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| Joe Ruby | |
|---|---|
| Name | Joseph Clemens Ruby |
| Birth date | March 30, 1933 |
| Birth place | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Death date | August 26, 2020 |
| Death place | Westlake Village, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Animator, writer, producer |
| Years active | 1949–2020 |
Joe Ruby was an American animator, writer, producer, and co-founder of an influential animation studio. He co-created landmark television franchises and characters that became staples of American television programming and animation studios from the 1960s onward. His work intersected with major figures and companies in Hollywood, shaping animated storytelling across Saturday morning television, syndication, and merchandising.
Born in Los Angeles, California, Ruby grew up amid the entertainment industry near Hollywood and the studios of Warner Bros., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and RKO Pictures. He attended local schools and developed early interests in cartooning and storytelling influenced by the comics of Walt Disney, the theatrical shorts of Tex Avery, and the feature work of Chuck Jones. Ruby's formative years coincided with the postwar expansion of American television, the rise of NBC, CBS, and ABC, and the growing prominence of animation in broadcast schedules.
Ruby began his career as an inbetweener and storyboard artist at studios like Disney and later at Hanna-Barbera, where he worked alongside animators and writers from MGM Cartoons and the transitional workforce moving between film studios and television. Early collaborations placed him with veteran figures from Looney Tunes and emergent talents from television animation, contributing to series linked to Fred Flintstone-era production cycles and the evolving practices at Screen Gems and King Features Syndicate. He established professional ties with colleagues who had worked on properties tied to Columbia Pictures and Paramount Pictures television divisions.
At Hanna-Barbera Productions, Ruby partnered with fellow writer and producer Ken Spears, forming a creative team embedded in series development for CBS, ABC, and NBC. The duo later left Hanna-Barbera and co-founded Ruby-Spears Productions with backing from the Taft Broadcasting Company and support from executives connected to ABC Entertainment and Marvel Productions. Ruby-Spears became known for producing animated programs for DiC Entertainment-era markets and syndication deals with distributors tied to Worldvision Enterprises and other television syndicators.
Ruby co-created enduring television franchises and characters that crossed into merchandising, comic books, and international distribution through partnerships with companies like Mattel, Hasbro, and DC Comics. Notable series developed or produced under his stewardship include ensemble mysteries and adventure shows that joined the pantheon of Saturday morning television alongside franchises associated with Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, and animated detective tropes traceable to screenwriting traditions from Ray Palmer-style pulps and detective fiction adaptations. His programs featured recurring archetypes popularized in American animation and licensed widely by broadcasters such as Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon in later rerun cycles.
In later decades Ruby remained active as a consultant and producer, advising studios and networks on animated series development with links to Warner Bros. Animation, Sony Pictures Television, and revival projects associated with classic properties. His creative footprint influenced subsequent generations of animators at institutions like CalArts alumni circles and production houses involved with television animation resurgence in the 1990s and 2000s. Industry recognition included acknowledgments from organizations such as the Annie Awards community and retrospectives at Comic-Con International and museum exhibitions focused on television history.
Ruby lived in California and maintained relationships with collaborators from Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears Productions, as well as peers in the broader animation community tied to studios like Filmation and Rankin/Bass. He died in Westlake Village, California on August 26, 2020, leaving a legacy preserved in archives held by institutions and broadcasters including The Paley Center for Media and collections documenting the evolution of American television animation.
Category:1933 births Category:2020 deaths Category:American animators Category:Television producers from California