Most famous for creating Scooby-Doo, Takamoto also had a hand in desigining Astro, Muttley, Penelope Pitstop, and apparently most Hanna-Barbera characters post 1961. Chances are if you were a kid and loved cartoons (especially at any point during the 70s), this guy shaped a small but distinctive part of your childhood.

Takamoto worked under the tutelage of Disney’s “nine old men,” the studio’s team of legendary animators responsible for its biggest full-length films before moving to Hanna-Barbera Studios in 1961. There he worked on cartoons for television, including “Josie and the Pussy Cats,” “The Great Grape Ape Show,” “Harlem Globe Trotters” and “The Secret Squirrel Show.”

Takamoto also created other famous cartoon dogs such as Astro from “The Jetsons” and Muttley, the mixed-breed that appeared in several Hanna-Barbera animations. He also directed the 1973 feature “Charlotte’s Web.”

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