Joe Ruby obit

'Scooby-Doo' co-creator Joe Ruby dead at 87

 He was not on the list.

Joe Ruby, the co-creater of "Scooby-Doo," died Wednesday of natural causes at 87, his grandson Benjamin confirmed to Variety and BBC News.

“He never stopped writing and creating, even as he aged,” the grandson said in a statement to the outlets.

In a statement to USA TODAY Thursday, Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation and Blue Ribbon Content, said Ruby "made Saturday mornings special for so many children, including myself."

"He was one of the most prolific creators in our industry who gifted us some of animation’s most treasured characters and it was a thrill to host him at our studio," the statement continued. "'Scooby-Doo' has been a beloved companion on screens for more than 50 years, leaving an enduring legacy that has inspired and entertained generations. We at Warner Bros. Animation have the privilege and honor of carrying on that legacy and send our warmest thoughts to his loved ones."

The animated series "Scooby-Doo" began in 1969 and featured five lovable characters (Velma, Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, and Shaggy's dog Scooby-Doo), who rode in their big green van, the Mystery Machine, to help solve mysteries. Ken Spears was a co-creator with Ruby.

The official "Scooby-Doo" Instagram account also confirmed Ruby's death via a tribute, an animation of the mystery-solving gang below the words "Joe Ruby 1993 - 2020." Later in lfie his oringal works lived on in shows and films such as Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders. 

"Thank you, Joe Ruby, for co-creating and giving the world one of the grooviest cartoons that continues to influence generations today and beyond," the caption read.

Others took to social media to pay tribute to the late animator.

Canadian radio and television personality Stu Jeffries tweeted a photo of the show's characters.

"Scooby Doo co-creator Joe Ruby passed away at 87. Funeral services will be attended by family, friends and those meddling kids," he wrote, referencing a popular phrase from the show.

Author Mark Rees thanks Ruby on Twitter for "the childhood memories."

"There are certain films and TV series (along with many books and comics) that I hold entirely responsible for my lifelong obsession with all things weird and wonderful," he continued. "I think Scooby-Doo is right up there with Ghostbusters, Dracula and, later, The X-Files."


Ruby studied art and began his career in animation at Walt Disney Productions in the inbetweening department, later moving over to editing. He later worked for a short time in live-action television editing before moving to Hanna-Barbera Productions, where he met Ken Spears. The two men teamed up to become writers for several animated and live-action television programs, both freelance and as on-staff writers, starting at Hanna-Barbera, before leaving the studio due to a wish to become associate producers. They also worked as writers for Sid and Marty Krofft Television Productions and DePatie–Freleng Enterprises.

For Hanna-Barbera, Ruby and Spears created Scooby-Doo, Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, and Jabberjaw, among other programs. At DePatie–Freleng, they created The Barkleys and The Houndcats. In the early 1970s, CBS president of children's programming Fred Silverman hired Ruby and Spears to supervise the production of CBS's Saturday morning cartoon lineup, a position they assumed at ABC when Silverman defected to that network.

Wanting to create competition for Hanna-Barbera, ABC set Ruby and Spears up with their own studio in 1977, as a subsidiary of Filmways. Ruby-Spears Productions produced animated series for Saturday mornings, among them Fangface, The Plastic Man Comedy-Adventure Hour, Thundarr the Barbarian, Saturday Supercade, Mister T, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and Superman, among others. Ruby-Spears was bought by Hanna-Barbera's parent company, Taft Entertainment, in 1981, and its back catalog was sold along with the Hanna-Barbera library and studio in 1991 to Turner Broadcasting. Current reissues of Ruby-Spears shows on DVD and digital platforms are therefore copyrighted by Hanna-Barbera Productions.

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1968–1969

17 episodes

 

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1966–1968

19 episodes

 

The Herculoids (1967)

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story bystory (1967)

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1967

1 episode

 

Editor

Loopy de Loop (1969)

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Editor (as Joseph Ruby)

TV Series

1970–1972

5 episodes

 

Mel Blanc, Bea Benaderet, Don Messick, Alan Reed, and Jean Vander Pyl in The Flintstones (1960)

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Editor

TV Series

1960–1963

54 episodes

 

Daws Butler, Don Messick, George O'Hanlon, Penny Singleton, Jean Vander Pyl, and Janet Waldo in The Jetsons (1962)

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Editor

TV Series

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4 episodes

 

Rancid Ransom

Editor (as Joseph Ruby)

Short

1962

 

The Yogi Bear Show (1961)

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Editor

TV Series

1961

31 episodes

 

Top Cat (1961)

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Editor

TV Series

1961

1 episode

 

Fee Fie Foes (1961)

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Editor (as Joseph Ruby)

Short

1961

 

Two Faced Wolf (1961)

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Editor (as Joseph Ruby)

Short

1961

 

Here, Kiddie, Kiddie (1960)

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Editor (as Joseph Ruby)

Short

1960

 

Creepy Time Pal (1960)

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Editor (as Joseph Ruby)

Short

1960