Editing Hanna-Barbera (section)

==History==
===''Tom and Jerry'' and birth of a company (1938–1957)===
[[William Hanna|William Denby "Bill" Hanna]] and [[Joseph Barbera|Joseph Roland "Joe" Barbera]] met at the [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] (MGM) studio in 1938, while working at its [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio|animation unit]]. Having worked at other studios since the early 1930s, they solidified a six-decade working partnership. ''[[Tom and Jerry]]'' came about in 1941, but the title characters originally debuted in ''[[Puss Gets the Boot]]'', the team's first collaborative success, in 1940. The series centered on the madcap comical adventures of a cat and a mouse.

Hanna supervised the animation,{{sfn|Barbera|1994|p=83–84}} while Barbera did the stories and pre-production. Seven of the 114 cartoons won seven Oscars for [[Academy Award for Animated Short Film|"Best Short Subject (Cartoons)"]] between 1943 and 1953, and five additional shorts were nominated for twelve awards during this period. However, they were awarded to producer [[Fred Quimby]], who was not involved in the development of the shorts.{{sfn|Barbera|1994|p=207}}{{rp|83–84}}

Sequences for ''[[Anchors Aweigh (film)|Anchors Aweigh]]'', ''[[Dangerous When Wet]]'' and ''[[Invitation to the Dance (film)|Invitation to the Dance]]'' and shorts ''Swing Social'', ''[[Gallopin' Gals]]'', ''The Goose Goes South'', ''[[Officer Pooch]]'', ''[[War Dogs (1943 film)|War Dogs]]'' and ''[[Good Will to Men]]'' were also made. With Quimby's retirement in May 1955, Hanna and Barbera became the producers in charge of the MGM animation studio's output.{{sfn|Barrier|2003|pp=547–548}}

In addition to continuing to write and direct new ''Tom & Jerry'' shorts, now in [[CinemaScope]], Hanna and Barbera supervised the last seven shorts of [[Tex Avery]]'s ''[[Droopy]]'' series and produced and directed the short-lived ''[[Spike and Tyke]]'', which ran for two entries. In addition to their work on the cartoons, the two men moonlighted on outside projects, including title sequences and commercials for ''[[I Love Lucy]]''.<ref name="jbarberainterviewvideo">{{Cite video |people=[[Leonard Maltin]] |title=Interview with Joseph Barbera |medium=Digital |publisher=[[Archive of American Television]] |date=1997 |url=https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/joseph-barbera}}</ref>

MGM decided in mid-1957 to close its cartoon studio, as it felt it had acquired a reasonable backlog of shorts for re-release.{{sfn|Barrier|2003|pp=547–548}} While contemplating their future, Hanna and Barbera began producing additional animated television commercials.{{sfn|Barrier|2003|pp=560–562}} During their last year at MGM, they had developed a concept for a new animated television program about a cat and a dog.{{sfn|Barrier|2003|pp=560–562}}

After failing to convince the studio to back their venture, [[George Sidney]], who had worked with Hanna and Barbera on several of his movies for MGM, offered to serve as their business partner and convinced [[Screen Gems#Television subsidiary (1948–1974)|Screen Gems]] to make a deal with the producers.<ref name="HannaRuffReddy" /> A coin toss gave Hanna precedence in naming the new studio. [[Harry Cohn]], president and head of Columbia Pictures, took an 18% ownership in '''H-B Enterprises''',<ref name=" HannaRuffReddy" /> and provided working capital.

Screen Gems became the new distributor and its licensing agent, handling merchandizing of the characters from the animated programs<ref name="Rogers" /> as the cartoon firm officially opened for business in rented offices on the lot of [[Jim Henson Company Lot|Kling Studios]] (formerly [[Jim Henson Company Lot#Chaplin Studios (1919–1952)|Charlie Chaplin Studios]])<ref name="jbarberainterviewvideo" /> on July 7, 1957, one year after the MGM animation studio closed.{{sfn|Barrier|2003|pp=560–562}}

[[File:Hanna-Barbera.svg|right|thumb|Logo used from 1957 to 1959]]

Sidney and several Screen Gems alumni became members of the studio's board of directors and much of the former MGM animation staff—including animators [[Carlo Vinci]], [[Kenneth Muse]], Lewis Marshall, [[Michael Lah]] and [[Ed Barge]] and layout artists [[Ed Benedict]] and [[Richard Bickenbach]]—became the new production staff{{sfn|Barrier|2003|pp=560–562}} while [[Hoyt Curtin]] was in charge of providing the music.

