Hanna-Barbera

Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. /ˈhænə ˌbɑːrˈbɛrə/ (simply known as Hanna-Barbera and also referred to as H-B Enterprises, H-B Production Company and Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc.) was an American animation studio founded in 1957 by former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animation directors and Tom and Jerry creators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. For more than three decades in the mid-20th century, it was a prominent force in American television animation.

The studio is known for creating a wide variety of popular animated characters and for 30 years, it produced a succession of cartoon shows, including The Flintstones, The Yogi Bear Show, The Jetsons, Wacky Races, ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and The Smurfs''. Hanna and Barbera together won seven Academy Awards, a Governors Award, eight Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their achievements and were also inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1993.

On December 29. 1966, with Hanna-Barbera firmly established as a successful company, Hanna, Barbera and original investor George Sidney sold it to Taft Broadcasting Co., which continued to operate the studio for the next quarter-century. Hanna-Barbera's fortunes declined in the mid-1980s when the profitability of Saturday morning cartoons was eclipsed by weekday afternoon syndication. In late 1991, the studio was purchased from Taft (by then renamed Great American Broadcasting) by Turner Broadcasting System, which used much of its back catalog as programming for its new channel, Cartoon Network.

After Turner purchased the company, Hanna and Barbera continued to serve as creative consultants and mentors. The studio became a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Animation in 1996 following Turner Broadcasting's merger with Time Warner, and was ultimately absorbed into Warner Bros. Animation in 2001. As of 2018, Warner Bros. uses the studio's brand to market properties and productions associated with the Hanna-Barbera library.