Ruby-Spears

Ruby-Spears, formally known as Ruby-Spears Enterprises and also referred to as Ruby-Spears Productions, was an American entertainment company specializing in animated television production. It was founded in 1977 by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, two writers, producers, and former Hanna-Barbera staff members whose earlier work included the development of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. The company became one of the notable independent animation suppliers to American broadcast television during the expansion of Saturday-morning programming. Ruby and Spears began their careers at Hanna-Barbera as sound editors before moving into story development and writing. Their work on programs such as Space Ghost and The Herculoids led to broader production responsibilities. In 1969, they were assigned to develop a mystery-oriented cartoon for the Saturday-morning schedule. That project became Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, a major television property that established their reputation. After leaving Hanna-Barbera, the pair worked at DePatie–Freleng Enterprises on projects including The Barkleys and The Houndcats, before forming their own studio. The company was initially established as a division of Filmways, which was later connected with Orion Pictures. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ruby-Spears operated in a television environment in which the three major American networks competed heavily for children's programming. ABC entertainment executive Fred Silverman supported the creation of a supplier that could provide an alternative to Hanna-Barbera, then the dominant producer of Saturday-morning animation. Ruby and Spears were also involved in network programming oversight during this period, while their studio developed series for broadcast distribution. The company's output covered a broad range of formats and licensed concepts. Its credits included original adventure, science-fiction, fantasy, comedy, and superhero properties, as well as adaptations and tie-ins based on existing entertainment brands. Notable productions included Fangface, The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show, Thundarr the Barbarian, Rubik, the Amazing Cube, the 1983 animated version of Alvin and the Chipmunks, Mister T, Sectaurs, Centurions, the 1988 Superman series, Police Academy: The Animated Series, and the American Mega Man cartoon. Thundarr the Barbarian was identified by the founders as a particular favorite among their productions. Ruby-Spears also participated in work beyond conventional television series. The company produced an animated sequence for the 1988 feature film Child's Play and reused that concept as a fictional commercial in Child's Play 3. It maintained a branch in Rome, Italy, in addition to its Burbank headquarters. Some of its later productions used international production arrangements, and only a small number of its pre-1991 programs were identified as using Canadian rather than American voice talent. In 1981, the company was sold to Taft Broadcasting and became a sister company to Hanna-Barbera. In 1991, Ruby-Spears was separated into RS Holdings. Much of the pre-1991 library was sold together with Hanna-Barbera to Turner Broadcasting System. Turner subsequently became part of Time Warner, now associated with Warner Bros. Discovery. The Ruby-Spears studio closed in 1996 after approximately nineteen years of operation. Ownership of the library has since been divided among several corporate rights holders, with much of the pre-1991 catalog associated with Warner Bros., while individual later properties and selected earlier programs are held or distributed by other companies.

Joe Ruby and Ken Spears entered the American animation industry through technical and editorial work at Hanna-Barbera. Both initially served as sound editors, but they later moved into story writing and program development. Their credits included work on series such as Space Ghost and The Herculoids. Their most consequential early assignment came in 1969, when they were asked to devise a mystery cartoon for Saturday-morning television. The resulting series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, became a durable television franchise and established the pair as important creative figures in animation. Ruby and Spears eventually left Hanna-Barbera, in part because they wanted greater advancement and production responsibility. They subsequently wrote and produced for DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, including work connected with The Barkleys and The Houndcats. In 1977, they founded Ruby-Spears Enterprises, also known as Ruby-Spears Productions. The studio was created as a Filmways division and was intended to strengthen competition in the rapidly expanding market for children's television animation. ABC entertainment president Fred Silverman was concerned that Hanna-Barbera supplied a large share of programming for all three major networks and supported the development of another production source. Ruby-Spears' first production was The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy. During its operating life, the studio built a varied television catalog. It produced original concepts such as Fangface, Thundarr the Barbarian, Sectaurs, and Centurions, as well as programs derived from comic-book, film, toy, and other entertainment properties. The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show expanded the company's superhero work, while Rubik, the Amazing Cube and the 1983 version of Alvin and the Chipmunks represented more comedy-oriented and character-driven programming. Other notable credits included Mister T, the Police Academy animated series, the 1988 Superman series, and the American Mega Man cartoon. The company also developed projects that were never completed or released as established series. These included Roxie's Raiders, an adventure serial centered on a female explorer; Golden Shield, a post-apocalyptic story involving an ancient Mayan hero; and The Gargoids, in which scientists acquire superhuman abilities after exposure to an extraterrestrial virus. Such proposals illustrate the studio's interest in action, science fiction, fantasy, and adventure concepts beyond its completed television catalog. In late 1981, Ruby-Spears was acquired by Taft Broadcasting. The transaction made it a sister company to Hanna-Barbera, the studio whose production dominance had helped motivate Ruby-Spears' creation. Joe Ruby and Ken Spears also held network programming responsibilities at ABC during part of this period, supervising Saturday-morning programming while their company continued to generate series for the television market. Ruby-Spears maintained its principal base in Burbank, California, and operated an additional branch in Rome, Italy. The studio's work was not limited to episodic television. It created an animated sequence for the 1988 film Child's Play and later used the sequence as a fictional commercial in Child's Play 3. The company generally used American voice talent in its cartoons, although Police Academy: The Animated Series and Piggsburg Pigs! were identified as exceptions among pre-1991 productions, using Canadian voice talent instead. A corporate reorganization in 1991 separated Ruby-Spears into RS Holdings. Much of the library made before that year was sold together with Hanna-Barbera to Turner Broadcasting System. Turner later became part of the corporate structure that led to Time Warner, now Warner Bros. Discovery. The Ruby-Spears studio itself closed in 1996, ending approximately nineteen years of production activity. Rights to the catalog subsequently became fragmented. Warner Bros. controls much of the pre-1991 library through Warner Bros. Animation, while specific properties have been associated with StudioCanal, Universal Television, The Walt Disney Company, WildBrain, Shochiku, or other rights holders. The post-1991 library does not appear to have a single clearly documented owner, with certain titles constituting exceptions. Joe Ruby died on August 26, 2020, at age 87. Ken Spears died on November 6, 2020, at age 82, from complications related to Lewy body dementia. Their combined legacy includes both the creation of Scooby-Doo before Ruby-Spears was founded and the establishment of a production company that contributed substantially to American television animation during the late twentieth century.