===Success with animated series (1957–1969)===
''[[The Ruff and Reddy Show]]'',<ref>{{cite news |title=Caveman to Carp: The Prime-Time Cartoon Devolves |work=The New York Times |date=January 23, 1996 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/23/movies/caveman-to-carp-the-prime-time-cartoon-devolves.html?scp=27&sq=Hanna-Barbera&st=cse |access-date=August 17, 2009 |first=Jan |last=Benzel}}</ref> the company's first television series, premiered on [[NBC]] on December 14, 1957, {{sfn|Barbera|1994|p=123}} then ''[[The Huckleberry Hound Show]]'' debuted one year later, in 1958, airing in most markets, and was also the first cartoon to win an [[Emmy Award|Emmy]]. Several animation alumni joined – in particular former [[Warner Bros. Cartoons]] storymen [[Michael Maltese]] and [[Warren Foster]] as head writers, [[Joe Ruby]] and [[Ken Spears]] as film editors and [[Iwao Takamoto]] as character designer.{{sfn|Barrier|2003|pp=560–562}}

After reincorporating as '''Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc.''', ''[[The Quick Draw McGraw Show]]'' and the theatrical cartoon short series ''[[Loopy De Loop]]'' followed in 1959. [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Productions]] laid off several of its animators after ''[[Sleeping Beauty (1959 film)|Sleeping Beauty]]'' (1959) [[box-office bomb|bombed on the box-office]] during its initial theatrical run, with many of them moving to Hanna-Barbera shortly afterwards.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Norman |first1=Floyd |author1-link=Floyd Norman |title=Toon Tuesday : Here's to the real survivors |url=https://jimhillmedia.com/toon-tuesday-heres-to-the-real-survivors/ |website=Jim Hill Media |access-date=March 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230319000731/https://jimhillmedia.com/toon-tuesday-heres-to-the-real-survivors/ |archive-date=March 19, 2023 |date=August 18, 2008}}</ref> In August 1960, it moved into a window-less, cinder block building at 3501 [[Cahuenga Boulevard]] West.<ref>''Variety,'' July 20, 1960, pg. 20</ref> Though too small to house the staff, some of its employees worked at home.

''[[The Flintstones]]'' premiered on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] on September 30, 1960, becoming so the first animated series airing in prime time. It is loosely based on ''[[The Honeymooners]]'' and is set in a fictionalized Stone Age of cavemen and dinosaurs. [[Jackie Gleason]] considered suing Hanna-Barbera for [[copyright infringement]], but decided not to because he did not want to be known as "the man who yanked [[Fred Flintstone]] off the air".<ref>p.54 Brooks, Maria ''The American Family on Television: A Chronology of 121 Shows'', 1948-2004 March 30, 2005 by McFarland & Company</ref> For six seasons, it became the longest-running animated show in American prime time at the time (until ''[[The Simpsons]]'' beat it in 1997), a ratings and merchandising success and the top-ranking animated program in syndication history. It initially received mixed reviews from critics, but its reputation eventually improved and it is now considered a classic.

''[[The Yogi Bear Show]]'', ''[[Top Cat]]'', ''[[The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series]]'' (consisting of ''[[Wally Gator]]'', ''[[Touché Turtle and Dum Dum]]'', and ''[[Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har]]'') and ''[[The Jetsons]]'' soon followed in 1961 and 1962. Several animated television commercials were produced as well, often starring their own characters (including the [[Pebbles cereal]] commercials for [[Post Foods|Post]]) and the opening credits for ''[[Bewitched]]'', in which animated caricatures of Samantha and Darrin appeared. These characterizations were reused in ''The Flintstones''' sixth season episode "Samantha".

[[File:HannaBarbera.JPG|right|thumb|The former Hanna-Barbera building at 3400 [[Cahuenga Boulevard]] West in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], seen in a 2007 photograph. The small yellow structure (lower right) was originally the "guard shack" for the property entrance to the east of the building.]]

In 1963, Hanna-Barbera's operations moved to 3400 [[Cahuenga Boulevard]] West in [[Hollywood Hills]]/[[Studio City]]. This contemporary office building was designed by architect [[Arthur Froehlich]]. Its ultra-modern design included a sculpted latticework exterior, moat, fountains, and a ''Jetsons''-like tower. ''[[The Magilla Gorilla Show]]'', ''[[Jonny Quest (TV series)|Jonny Quest]]'', ''[[The Peter Potamus Show]]'', ''[[Atom Ant]]'', and ''[[Secret Squirrel]]'' followed in 1964 and 1965.

