“The Brilliant Invention of the Five O’Clock Shadow”

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It’s been a well documented how Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera saved the dying art of animation by finding ways to make it possible on a television budget.  But here’s one aspect you probably never noticed or at least never understood.  The real genius behind limited animation is the need for a shave.  Yep.  Ever noticed how Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble, George Jetson and Officer Dibble always seem to have a five-o’clock shadow?  Now look at the animal cartoon characters.  Yogi, Boo Boo, Quick Draw, Huck, Dino,  and on and on, all have muzzles or snouts of a different color.  Genius!  Why?  Think about this. How much of a TV cartoon is actual action and how much is characters talking?  And like they say, talk is cheap!

By giving the human and animals a distinct “mouth zone” Hanna and Barbera were able to have the characters’ head on a separate cel level and not have to re-draw it over and over.  The top cel level would contain just the mouth movements.  This enables countless dollars to be saved when characters are in dialogue scenes.  But once the action starts, all bets are off!

So next time you see a cartoon character who needs a shave, think about a world without TV cartoons.  Yikes!  Thank goodness for Hanna, Barbera and stubble!

“The Brilliant Invention of the Five O’Clock Shadow”
Essay #11 (of 15)
Original essay written by Bill Burnett, Creative Director, Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, 1993-1996