Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. (also called Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc., Hanna-Barbera Enterprises, Inc., or simply Hanna-Barbera), was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century. The company was originally formed in 1944 by MGM animation directors William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and live-action director George Sidney as Hanna-Barbera Enterprises in order to produce sponsored films and later television commercials.
Today, Hanna-Barbera is now an in-name-only unit of Warner Bros. Animation. After MGM shut down its animation studio in 1957, Hanna-Barbera Enterprises became Hanna and Barbera's full-time job, and the company was re-named Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1959.
Over the next three decades, Hanna-Barbera Productions produced many successful cartoon shows, including The Huckleberry Hound Show, The Flintstones, Top Cat, Tom and Jerry, The Yogi Bear Show, The Jetsons, Jonny Quest, Scooby-Doo, The Smurfs, and Wacky Races. In the mid-1980s, the company's fortunes declined somewhat after the profitability of Saturday morning cartoons was eclipsed by weekday afternoon syndication. In 1991, the company was purchased by Turner Broadcasting System.
Joe Barbera and Bill Hanna both went into semi-retirement, yet continued to serve as ceremonial figureheads for the studio. During the late 1990s, Turner turned Hanna-Barbera towards primarily producing new material for its Cartoon Network, which had been built around reruns from the Hanna-Barbera library, as well as Looney Tunes. In 1994, the company was renamed Hanna-Barbera Cartoons.