Hanna and Barbera

Hanna and Barbera are names synonymous with animation and have produced countless classic cartoon TV series since the 1950's. Watched by millions around the world, this wacky and entertaining bunch of characters, have entertained children and adults for years.

Allow FEMAIL to take you through a trip down memory lane with just a few characters from the classic HANNA BARBERA cartoon series.

>>>TOP CAT
Hanna Barbera's Top Cat premiered in 1961 and was inspired by hit 50's TV comedy series "The Phil Silvers Show". It ran for thirty episodes and remains one of the studios most popular and long-lasting creations. The character Top Cat is the sharp talking leader of a happy bunch of Manhattan alley cats - Fancy Fancy, Spook, Benny, Brain and Choo Choo who cause mischief and try to climb the social ladder albeit unsuccessfully.
Top Cat became such a phenomenon that a brand of cat food was named after it. Top Cat later reappeared with a host of other Hanna Barbera characters in "Yogi's Treasure Hunt."


>>>HONG KONG PHOOEY
Hong Kong Phooey first aired in 1974 and is the alter ego of mild mannered clumsy janitor Penry, who together with sidekick Spot, set about fighting the forces of evil. A fairly incompetent hero, Penry is apparently unaware that it is in fact Spot who saves the day as Phooey finds himself tied up in his own traps. As the name suggests, Hong Kong Phooey was inspired by the martial arts fad of the 70's.


>>>HAIR BEAR BUNCH
The Hair Bear Bunch is another classic Hanna Barbera cartoon series from the 70's. Hair Bear, Square Bear and Bubi Bear live in Cave Block Number Nine in the Wonderland Zoo. The freedom loving bears carry out a number of scams to fool Head Zoo Keeper Mr Peevly and his stubborn assistant Botch as they endeavour to continue their lavish lifestyle.


>>>WACKY RACES
Inspired by such movies as "Monte Carlo" and "The Great Race", those "way out Wacky Racers" brought laughter to millions of lounge rooms worldwide. With their insane autos, the eleven teams raced feverishly across all manner of terrain to secure that elusive win. Despite their cutthroat desire to win, only the devilish Dick Dastardly and his faithful sidekick Muttley resorted to foul tactics and diabolical scheming in an effort to defeat the other drivers.


>>>THE BANANA SPLITS
First aired in 1968, The Banana Splits Show was Hanna Barbera's first foray into live action and had a cult following. Originally co-created by Hanna Barbera and Sid and Marty Kroft, the series was initially going to be titled "The Banana Bunch". Based around four unusual looking animals, The Banana Splits Show involved the characters engaging in a lot of slapstick comedy. After the cancellation of the popular series, the Splits were briefly reunited to appear in a cartoon/live action television movie.


- Annemarie Failla