[[File:Bill Hanna Joseph Barbera 1965.jpg|right|thumb|William Hanna (right) and Joseph Barbera (left) seen in a 1965 photo.]]

The partnership with Screen Gems would last until 1965 when Hanna and Barbera announced the sale of their studio to [[Taft Broadcasting]].<ref name="Rogers">Rogers, Lawrence H. (2000). ''[https://books.google.com/books?=U58P6s4mx3cC&pg=PA445&dq=taft+broadcasting+hanna+barbera&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ZfiPUZz-BcONygHFmIHQBQ&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=taft%20broadcasting%20hanna%20barbera&f=false History of U. S. Television: A Personal Reminiscence]''. Bloomington. IN. USA: AuthorHouse. pg. 444-447</ref> Taft's acquisition of Hanna-Barbera was delayed for a year by a lawsuit from Cohn's family, wife [[Joan Perry]] and sons John and Harrison Cohn, who felt the studio undervalued the Cohns' 18% share in when it was sold a few years previously.<ref name="STUEP3">Shostak, Stu (November 3, 2011). "[https://www.stusshow.com/archives.php Interview with Jerry Eisenberg, Scott Shaw!, and Earl Kress]". ''Stu's Show''. Retrieved March 18, 2013. [[Jerry Eisenberg]], [[Scott Shaw (artist)|Scott Shaw!]], and [[Earl Kress]] were all former employees of Hanna-Barbera over the years, and relate the history of the studio to host Stu Shostak</ref>

In 1966, ''[[Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles]]'' and ''[[Space Ghost (TV series)|Space Ghost]]'' debuted, and by December of that year the litigation had been settled, Taft finally acquired Hanna-Barbera for $12 million and folded the studio into its corporate structure in 1967 and 1968,<ref name="Rogers" /> becoming its distributor. Hanna and Barbera stayed on while Screen Gems retained licensing and distribution rights to their previous produced cartoons<ref name="Rogers" /> and trademarks to the characters into the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="Rogers" /><ref>{{cite news |title=BRIEFCASE: Great American Broadcasting |work=Orlando Sentinel |date=August 19, 1989 |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1989-08-19-8908192010-story.html |access-date=December 23, 2014}}</ref>

''[[Shazzan]]'', ''[[The Banana Splits]]'', ''[[Wacky Races (1968 TV series)|Wacky Races]]'', and its spin-offs (''[[Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines]]'' and ''[[The Perils of Penelope Pitstop]]'') and ''[[Cattanooga Cats]]'' followed from 1967 to 1969. The studio's record and music label, Hanna-Barbera Records,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bubblegum-music.com/categories/artists |title=Animation + Rock = Fun: The Danny Hutton Interview |last1=Davidson |first1=Chris |date=March 27, 2007 |publisher=Bubblegum University |url-status= dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224002810/http://www.bubblegum-music.com/categories/artists |archive-date=February 24, 2009}}</ref> was headed by [[Danny Hutton]] and distributed by [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]. Children's records featuring its characters were released by [[Colpix Records|Colpix]]. Hanna-Barbera teamed up with the National Catholic Office for Radio and Television to produce 26 half-hour animated films in 1970, which never materialized.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 25, 1969 |title=Program notes |pages=46 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/69-OCR/1969-08-25-BC-OCR-Page-0046.pdf |access-date=October 10, 2023}}</ref>

===Mysteries, spin-offs, and more (1969–1979)===
''[[Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!]]'' debuted on [[CBS]] on September 13, 1969; it is a mystery-based program which blended comedy, action, and elements from ''[[I Love a Mystery]]'' and ''[[The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis]]''.<ref>Laurence Marcus & Stephen R. Hulce (October 2000). "[https://televisionheaven.co.uk/scooby.htm Scooby-Doo, Where Are You] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128110448/http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/scooby.htm |date=2013-01-28 }}". ''Television Heaven''. Retrieved on June 9, 2006.</ref><ref name="STUEP1">Shostak, Stu (February 5, 2012). "[https://www.stusshow.com/archives.php Interview with Joe Ruby and Ken Spears]". ''Stu's Show.'' Retrieved March 18, 2013.</ref> For two seasons, it centered on four teenagers and a dog solving supernatural mysteries, and became one of Hanna-Barbera's most successful creations, spawning several new spin-offs, such as ''[[The New Scooby-Doo Movies]]'', ''[[Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (1979 TV series)|Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo]]'' and many others, which were regularly in production at Hanna-Barbera into the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/05/the-secret-of-scooby-doos-enduring-appeal/609091/ |title=The Secret of Scooby-Doo's Enduring Appeal |last=Orr |first=Christopher |date=April 19, 2020 |website=The Atlantic |language=en-US |access-date=April 25, 2020}}</ref>

