Aired: 1965 – 1972
Budget: $50,000 per episode
The most famous frenemies on-screen may be the notorious cat and mouse duo, Tom and Jerry. The Hanna-Barbera smash-hit was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that created 161 short movies from it.
Though the first series aired in 1940, it was developed into a television show in the sixties. “Tom and Jerry” had many different writers and directors throughout it’s running, but regardless of the show’s writer, the show was always a hit.
Lassie
Aired: 1954 - 1973
Budget: $3.25 million in total
Perhaps one of the most infamous fictional dogs, Lassie first appeared in a short story by Eric Knight. The Collie was given her own book, called "Lassie Come-Home," - which essentially landed her the television show "Lassie," that aired from 1954 to 1973.
The show was followed by a handful of other TV spin-offs, including the animated series, "The New Adventures of Lassie," which aired in 2014.
The Yogi Bear Show
Aired: 1959-1964
Budget: $125,000 per episode
One of Hanna-Barbera's greatest successes even though its run-time was considerably shorter than other shows, "The Yogi Bear Show" was an animated series that ran for only two seasons. The show told the story of the adventures of Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo Bear, his sidekick.
The show had two segments, Yakky Doodle and Snagglepuss. The show had several spinoffs and movie specials extending beyond the original 33 episodes.
The Flintstones
Aired: 1960 – 1966
Budget: $350,000 per episode
"The Flinstones" is one of the most popular cartoon television shows in history and the first animated series to have a prime-time slot on ABC. "The Flinstones" followed cavepeople in the Stone Age dealing with everyday problems.
Created by none other than Hanna-Barbera, the show featured the voices of some of animation's greatest such as Don Messick and Mel Blanc. The show was ranked the second-greatest animated TV show of all time by TV Guide. If that isn't an indication of its success, we don't know what is!
Felix the Cat
Aired: 1953 – 1961
Budget: $10,000 per episode
Before Mickey Mouse and Disney stole his success, Felix the Cat was the first animated character to have the same admiration as movie stars. "Felix the Cat" was a part of the silent film era, the black and white cat is one of the most recognizable cartoons in history.
Pat Sullivan, along with lead animator, Otto Messmer, kept the show going from 1929 to 1930, and in 1953 Felix cartoons began airing on American television. Felix has since starred in other television programs and two feature films.