Honouring Hanna-Barbera. On Why This Legacy Still Resonates.

Before streaming and before cable carved up the weekend, one studio defined TV animation. As a lifelong fan, it’s bittersweet to see Hanna-Barbera living on mostly through MeTV than in the mainstream. Their influence on the toons we see today like Wylde Park and Oh My God… Yes! still colours everything we watch. The fact their name is not forgotten says it all.

While some of their vast catalogue of toons do not stand the test of time, others do. I tried watching The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan again recently and ouch. The same can be said with Hong Kong Phooey. They used stereoteypes that would not be tolerated today. That said, Top Cat is beloved and actually holds up. But as for others, it’s based on personal taste.

The Golden Age

When Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera launched their independent studio in 1957, they reshaped how animation could work on television. Their cost-saving “limited animation” approach made series economically viable without sacrificing character or charm. The Ruff and Reddy Show led the charge, but it was Huckleberry Hound and Quick Draw McGraw that cemented the formula. The true breakthrough arrived with The Flintstones—a primetime sitcom that proved cartoons weren’t just for kids. When it became a live-action movie, we all knew why it was done: to reignite interest among adults rather than make new fans.

By the early 70s, success had a template. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! was a smash, and variations followed—Josie and the Pussycats, Speed Buggy, Jabberjaw—teams of teens, a mascot, and a weekly mystery. It was comfortable and fun. Kids didn’t really care that the same idea was repeated in another IP. The Funky Phantom was an underappreciated classic that was essentially Scooby with Sebastian from Josie in tow.

Another standout was Super Friends, which gave DC’s heroes a weekly perch and introduced a generation to capes and teamwork long before modern cinematic universes. Scooby never really left the cultural conversation either; the franchise’s staying power is undeniable. That’s because everyone still considers the original numero uno. The only other series that’s made the grade in the modern era is Scooby-Doo, Mystery Inc. When Warner Bros. became involved, the executives were smart enough to honour the formula.

The Struggles of the 80s and 90s

The 80s brought a new kind of Saturday morning: glossy, toy-driven epics with muscular animation and serialized plots. Sunbow and Marvel Productions rolled out G.I. Joe and Transformers; Filmation delivered He-Man and She-Ra; Rankin/Bass gave us ThunderCats. Against that wave, Hanna-Barbera’s lighter fare looked dated. The Smurfs was a welcome hit, but it wasn’t born in-house. Newer shows—The Snorks, Shirt Tales, Paw Paws—couldn’t quite capture the zeitgeist.

The 90s reframed the brand. Turner Broadcasting acquired Hanna-Barbera, primarily to preserve and programme its vast library. That archive helped launch Cartoon Network, where classic H-B shorts shared space with bold new originals. The studio’s infrastructure and talent pipeline quietly seeded the next generation—Dexter’s Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, The Powerpuff Girls.

Why Hanna-Barbera Still Matter

Today, Hanna-Barbera lives on through revivals, crossovers, and affectionate parodies. The characters endure; the studio, as an active creative force, does not. For fans, that stings. Yet their contributions are foundational: without H-B’s experiments in TV-first animation, there’s no Cartoon Network, no shared Saturday morning language, no endless rerun ecosystem to inspire generations of artists.

But sadly, while those days are long gone, what we have now are streaming services that can run the material non-stop, along with other Warner classics. MeTV is at the forefront, but since this service is only available in the USA, only time will tell if licenses can be made to broadcast their content globally on regional networks For collectors or nostalgic fans wanting to relive that magic, The Hanna-Barbera Treasury (Abrams Books, 2007) remains one of the best visual retrospectives ever printed on the studio’s legacy.

As for what ‘s on television, fans have The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball. This series been running strong since its debut in early October. It’s been developed by Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe (formerly known as Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe). Anyone wanting blast of the past will be thrilled, and as for what’s next, this production house is rebooting The Powerpuff Girls!