Referred to as "The [[General Motors]] of animation", Hanna-Barbera produced nearly two-thirds of all [[Saturday-morning cartoon]]s in a single year. ''[[Josie and the Pussycats (TV series)|Josie and the Pussycats]]'', ''[[The Funky Phantom]]'', ''[[The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan]]'', ''[[Speed Buggy]]'', ''[[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids]]'', ''[[Goober and the Ghost Chasers]]'', ''[[Inch High, Private Eye]]'', ''[[Clue Club]]'', ''[[Jabberjaw]]'', ''[[Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels]]'' and ''[[The New Shmoo]]'' built upon the mystery-solving template set by ''Scooby-Doo'', with further shows built around teenagers solving mysteries with a comic relief pet of some sort.

Starting in 1971, many new [[Spin-off (media)|spin-offs]], such as ''[[The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show]]'', featuring Fred and Barney's now teenaged children along with ''[[The Flintstone Comedy Hour]]'', ''[[The Tom and Jerry Show (1975 TV series)|The Tom and Jerry Show]]'', ''[[The New Fred and Barney Show]]'' and "all-star" shows ''[[Yogi's Gang]]'', ''[[Laff-A-Lympics]]'', ''[[Yogi's Space Race]]'' and ''[[Galaxy Goof-Ups]]'' came to the airwaves.

Hanna-Barbera teamed up with [[Crosley Broadcasting Corporation|Avco Broadcasting Corporation]] in 1971, a company that was once a rival to its owner Taft at that time, who maintains rivalry in the [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]] and [[Cincinnati]] markets, to produce two holiday specials for the syndicated market by way of its syndicated division.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 15, 1971 |title=Program notes |pages=47 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/71-OCR/1971-02-15-BC-OCR-Page-0047.pdf |access-date=October 10, 2023}}</ref> In 1972, H-B opened an animation studio in Australia, with the Hamlyn Group acquiring a 50% stake in 1974.

Hamlyn was acquired by [[James Hardie Industries]]. [[Hanna-Barbera Australia]] bought itself out from Hardie and Taft in 1988, changing its name to [[Southern Star Group]], since becoming [[Endemol Shine Australia]], a division of [[Banijay Entertainment]]. ''[[Super Friends (1973 TV series)|Super Friends]]'', an action-adventure show adapted from [[DC Comics]]' ''[[Justice League of America]]'' and the first of many iterations of the ''[[Super Friends]]'' series, premiered on ABC on September 8, 1973. It returned to production in 1976, remaining on ABC through 1985 with ''[[The All-New Super Friends Hour]]'', ''[[Challenge of the Superfriends]]'' and ''[[The World's Greatest Super Friends]]''.

While ''[[Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch!]]'', ''[[Sealab 2020]]'', ''[[Wait Till Your Father Gets Home]]'' and ''[[Hong Kong Phooey]]'' aired, ''[[Charlotte's Web (1973 film)|Charlotte's Web]]'', an adaptation of the [[Charlotte's Web|novel of the same name]], was released on March 1, 1973 by [[Paramount Pictures]], to moderate critical and commercial success, and was the first of only four Hanna-Barbera films not to be based upon one of their famous television cartoons (the other three being ''[[C.H.O.M.P.S.]]'', ''[[Heidi's Song]]'' and ''[[Once Upon a Forest]]''). 

With the majority of American television animation during the second half of the 20th century made by Hanna-Barbera and more cartoons like ''[[CB Bears]]'', ''[[Buford and the Galloping Ghost]]'', ''[[The All New Popeye Hour]]'', ''[[Godzilla (1978 TV series)|Godzilla]]'' and ''[[Casper and the Angels]]'', major competition was coming from [[Filmation]] and [[DePatie–Freleng Enterprises|DePatie–Freleng]]. Then-ABC president [[Fred Silverman]] gave its Saturday-morning time to them after dropping Filmation for its failure of ''[[Uncle Croc's Block]]''.{{citation needed|date=May 2014}}

