Animation pioneer Joe Barbera dies

December 19, 2006 Joe Barbera, half of the Hanna-Barbera animation team that produced such beloved cartoon characters as Tom & Jerry, Yogi Bear, the Flintstones and the Jetsons, died Monday, a Warner Bros. spokesman said. With partner Bill Hanna, Barbera first found success in the late 1930s creating the fussin' and fightin' Tom & Jerry cartoons at MGM. Then, as founders and partners in Hanna-Barbera Studios, they discovered a whole new realm of success starting in the 1950s with animated TV comedies including "The Flintstones," "The Jetsons," "Huckleberry Hound and Friends" (the first animated TV series to receive an Emmy), "Quick Draw McGraw" (which introduced Yogi, Boo-Boo and Jellystone Park), "Top Cat," "Jonny Quest" and "Scooby-Doo."

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