in the June 1991 edition of Comics Scene Magazine, and is focused on the woman behind Wilma, Jean Vander Pyl. Highlights of this interview include Vander Pyl reflecting on three decades of The Flintstones, the production of the 1990 Jetsons animated feature, and how exactly she got involved in cartoons in the first place.

Just a month later, Comics Scene interviewed another member of the Flintstone household, Henry Corden. Interviews with Corden are a bit of a rarity (although I have one I'll share soon enough), so coming across this was most definitely a surprise. Corden discusses how he took over the role of Fred following Alan Reed's passing, comparisons to the then-new member of the animated sitcom class, The Simpsons, and his thoughts on the live-action movie. Out of the three, this one had the most new information in it, so it's easily my favorite of the set. Corden's interview starts on page 43.

Later that year in October, Janet Waldo, the talent behind many of Hanna-Barbera's heroines, sat down with the folks at Comics Scene. Clearly, someone on their editorial stuff must've been a big fan of Hanna-Barbera cartoons. This interview begins on page 30, and focuses on Waldo's voice-over career, her return as Judy Jetson in the 1980s revival, and of course, her removal from the Jetsons movie in favor of Tiffany. The most interesting piece of information from this article though? As far as Waldo knew, Joe Barbera was interested in making a new Jetsons spin-off at the time of this magazine's publication, titled Jetsons Juniors. Why oh why am I not surprised?

My 10 Favorite Hanna-Barbera Characters

 As promised, I return on the second day of the new year with a post different than most I've done so far. Since it's a new year and everything, I thought I'd start 2024 off with something that gives you guys more insight into my tastes regarding the Hanna-Barbera characters. Quite frankly, I couldn't think of anything better than ranking my ten favorite characters from their many productions. My only rules for this list is that I'm only including characters from shows created during their golden years (in my mind, that lasted from 1957 to 1969), and I'm only picking one character per franchise. Without any further introductions, let's get right into number ten!

Number 10: Scooby-Doo

If I'm being honest, I'm not the biggest fan of Scooby-Doo as a franchise. While I have a lot of nostalgia and great memories with the series, I feel like it's been milked for everything it's worth, and I also believe its success hurt Hanna-Barbera as a whole. But with all that being said, it would feel wrong to leave Scooby himself off of a list like this. As cliche as it sounds, Scooby was a big part of my childhood, and I can't let my more cynical feelings toward the franchise erase that. He's just a lovable great dane who, though he's quick to frighten, usually comes through at the end of the episode, even if he needs a Scooby Snack or two for encouragement. Not only is he a charming character, but I also credit him for introducing me to the rest of the HB characters, and I think other people my age who are interested in them feel the same way. Scooby's enduring popularity helps bring new people of all ages into the other Hanna-Barbera properties, and with an effect like that, how could I not put him here?

Number 9: Boo Boo

Going from one Don Messick-voiced character to another, Boo Boo is my favorite character out of the entire Yogi Bear franchise. Out of all the Hanna-Barbera characters, I think he's the one I most identify with; always cautious, tries his best to keep others out of trouble, and usually fails in the process. If that's not the story of my life, I don't know what is! His design is also adorable and enduring, and that goes for both his early appearance, and the more refined version of him most of us picture when we think of the character. While it's true that you can't have Boo Boo without Yogi, if I had to go with only one of the two, I'm going with the short one every time!

Number 8: Space Ghost

Like any other person who grew up in a world full of comic book movies, I love superheroes, so it's no surprise that one spot here goes to a Hanna-Barbera hero. But of the many they created, one stands above the rest, and that is Space Ghost. Whether it's the heroic crime fighter voiced by Gary Owens or the smarmy talk-show host portrayed by George Lowe, I love the guy. His design is great and instantly striking. Alex Toth really doesn't get enough credit for his work at Hanna-Barbera. His superpowers are also pretty unique. He can fly, turn invisible, has an impressive arsenal of weapons, and can breathe in space. Not too bad if I do say so myself! In general, I find myself attracted to superhero characters who deal with cosmic threats more than those who do their crime-fighting on Earth, so Space Ghost is just another one of those characters with whom I seemed destined to fall in love. And, of course, he's the only character here to have his own late-night talk show. That's gotta be worth something!

Number 7: Top Cat

When I think of underrated Hanna-Barbera cartoons, one of the first that comes to mind is Top Cat. The show only ran for one season, and while there were a few specials in the decades following, none of them even came close to capturing the charm of the original series. A big part of that charm came from the show's titular character, the most tip-top Top Cat! Wonderfully brought to life by Arnold Stang, Top Cat stands out from other Hanna-Barbera characters in that, to be totally honest, he really isn't that great of a person. He's a con artist, and he'll con anyone, even his friends if it means he can reap the rewards. While that might be a reason to dislike him, it's a big reason I love him. Not every protagonist has to be a good person to be likable, and that's something that I think animation often forgets. Sometimes, you need a character who's kind of rude to anchor a show, and that's something T.C. does very well. That being said, Top Cat does have moments of kindness throughout the series, showing that he's also something akin to a jerk with a heart of gold, one of my favorite character archetypes in media. His design is also just stellar. The combo of yellow and purple is kind of an odd one, but it fits well for a character like him.  T.C. isn't the nicest of characters, but he's one of my favorites for just that reason.