New live-action material was produced, as well as new live-action/animated combos since the mid-1960s. In 1975, former MGM executive [[Herbert F. Solow]] joined the company to start a live-action unit, Hanna-Barbera Television, to produce prime time programming,<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 1, 1975 |title=Fates & Fortunes |pages=49 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/75-OCR/1975-09-01-BC-OCR-Page-0049.pdf |access-date=October 8, 2023}}</ref> which later spun off and became Solow Production Company in 1976.<ref name="STUEP3a">Shostak, Stu (12-20-2006). "[https://www.stusshow.com/archives.php Interview with Mark Evanier]". ''Stu's Show.'' Retrieved June 17, 2014.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 24, 1976 |title=Fates & Fortunes |pages=63 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/76-OCR/1976-05-24-BC-OCR-Page-0063.pdf |access-date=October 8, 2023}}</ref>

Along with the animation industry in the U.S., it moved away from producing in-house in the late 1970s and early 1980s. While ''[[The Great Grape Ape Show]]'' and ''[[The Mumbly Cartoon Show]]'' aired, Ruby and Spears worked with Hanna-Barbera in 1976 and 1977 as ABC network executives to create and develop new cartoons before leaving in 1977 to start their company, [[Ruby-Spears|Ruby-Spears Enterprises]], with [[Filmways]] as its parent division.<ref name="STUEP1" /> In 1979, Taft bought [[Worldvision Enterprises]], which became Hanna-Barbera's new distributor.

===Control decrease and ''Smurfs''-era (1980–1991)===
''[[Super Friends (1980 TV series)|Super Friends]]'', ''[[The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang]]'', ''[[Richie Rich (1980 TV series)|Richie Rich]]'', ''[[The Flintstone Comedy Show]]'', ''[[Space Stars]]'', ''[[The Kwicky Koala Show]]'', ''[[Trollkins]]'' and ''[[Laverne & Shirley (1981 TV series)|Laverne and Shirley in the Army]]'' debuted in 1980 and 1981, while Taft purchased Ruby-Spears from Filmways (which was eventually absorbed into [[Orion Pictures]] the following year), making it a sister company to Hanna-Barbera and as a result, several early-1980s series were shared between both companies.<ref name="STUEP2">Shostak, Stu (01-16-2013). "[https://www.stusshow.com/archives.php?y=2013 ''Program 305'' (TV animation producers JOE RUBY and KEN SPEARS return to discuss the formation of their own company and creating such series as "Fangface", "Rickety Rocket", "Goldie Gold" and many others. Also - animation writer MARK EVANIER talks about working on "Thundarr" and "Plastic Man" for the team.)]". ''Stu's Show''. Retrieved March 18, 2013.</ref>

While Filmation, [[Sunbow Entertainment|Sunbow Productions]], [[Marvel Productions]], [[Rankin/Bass Productions|Rankin/Bass]], [[DIC Entertainment|DIC]], [[Saban Entertainment]] and other Hollywood animation studios introduced successful animated series [[Broadcast syndication#Animated series|syndicated]], including some based on licensed properties, Hanna-Barbera fell behind, as it no longer dominated the TV animation market as it did years earlier and lost control over children's programming, going down from 80% to 20%.

''[[The Smurfs (1981 TV series)|The Smurfs]]'', adapted from [[The Smurfs (comics)|the Belgian comic]] by [[Pierre Culliford|Peyo]] and centering on a group of tiny blue creatures led by [[Papa Smurf]], debuted on NBC on September 12, 1981, and ran for nine seasons until December 2, 1989, becoming so the longest-running [[Saturday-morning cartoon]] series in broadcast history, a significant ratings success, the top-rated program in eight years and the highest for an NBC show since 1970.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Kids' TV Grows Up: The Path from Howdy Doody to SpongeBob |last=Holz |first=Jo |publisher=McFarland |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-4766-6874-1 |location=Jefferson, NC |pages=125–126}}</ref> ''[[The Gary Coleman Show]]'', ''[[Shirt Tales]]'', ''[[Pac-Man (TV series)|Pac-Man]]'', ''[[The Little Rascals (animated TV series)|The Little Rascals]]'', ''[[The Dukes (TV series)|The Dukes]]'', ''[[Monchhichis (TV series)|Monchhichis]]'' and ''[[The Biskitts]]'' followed in 1982 and 1983.

Following [[1982 animators' strike|a 1982 strike]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=The '50s through the '90s: Animation Guild |url=https://animationguild.org/about-the-guild/the50s-the90s/ |access-date=August 20, 2020 |website=animationguild.org}}</ref> more cartoons were outsourced to [[Cuckoo's Nest Studios]], [[Mr. Big Cartoons]], [[Toei Animation]] and Fil-Cartoons in Australia and Asia, which provided production services to the studio from 1982 to the end of its existence. ''[[Challenge of the GoBots]]'', ''[[Pink Panther and Sons]]'', ''[[Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show]]'', ''[[Snorks]]'', ''The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries'', ''[[The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible]]'',<ref>''The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible: The Creation.'' 1987. VHS. Hanna-Barbera</ref> ''[[Galtar and the Golden Lance]]'', ''[[Yogi's Treasure Hunt]]'', ''[[The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians]]'' and ''[[The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo]]'' debuted in 1984 and 1985.

