I love cartoons. They are reflections of our world, in an odd sort of way. Cartoons, really, are just making fun of humans. For the most part.
I mean, of course, a coyote isn’t dumb enough to drop a one-ton weight on its own head. But, leave it to a human.
Anyway, cartoons are a relief. Entertaining. Whimsical. Or, terribly violent, depending. But they are a grand part of the make-believe world. I have such great memories of being allowed to watch Saturday morning cartoons after a hard week at that Catholic grade school. Nun therapy.
One of the great pioneers in this world of cartooning was William Danby Hanna. He was born in 1910, in Melrose, of the place that would someday become New Mexico. He was one of seven kids, and by the time he had turned nine years old, the family had moved around like crazy. Not just little moves, but big moves, from New Mexico, to Oregon, to Utah, to California, and on. I bet he saw a lot of different things in all that hustling around.
But Hanna was one of the greats. He was probably the best cartoonist, along with Tex Avery. They were masters.
Hanna was half. He formed an extremely tight partnership with Joseph Barbera, and they created Hanna-Barbera Productions. The list of their creations goes on forever, including The Flintstones, The Huckleberry Hound Show, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, The Smurfs, and Yogi Bear.
Most of all, Hanna and Barbera were friends.
They created a lot of shows where strong friendships existed between characters, those partnerships always coming through in the end. In all, the Hanna–Barbera crew won seven Academy Awards and eight Emmy Awards. This included the 1960 award for The Huckleberry Hound Show. That was the first show where an Emmy was awarded to an animated series.
Boo-Boo, that little bear-sidekick in The Yogi Bear Show, was one of my favorites. “Hey, Boo-Boo. There’s a picnic basket, Boo-Boo.” I can hear Yogi’s voice as he was about to get them in another mess of trouble. Those friends. That make-believe world.
So there it is. This is the anniversary of William Hanna’s death date. He passed in 2001, at the age of 90, from esophageal cancer.
He paved the way for animation and what it is today. And I am forever grateful for a picnic basket full of memories. And then some.
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“Yabadabadoo.”
— Fred Flinstone
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“Jane. Stop this crazy thing.”
— George Jetson
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“I’m so smart it hurts.”
— Yogi Bear
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From Boo-Boo to Scooby Doo. Do.
