Joseph Barbera (1911

Talk to Joseph Barbera

Have a conversation with this historical figure through AI

Biography

Joseph Roland Barbera was an American animator and cartoonist. He co-founded the animation studio Hanna-Barbera alongside William Hanna.

Timeline

The story of Joseph Barbera, told in moments.

1940 Event

Created Tom and Jerry with William Hanna at MGM. Their first short, "Puss Gets the Boot," earned an Oscar nomination. The cat-and-mouse pair would win seven Academy Awards.

Did you know Tom and Jerry would win seven Oscars? What made the cat-and-mouse dynamic so universal? Was partnering with Hanna instant chemistry?

1957 Event

MGM shut its animation studio. Hanna and Barbera went independent. They invented limited animation for television, producing The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo, and The Jetsons on tiny budgets.

How do you reinvent animation for television after MGM shuts down? Was limited animation a compromise or an innovation? Did going independent scare you or excite you?

1960 Life

The Flintstones became the first animated series to air in prime time. Ran for six seasons. A Stone Age family in Bedrock, sponsored by a cigarette company. Fred Flintstone smoked Winston on camera.

Was Fred Flintstone smoking Winston cigarettes as strange then as it seems now? Did creating the first prime-time cartoon feel groundbreaking? Was The Flintstones your proudest creation?

More from the Early 20th Century

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

b. 1917

Nelson Mandela

1918–2013

Francis Crick

1916–2004

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

1914–1988

Heinrich Himmler

1900–1945

Mark Twain

d. 1910

Mother Teresa

1910–1997

Queen Victoria

d. 1901

Explore what happened on the days that shaped Joseph Barbera's life. Today In History connects historical figures with the events, births, and deaths that defined their era. Browse all historical figures or explore today's events.