Ruby-Spears

Ruby-Spears Productions
Company type	Subsidiary (formerly)
Industry	Animation, Entertainment
Founded	1977
Founder	Joe Ruby, Ken Spears
Defunct	1996
Fate	Ceased operations; library sold to Turner Broadcasting System
Headquarters	Burbank, California, United States
Area served	United States, Italy (additional location in Rome)
Key people	Joe Ruby, Ken Spears
Products	Animated television series and films
Owner	Formerly Filmways, Taft Broadcasting; now mostly Warner Bros. Discovery
Parent	Filmways (1977–1981), Taft Broadcasting (1981–1991)

Ruby-Spears Productions—also referred to as Ruby-Spears Enterprises—was a U.S.-based entertainment production company established in 1977 by experienced writers and the original creators of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, Joe Ruby and Ken Spears. Focused primarily on animation, the company operated out of its main office in Burbank, California, with an additional location in Rome, Italy. The studio ceased operations in 1996.

History

Before founding their own studio, Ruby and Spears worked as sound editors at Hanna-Barbera, eventually transitioning into writing scripts for series such as Space Ghost and The Herculoids. Their breakthrough came in 1969 when they created the mystery-themed Saturday morning show Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. Seeking career growth, they departed Hanna-Barbera to pursue associate producer roles and subsequently collaborated with DePatie–Freleng Enterprises on titles like The Barkleys and The Houndcats.

Ruby-Spears was launched in 1977 as a subsidiary of Filmways (which later became Orion Pictures) and was acquired by Taft Broadcasting in 1981, aligning it alongside Hanna-Barbera as a sister entity. At that time, Ruby and Spears held executive positions at ABC overseeing Saturday morning programming. ABC Entertainment president Fred Silverman sought to foster competition against Hanna-Barbera’s dominance to uphold high quality standards. The company's inaugural production was The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy. Among its prominent series were Fangface, Goldie Gold and Action Jack, The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show, Thundarr the Barbarian, Rubik, the Amazing Cube, the 1983 iteration of Alvin and the Chipmunks, Mister T, Sectaurs, Centurions, the 1988 Superman cartoon, the animated adaptation of Police Academy, and the American version of the Mega Man show.

Several projects never reached production, including Roxie's Raiders, an adventure serial inspired by Indiana Jones; Golden Shield, centered on a Mayan hero; and The Gargoids, which featured scientists empowered by an alien virus.

Among their creations, Ruby-Spears regarded Thundarr the Barbarian as a favorite. Most of their productions prior to 1991 employed American voice actors, with exceptions being two Canadian-voiced programs: Police Academy: The Animated Series and Piggsburg Pigs!. Additionally, the company produced animated sequences for the 1988 film Child's Play and its 1991 follow-up.

In 1991, Ruby-Spears separated into RS Holdings. Its animation library up to that year was sold alongside Hanna-Barbera’s catalog to Turner Broadcasting System, which merged with Time Warner (currently operating as Warner Bros. Discovery) in 1996. After nearly two decades, Ruby-Spears shut down that same year. Presently, Warner Bros. holds ownership of most pre-1991 titles through Warner Bros. Animation, excluding certain properties such as Rambo: The Force of Freedom (held by StudioCanal), It's Punky Brewster (owned by Universal Television) and Piggsburg Pigs! (under The Walt Disney Company).

Rights to post-1991 productions vary: for example, ownership of Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa lies with WildBrain, while rights to Mega Man are held by Shochiku, and licensing for Skysurfer Strike Force is managed by Invincible Entertainment Group.

Founders Joe Ruby and Ken Spears both died in 2020 within months apart—Ruby passed away at age 87 due to natural causes, while Spears died at age 82 from complications associated with Lewy body dementia.

References

History

See also

References