• 1996

  Studio closure

  [1]Ruby-Spearsen.wikipedia.org

  Ruby-Spears ceased studio operations after nineteen years.

• 1991

  Spin-off into RS Holdings

  [1]Ruby-Spearsen.wikipedia.org

  The company was reorganized as RS Holdings, while parts of its earlier catalog moved through the Hanna-Barbera library transaction.

• 1981

  Acquisition by Taft Broadcasting

  [1]Ruby-Spearsen.wikipedia.org

  Taft Broadcasting purchased the company, making it a sister company to Hanna-Barbera.

• 1977

  Ruby-Spears Enterprises founded

  [1]Ruby-Spearsen.wikipedia.org

  Ruby and Spears established their own animation production company as a division of Filmways.

• 1969

  Development of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

  [1]Ruby-Spearsen.wikipedia.org

  While working at Hanna-Barbera, Joe Ruby and Ken Spears developed the mystery cartoon concept that became Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!.

A creator-led American television animation studio positioned as an alternative supplier to the dominant Hanna-Barbera production system, with a catalog spanning original action-adventure concepts, comedy series, superhero adaptations, and licensed entertainment properties.

• Animated television series

  Thundarr the Barbarian

  An original science-fiction and fantasy adventure series set in a post-apocalyptic future. It followed Thundarr and his companions through a world populated by hostile forces, strange civilizations, and supernatural threats. The series is especially associated with Ruby-Spears' action-oriented identity and was described by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears as their favorite Ruby-Spears production.

• Superhero animated series

  The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show

  A television animation package built around Plastic Man, the elastic superhero from DC Comics. Ruby-Spears combined superhero adventure with comedy-oriented storytelling, reflecting the studio's ability to adapt established comic-book characters for the Saturday-morning audience.

• Comedy and music animated series · 1983

  Alvin and the Chipmunks

  Ruby-Spears produced the 1983 animated version of the Alvin and the Chipmunks property. The series centered on the comic and musical adventures of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, and became one of the company's best-known licensed character productions.

• Superhero animated series · 1988

  Superman

  Ruby-Spears produced a Superman animated television series released in 1988. It extended the company's work in comic-book adaptations and translated the DC Comics hero's stories into a broadcast cartoon format.

• Comedy animated series

  Police Academy: The Animated Series

  An animated continuation of the Police Academy entertainment property. The series adapted the franchise's ensemble police-comedy format for television animation and was one of the pre-1991 Ruby-Spears productions identified as using Canadian voice talent.

• Video-game adaptation animated series

  Mega Man

  Ruby-Spears produced the American animated adaptation of the Mega Man video-game property. The program brought the game's robot-themed action characters and conflict structure to a serialized television-cartoon setting.

• Animated film sequence · 1988

  Child's Play animated sequence

  Ruby-Spears created an animated sequence for the 1988 feature film Child's Play. The sequence was later reused as a fictional commercial in Child's Play 3, demonstrating the studio's work outside regular television series production.

• 1996

  Closure of the production studioStrategy

  Background

  After the corporate separation and library transactions of the early 1990s, the original studio was nearing the end of its operating life.

  Action taken

  Ruby-Spears closed after nineteen years of operation.

  Aftermath

  Its catalog continued through a range of corporate rights holders, with much of the pre-1991 library associated with Warner Bros. and selected properties held by other companies.

  Source

• 1991

  Reorganization as RS HoldingsStrategy

  Background

  The company entered a later phase in which ownership and control of its production assets were separated from the original studio structure.

  Action taken

  Ruby-Spears was spun off into RS Holdings.

  Aftermath

  Much of the pre-1991 catalog was subsequently sold with Hanna-Barbera to Turner Broadcasting System, while rights to other programs became distributed among multiple owners.

  Source

• 1981

  Sale to Taft BroadcastingM&A

  Background

  Ruby-Spears had been created as a Filmways division during a period of intense competition for children's television programming.

  Action taken

  Taft Broadcasting acquired the company and operated it as a sister company to Hanna-Barbera.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition connected Ruby-Spears more closely with the major Hanna-Barbera production group while the studio continued producing animated television programs.

  Source

1. 1Ruby-Spearsen.wikipedia.org