Legendary cartoon writer and producer Joe Ruby has tragically passed away. Along with his creative partner Ken Spears, Ruby helped create classic Hanna-Barbera toons like Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? and Jabberjaw. He died of natural causes at 87.
Ruby met Ken Spears when the two were working at Hanna-Barbera, and an enduring partnership was born. They conceived of Scooby-Doo at the studio as a response to complaints about cartoon violence, and it’s hard to find a less objectionable premise than a group of teens debunking mysteries with a talking dog (Scrappy-Doo notwithstanding). The series took off, inspiring Ruby and Spears to keep following their passions.
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His work on Scooby-Doo will likely be his greatest legacy in the eyes of many, but Ruby’s resume reaches well beyond the creation of the iconic franchise. After making their mark with the show’s creation and subsequent explosion in popularity, the duo eventually left Hanna-Barbera before serving at several other studios over the years, always cranking out new shows everywhere they went.
Shows like The Barkleys and The Houndcats spawned from such ventures. While not quite reaching the heights of the mystery-solving Great Dane, many of Spears and Ruby’s other cartoons achieved a modest level of success, but the duo rarely stopped to bask in such things during their heyday. One project led to another, and the pair moved from studio to studio, before starting their own in 1977. Remember the original Alvin and the Chipmunks cartoon? Their studio, Ruby-Spears Productions, produced it. Other shows like 1983’s Mister T (which starred the eponymous mohawked man voicing himself) and the 1988 Superman cartoon followed suit, filling out an impressive repertoire for the studio. Their lineup also included Thundarr the Barbarian, which Ruby and Spears both considered their favorite of all the shows produced by Ruby-Spears.
In another fun fact about the studio, Ruby-Spears Productions was also responsible for the animated sequence featured in the 1988 film Child’s Play. This just goes to show how much of a staple they were behind the scenes during their decades-long prime. Ruby even worked with legendary comic book artist Jack Kirby on projects that, unfortunately, never seemed to get off the ground.
Joe Ruby leaves behind a lasting legacy that will surely outlive most organisms alive today, and possibly several trees. Aside from Ken Spears, who is still active today at the age of 82, Ruby is survived by his wife, Carole, of 63 years, as well as 4 children and 10 grandchildren. One such grandchild, Benjamin, gave a short but fitting statement on his grandfather’s life, saying “he never stopped writing and creating, even as he aged.” Sounds about right for the passionate creator.
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Source: Variety