Four-time Daytime Emmy nominee and co-creator of the popular animated children’s show Scooby-Doo, Joe Ruby (Daphne & Velma, Scoob!) has died in his Los Angeles home at the age of 87, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The news was announced by his grandson Ben Ruby.
Ruby was born in 1933 in Los Angeles. Following his graduation from Fairfax High School, he served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. Ruby eventually began working at Walt Disney Studios as an animator until he realized the many years and effort it would take to become a full-fledged animator. He later decided to shift his efforts to music editing, and eventually he became a freelance comic book artist until he was hired as a writer at Hanna-Barbera. In an interview, Ruby talked about his position at Hanna-Barbera, “They desperately needed people to write the short openings, closings, and 30-second bridges for the Huck Hound and Yogi Bear shows,” via The Hollywood Reporter.
It was at Hanna-Barbera that Ruby came in contact with Ken Spears (Fangface, Jabberjaw), where they both worked as staff writers. They soon created the acclaimed supernatural children’s show Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! which follows the adventures of a titular talking Great Dane and 4 human friends, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Velma. Ruby and Spears eventually became production partners, both co-founders of their production company Ruby-Spears Productions.
Together, the team created beloved TV show characters such as Scooby-Doo, Dynomutt, Jabberjaw, and Dog Wonder that will be talked about for years to come. Ruby is survived by his wife, 4 children, and 10 grandchildren.