Following ''[[Paw Paws]]'', ''[[Pound Puppies (1986 TV series)|Pound Puppies]]'', ''[[The Flintstone Kids]]'', ''[[Foofur]]'', ''[[Wildfire (1986 TV series)|Wildfire]]'', ''[[Sky Commanders]]'' and ''[[Popeye and Son]]'' arrived in 1986 and 1987. After its financial troubles affected Hanna-Barbera, the [[American Financial Group|American Financial Corporation]] acquired Taft in 1987 and renamed it Great American Broadcasting.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=Taft Television & Radio Company IDs |url=https://avid.wiki/Taft_Television_%26_Radio_Company_IDs |website=Audiovisual Identity Database}}</ref> ''[[A Pup Named Scooby-Doo]]'', ''[[The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley]]'', ''[[Fantastic Max]]'', ''[[The Further Adventures of SuperTed]]'' and ''[[Paddington Bear (TV series)|Paddington Bear]]'' followed in 1988 and 1989.

Hanna-Barbera Poland, a [[Poland|Polish]] branch of the company, opened up and dealt with the promotion and distribution of the studio's animated content and is most well known for releasing VHS tapes with Polish music distributor P.P. Polskie Nagrania, which mostly consisted of numbered compilation releases of Hanna-Barbera shows on one tape. This would last until 1993, when the company separated and reincorporated itself as Curtis Art Productions.

Great American sold Worldvision to [[Spelling Television|Aaron Spelling Productions]], while Hanna-Barbera and its library remained with them. Hanna-Barbera split off from Worldvision Home Video in early 1989 to start out its own home video division, Hanna-Barbera Home Video.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=McGowan |first=Chris |date=March 4, 1989 |title=No Kidding: Hanna-Barbera Aims for No. 2 |pages=65 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1989/1989-03-04-Billboard-Page-0065.pdf |access-date=October 8, 2023}}</ref> In January 1989, while working on ''A Pup Named Scooby-Doo'', [[Tom Ruegger]] got a call from [[Warner Bros.]] to resurrect its animation department.<ref name="WBA">{{Cite web |last=Caps |first=Johnny |date=September 11, 2018 |title=The Flashback Interview: Tom Ruegger |url=https://popgeeks.com/the-flashback-interview-tom-ruegger/ |access-date=August 20, 2020 |website=popgeeks.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

Ruegger, along with several of his colleagues, left Hanna-Barbera at that time to develop ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' at Warner Bros.<ref name="WBA" /> [[David Kirschner]], known for ''[[An American Tail]]'' and ''[[Child's Play (1988 film)|Child's Play]]'', was later appointed as the studio's new CEO.<ref>[https://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-7746020.html David Kirschner named new head of Hanna-Barbera Productions; founders Hanna and Barbera to assume roles as studio co-chairmen. (William Hanna, Joseph Barbera)]</ref> Later that year, the company had a licensing agreement with MicroIllusions, a video game publisher, to produce video games based on its properties, namely ''Jonny Quest'' and others.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kunkel |first=Bill |date=November 1989 |title=From Cartoons to Computer |pages=114–118 |work=[[Video Games & Computer Entertainment]] |url=https://archive.org/details/video-games-computer-entertainment-november-1989/page/n114/mode/1up |access-date=October 8, 2023}}</ref>

In 1990, while Kirschner and the company formed Bedrock Productions<ref>{{cite news |title=Hanna-Barbera Follows Disney Map |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/09/business/hanna-barbera-follows-disney-map.html |date=January 9, 1990 |work=[[The New York Times]]  |access-date=December 28, 2016 |first=Michael |last=Lev}}</ref> and Great American putting Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears up for sale, ''[[Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone]]'', ''[[Gravedale High|Rick Moranis in Gravedale High]]'', ''[[Tom & Jerry Kids]]'', ''[[Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (1990 TV series)|Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda]]'' and ''[[Wake, Rattle, and Roll]]'' debuted that year. ''[[The Pirates of Dark Water]]'', ''[[Yo Yogi!]]'' and ''[[Young Robin Hood]]'' would follow in 1991.