Number 6: Atom Ant

Time for yet another Don Messick-voiced character (spoiler alert: this isn't the last), but this time it's the pint-sized Atom Ant! Originally voiced by Howie Morris before Messick took over vocal duties, Atom Ant is another superhero to come out of the brains at Hanna-Barbera, although unlike Space Ghost and the others, Atom Ant leaned a lot more on comedy and wackiness than it did action and suspense. That change in focus doesn't stop him from being one of my favorite characters, however. Atom Ant is as charming as he is diminutive, and like Space Ghost before him, he benefits from having a unique set of superpowers at his disposal. I'm not exaggerating when I say Atom Ant could give most comic book superheroes a run for their money. Whether it was a mad scientist or a crazed animal, no villain was ever too big for this guy, which gives him a nice underdog quality that is hard to come by in superheroes. Out of the many small-sized superheroes out there, Atom Ant is the most charming of them all, and my favorite out of the bunch. Ant-Man and The Atom have nothing on this guy!

Number 5: Wally Gator

For most people, Wally Gator is far from the quintessential Daws Butler character, but he's my favorite, second only to another we'll be discussing soon. While many will write him and his series off as nothing more than a Yogi "ripoff", I find Wally to be a much more enduring character than Yogi. Daws' performance is wonderful as the character (although that's to be expected with him), and the character design is as warm and cuddly as you could get from an alligator. His goal in life is also, as weird as it sounds, quite a relatable one. He wants nothing more than to escape from the zoo and enter the outside world, just as many of us want to get away from our homes and explore the rest of the planet. I find him to be one of the HB characters I empathize with the most, which is quite the feat when you think about it. He's an anthropomorphic alligator who sounds like Ed Wynn and I can relate to his plight. How can you not love the guy?

Number 4: Muttley

Fourth place goes to one more Don Messick character, and in this spot, it's Muttley from Wacky Races. Messick voiced a lot of dogs for Hanna-Barbera, and Muttley is hands down my favorite of the pack. I'd describe Muttley as being almost like the "anti" Boo Boo. While Boo Boo always had an eye out for Yogi and wanted what was best for him, Muttley sees Dick Dastardly as a joke and is never one to give up an opportunity to laugh at his misfortunes. Speaking of laughing, can we all agree that Muttley has one of the best in animation? When you even think of the character, you can hear his snicker, so you have to give props to Messick for that. He's also got a great design, perfectly encapsulating that this mutt is anything but man's best friend. Overall, while Scooby might be the dog people most associate with Hanna-Barbera, I'll take Muttley over him any day!

Number 3: Quick Draw McGraw

Of the dozens upon dozens of characters Daws Butler voiced throughout the years, none do I love as much as I do Quick Draw McGraw. I love a good gunslinger, and while I wouldn't classify Quick Draw as a "good" one per se, he's still one of my favorite cowboys in all of fiction. Like any of the great western heroes, he means only the best, but he's far from the sharpest sheriff in the saloon. Yet again, I find myself relating to a Hanna-Barbera character, because I'm about as foolish and clumsy as Quick Draw is. Like all of Daws' major characters, his voice is excellent, and it's one you can hear as soon as you see an image of the character. Quick Draw McGraw being one of my favorite Hanna-Barbera productions certainly doesn't hurt his placement here, either. It's just a shame I can't place another character from the series, El Kabong, here as well. Say, has anyone noticed those two share a few similarities?

Number 2: Rosie the Robot

Though The Jetsons is one of my favorite Hanna-Barbera shows, I cannot say that I'm the biggest fan of the family as individual characters. For the most part, I find them to be a bit bland when compared to their stone-age predecessors. That cannot be said for Rosie, however. Memorably portrayed by Jean Vander Pyl, Rosie was practically the glue that held the Jetsons family together. As their maid, she took care of the majority of tasks inside the house. Without her, I can't imagine George and the rest would get much done! Though she's a maid, she's not the type of character to just blindly follow orders. She can talk trash just as well as anyone else and is a source for some of the show's best comedic moments (I particularly love it when she imitates Judy in love). Besides all of that, there's an innate cool factor to Rosie as a character. She's a robot maid who can do all of the things you don't want to, how can you not love that? You can keep your flying cars and foodarackacycles, because all I want in the future is a robot who'll clean my whole house. Maybe someday!

Number 1: Fred Flintstone

Surprising probably none of you, my favorite Hanna-Barbera character is the head of the Flintstone household, Fred Flintstone. The Flintstones is my favorite of their shows, and one of my favorite series period, and Fred's my favorite character from the show, so he was meant to be in this spot. What I like about Fred is that, more than any other character Hanna-Barbera has created, he is an everyman. While many probably don't see themselves in Wally Gator, Boo Boo, or the others we've looked at, Fred is intended to be like us. He cares deeply for his family, can't stand his job, and has his fair share of hobbies he's completely immersed with. I think I can safely say those are all things we can relate to, regardless of our backgrounds. He's also a pretty flawed protagonist. A lot of the conflicts in the shows are caused by him and especially his mouth, so he stands out from a lot of the warmer and friendlier characters Hanna-Barbera has given us. But even when he screws things up, he always finds a way to make it right, and we root for him every time. In conclusion, every animation studio has its mascot. Disney has Mickey, WB has Bug, Fleischer has Betty Boop, and in my eyes, Fred is the face of Hanna-Barbera. He might not be their most popular or recognizable character, but he's the one I, and I believe most people think of when they think of the studio. Between that, his personality, and his smooth voice (supplied originally by the late, great Alan Reed), Fred's easily my pick for the best Hanna-Barbera character of them all!

I hope you've all enjoyed this little dive into my favorites among Hanna-Barbera's colorful cast of characters. Tune in tomorrow, as I share with you not one, but three different magazine articles from some of Hanna-Barbera's most celebrated voice artists!