William Hanna was born in Melrose, New Mexico on July 14, 1910. Hanna initially studied to become a structural engineer but dropped out of college when the Depression struck the country. His talent for drawing led him to join the Harman-Ising animation studio in 1930 where he worked for seven years in the story and layout departments. After the establishment of the MGM animation unit, Hanna became one of its first staff members and directed many of the Captain and the Kids cartoons in 1938-39 with William Allen. 1938 was the first year he was paired with Joeseph Barbera working on Gallopin' Gals. Joseph Barbera was born in New York City in 1911. Barbera also found himself out of a job at the start of the Depression when he was a accountant for a law firm. Barbera then became associated with the Van Beruren Studio in 1932 after unsuccessfully working as a magazine cartoonist.

In 1957, when Hanna-Barbera Productions opened its doors, the two men developed a unique animation process that would revolutionize a cost efficient cartoon production season after season. Hanna's comedic timing and proficiency to manage the most creative talent complemented Barbera's strong animation and storytelling skills.

After the duo worked on Gallopin' Gals they collaborated again on Puss Gets the Boot, the first in the Tom and Jerry series in 1939 which originally used human characters instead of the familiar cat and mouse. The Tom and Jerry series was a huge success earning Hanna & Barbera 7 Academy Awards during the next 18 years in over 200 Tom and Jerry cartoons. During the 1940's, the duo then won critical acclaim when thier cartoon characters danced with Gene Kelly in the motion picture Anchors Away and Invitation to Dance, and with Esther Williams in the film Dangerous When Wet. Hanna-Barbera were now inseparable. They continued to design more cartoons (over 2000 characters) which include Huckleberry Hound, Yogi and Boo-Boo, the Flinstones, Jonny Quest, the Smurfs, and the canine we have grown to love, Scooby-Doo.

Whether you grew up in the 1940's or the 1980's, or in between, Hanna-Barbera probably played a memorable role in your childhood.