===Acquisition by Turner Broadcasting System and absorption into Warner Bros. Animation (1991–2001)===
[[Turner Broadcasting System]] outbid [[MCA Inc.|MCA]] (then-parent company of [[Universal Pictures]]), [[Hallmark Cards]] and other major companies in acquiring Hanna-Barbera while also purchasing Ruby-Spears as well.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} The two companies were acquired in a 50-50 joint venture between Turner Broadcasting System and [[Apollo Global Management|Apollo Investment Fund]] for $320&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news |title=TBS Buys Animator Hanna-Barbera Library for $320 Million |location=Atlanta |work=Associated Press |date=October 29, 1991 |url=https://apnews.com/e4b7fe7b58573927b9188329b6cd66c1 |access-date=May 22, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=TBS Buys Animator Hanna-Barbera Library for $320 Million |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=October 29, 1991 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-10-30-fi-565-story.html |access-date=December 14, 2019}}</ref> Turner purchased these assets to launch a then-new all-animation network aimed at children and younger audiences.

[[Scott Sassa]] hired [[Fred Seibert]] to head Hanna-Barbera, who filled the gap left by Great American's crew with new animators, directors, producers and writers, including [[Craig McCracken]], [[Donovan Cook]], [[Genndy Tartakovsky]], [[David Feiss]], [[Seth MacFarlane]], [[Van Partible]] and [[Butch Hartman]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Peter Vidani |url=https://fredseibert.com/post/68958612/what-a-cartoon-video-frame-grabs |title=What A Cartoon! Frame Grabs |publisher=Fredseibert.com |access-date=November 5, 2018}}</ref> After being newly named as '''H-B Production Co.''', ''[[Capitol Critters]]'' and ''[[Fish Police (TV series)|Fish Police]]'' followed in 1992. [[Cartoon Network]] launched on October 1st of that year, and became the first 24-hour all-animation channel, to air its library of cartoon classics, of which Hanna-Barbera was the core contributor.<ref>{{cite news |title=THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Turner Broadcasting Plans To Start a Cartoon Channel |work=The New York Times |date=February 19, 1992 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/19/business/the-media-business-turner-broadcasting-plans-to-start-a-cartoon-channel.html?scp=24&sq=Hanna-Barbera&st=cse |access-date=August 17, 2010 |first=Bill |last=Carter}}</ref>

In 1993, the company again renamed itself to '''Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc.''' (though the Hanna-Barbera Productions name was still used in regards to the pre-1992 properties) and, while Turner acquired its remaining interests from Apollo Investment Fund for $255&nbsp;million,<ref>{{cite news |title=COMPANY NEWS; TURNER BUYS REMAINING 50% STAKE IN HANNA-BARBERA |work=The New York Times |date=December 30, 1993 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/193/12/30/business/company-news-turner-buys-remaining-50-stake-in-hanna-barbera.html?scp=5&sq=Hanna-Barbera&st=cse |access-date=August 17, 2010}}</ref> ''[[2 Stupid Dogs]]'', ''[[Droopy, Master Detective]]'', ''[[Captain Planet and the Planeteers|The New Adventures of Captain Planet]]'' and ''[[SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron]]'' debuted that year. Turner refocused the studio to produce new shows exclusively for its networks.

In 1995, while Bruce Johnson would leave the company,<ref>{{Cite web|title=PORCHLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT SET UP|url=https://www.telecompaper.com/news/porchlight-entertainment-set-up--49098|access-date=November 23, 2021|website=www.telecompaper.com|language=en}}</ref> ''[[Dumb and Dumber (TV series)|Dumb and Dumber]]'' debuted, while Seibert launched ''[[What a Cartoon!]]'' for Cartoon Network. During 1996, ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'', ''[[The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest]]'' and ''[[Cave Kids]]'' debuted, while Turner merged with [[WarnerMedia|Time Warner]] (now [[Warner Bros. Discovery]]). While ''[[Johnny Bravo]]'' and ''[[Cow and Chicken]]'' aired, the Hanna-Barbera studio faced demolition after many of its staff vacated the facilities in 1997, despite the efforts of preserving it.

