Artist

We wanted a world that looked like our world. In the original 'Flintstones,' low flat buildings filled the city and suburbs. Now, high-rise buildings and apartments exist next to the family neighborhoods. Part of the 'Flintstone' fun remains its parallel of our world.

We all can't stay busy doing exactly what we want to do.

'Tom and Jerry' seemed to be as well liked by adults as by children. 'The Flintstones,' of course, was geared more to adults, but I guess we were just lucky that the kids seemed to enjoy 'The Flintstones,' too.

You know, it is a funny thing, but 'The Flintstones' was bought by ABC and the sponsors when they discovered adults were watching and enjoying 'Huck Hound' and 'Quick Draw McGraw.'

You can compare Fred and Barney Rubble with Gleason and Carney.

We moved amazingly fast because our product was acceptable to a broad market: tots, teenagers, adults. Even to some people who never before liked cartoons. When we started we knew Disney already had the kids. So we figured we should be broader.

Our stuff is made strictly for fun. We're not out to give a message.

We're delighted that Freddie Flintstone and his friends have made such a hit. The comedy is not the old cartoon slapstick. Most of it is situation stuff and dialogue.

On the 'Tom and Jerry's,' Joe and I would sit across a desk from each other and develop the story. Joe would do the storyboard and I'd do the timing and the direction of the animation.

I started out with three creative jobs - painter, janitor and gag writer.

Initially, it was sort of devastating to lose full animation and go limited.

I saw one of the old 'Tom and Jerry' cartoons the other day. I hadn't seen it for 30 years and I didn't remember it. We made 160 of them! I thought it was a very funny cartoon.

Cartoons ran into trouble when they became too much like real life images. Cartoons had become poor imitations of the real thing.

In my opinion, animation will continue to thrive as long as there are children, parents, television, movies and the need to laugh.

You know that Yogi and Huckleberry didn't just belong to the kids. Grownups know all about our animal friends.

I think anything created today can be said to be a ripoff. It's hard to find anything original any more.

Disney did well with human characters but only in dramas, not comedy.

I think we had made 160 'Tom and Jerry' cartoons.

I was attracted to Joe right away. He was and is one of the greatest cartoon artists I've ever met. I was able to do the timing, and Joe with his draftsmanship could make the storyboards. There were things I could do that he couldn't and vice versa.

In 'Tom and Jerry,' there was hardly any dialogue at all. It was all action. It required a great many drawings to make.