RIP Ken Spears Co Creator of Scooby-doo

[gaastra]

Rip scooby creator Ken Spears.

We just lost ruby the other half of ruby spears this year. We lost both in one year. Rip.

Scooby doo lost both of his creators in the same year!

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/sco ... TMl8VG1R9I

[Ben]

Like, that’s a real bummer to lose both in the same year, Scoob! RIP.

[Randall]

So, that's really the end of an era. The partners also had their own studio going for a number of years, producing shows like Thundarr the Barbarian.

I was lucky enough to see them both speak about creating Scoob at their Comic-Con panel in 2008.

[Dacey]

A huge blow for sure. I was watching classic Scooby-Doo just last night! The whole franchise has proven to be "comfort food' for me during all of the insanity this year.

Of course neither of them ever would've dreamed Scooby would still be a hit with kids 50 years after the first episode aired! Especially given the weird circumstances the series was created under--including the assassination of Bobby Kennedy playing a role, resulting in the demand for a cartoon that was non-violent. But obviously they struck gold, arguably outlasting even The Flintstones as far as pop culture goes.

[EricJ]

I was lucky enough to see them both speak about creating Scoob at their Comic-Con panel in 2008.

Any official confirmation on the theorized connection of whether the Mystery Inc. gang was "really" Dobie Gillis and his pals?

[droosan]

There was an informative Cartoon Research post on that subject by Jim Korkis, several months back.

Short version: yes .. though, the series pitch didn't start from that direction. Also, it seems that aspect was the result of a collaborative effort on the part of Ruby, Spears and CBS producer Fred Silverman.

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I was fond of Ruby-Spears' early solo effort FangFace as a kid (even though it was a thinly-disguised variation on Scooby Doo) .. I'd love to see FF get a Warner Archive release someday, as they'd done with R-S' Thundarr The Barbarian wayyy back when WA first started.

R-S' take on Heathcliff (paired with Dingbat) was likewise fun; IMO, every bit as enjoyable as DiC's later -- and better-known/more often-seen -- version.

And, of course, there was R-S' 1980s revival of The Chipmunks .. whose presence on home video can (unfortunately) be described as 'spotty', at best.

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RIP, Mr. Spears .. and Mr. Ruby. Thanks for many fun Saturday mornings.

[Daniel]

The Variety article made one mistake, Dynomutt and Dog Wonder are the same show; "Dynomutt, Dog Wonder".

So sad they both left us in the same year.