In 1998, following ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]'', Hanna-Barbera moved from Cahuenga Blvd. to [[Sherman Oaks Galleria]] in [[Sherman Oaks, California]], where Warner Bros. Animation was located. ''[[I Am Weasel]]'' would be its final show in 1999. After the company's absorption into Warner Bros. Animation,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Natale |first1=Richard |last2=Schneider |first2=Michael |title=Cartoon giant Barbera dies |url=https://variety.com/2006/digital/markets-festivals/cartoon-giant-barbera-dies-1117956009/ |website=Variety |access-date=May 12, 2018 |date=December 18, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/121906dnentbarberaobit.1e1b331.html |title=Cartoon creator Joe Barbera dies |access-date=August 16, 2008 |date=December 18, 2006 |publisher=Dallas Morning News/[[Associated Press|AP]] |archive-date=February 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225023220/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/121906dnentbarberaobit.1e1b331.html}}</ref> Hanna died of throat cancer on March 22, 2001, at the age of 90 years old.

===Aftermath and Barbera's final years (2001–2006)===
[[File:Hanna-Barbera Logo.svg|thumb|Logo used on Warner Bros.-branded Hanna-Barbera material since 2001]]
While [[Cartoon Network Studios]] took over production of programming,<ref>{{cite web |title=National Archives Catalog |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10443937 |access-date=May 14, 2018 |archive-date=May 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515043835/https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10443937 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the [[Los Angeles City Council]] approved a plan to preserve the Cahuenga Blvd. headquarters in May 2004, while allowing retail and residential development on the site.<ref name="latimes-hb-complex">{{cite news |last1=Biederman |first1=Patricia Ward |title=Agreement Reanimates Historic Hanna-Barbera Complex |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jun-07-me-cartoon7-story.html |access-date=March 4, 2019 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=June 7, 2004}}</ref>

Barbera died of natural causes on December 18, 2006, at the age of 95.<ref name="Dallas Morning News">{{cite web |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/121906dnentbarberaobit.1e1b331.html |title=Cartoon creator Joe Barbera dies |access-date=August 16, 2008 |date=December 18, 2006 |work=Dallas Morning News |agency=[[Associated Press|AP]]|url-status=dead |archive-date=February 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225023220/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/121906dnentbarberaobit.1e1b331.html}}</ref> Warner Bros. Animation continues to produce new productions based on the Hanna-Barbera properties since then.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sciretta |first1=Peter |title=The Next Scooby-Doo Movie Will Launch a Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe [CinemaCon 2016] |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/hanna-barbera-cinematic-universe/ |website=/Film |access-date=June 26, 2019 |date=April 12, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Nolan |first1=L.D. |title=Is There a Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe In the Works? |url=https://www.cbr.com/hanna-barbera-cinematic-universe/ |website=CBR.com |access-date=June 26, 2019 |date=March 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=McNary |first1=Dave |title=Scooby-Doo Animated Movie Moves Back Two Years to 2020 |url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/animated-scooby-movie-moves-back-2020-1202408718/ |access-date=January 31, 2018 |work=Variety |date=May 3, 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/anitmated-jetsons-movie-sausage-party-director-1202444840/ |title=Animated 'Jetsons' Movie Lifting off With 'Sausage Party' Director |last=McNary |first=Dave |work=Variety |date=January 23, 2015 |access-date=May 25, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/402671-the-jetsons-planned-as-animated-feature |title=The Jetsons Planned as Live Action Feature |last=Lesnik |first=Silas |work=[[ComingSoon.net]] |date=January 23, 2015 |access-date=January 23, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2015/01/the-jetsons-animated-feature-warner-brothers-1201356816/ |title=Warner Bros Plots 'The Jetsons' Animated Feature; Matt Lieberman Writing |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=January 23, 2015 |access-date=January 23, 2015}}</ref><ref name=WBVariety>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/tom-and-jerry-scooby-doo-tim-story-warner-animation-1202978052/ |title='Tom and Jerry,' 'Scooby-Doo' Movies Land Top Talent at Warner Animation Group (EXCLUSIVE) |first1=Justin |last1=Kroll |date=October 15, 2018 |work=Variety}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2019/04/18/get-to-know-hanna-barbera-beyond |title=Get to Know Hanna-Barbera Beyond |access-date=April 14, 2016 |date=November 26, 2016 |publisher=[[DC Comics]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbr.com/dcs-heroes-to-crossover-with-hanna-barbera-in-march-annuals/ |title=DC'S HEROES & HANNA-BARBERA CREATIONS TO CROSSOVER IN MARCH ANNUALS |website=Comic Book Resources |first=Anthony |last=Couto |date=December 12, 2016|access-date=December 13, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Ramachandran|first=Naman|date=April 7, 2021|title=WarnerMedia Reinstates Iconic Hanna-Barbera Brand With London-based European Studio|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/global/warnermedia-hanna-barbera-studio-europe-1234945602/|access-date=April 7, 2021|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref>