Animation pioneer Joseph Barbera, the artistic half of the Hanna/Barbera team, died on Monday at the age of 95.  In the 1930s Barbera, a skilled draftsman, teamed with director William Hanna (see 'Animation Giant William Hanna Dies') at the MGM studios where they created the Oscar-winning Tom & Jerry cartoons.  But it was after the demise of the studio system that the duo made its major contribution to animation with a series of half-hour TV programs beginning with their greatest success, The Flintstones, a stone-age parody of The Honeymooners that showcased their new approach, which featured limited animation that relied on verbal wit and clever catchphrases (Yabba, Dabba, Do!).

Before they were done Hanna/Barbera produced over 3000 half hour animated TV shows and introduced a galaxy of cartoon characters including The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Jonny Quest, Quick Draw McGraw, Atom Ant, Scooby-Doo, and Magilla Gorilla, to name just a few.