The Man From Hanna-Barbera

Ed Benedict (1912-2006) started with Walt Disney in 1930 but left three years later to work at Universal Studios as an animator with Walter Lantz Productions. His ultimate fame arose after joining Hanna-Barbera in 1957 to help create their first television series, The Ruff and Reddy Show. Benedict was responsible for designing the characters on many of Hanna-Barbera’s earliest and most popular series, including Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, The Flintstones, Quick Draw McGraw, and numerous others of the 1950s and 1960s, including the character design for the television show, Bewitched. His simple contour drawing approach captured each character's movements and expressions precisely. He left Hanna-Barbera at the end of the 1960s, but continued to do occasional projects for the studio, including background and layout advisor on one of Hanna-Barbera’s final cartoons, Johnny Bravo.

The Man of a Thousand Characters

 

Ed Benedict (1912-2006) was an American animator and layout artist best known for his concept work with Hanna-Barbera Productions. Benedict was recruited by former MGM animators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera in 1957 to provide character designs for their new animated television series, The Ruff & Reddy Show, and went on to create The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Huckleberry Hound, The Jetsons, and many others. Benedict left Hanna-Barbera at the end of the 1960s but did occasional projects for the studio. He created the animated character of Samantha for the opening of the Bewitched television series and later did background and layout on one of Hanna-Barbera’s final cartoons, Johnny Bravo. He signed many of his sketches with a cleverly hidden scribble, "EB," that was only visible to a select few at the time.