Artist Mitch O'Connell's funny Hanna Barbera commissions

NewImage
Mitch O'Connell says:

Back in 2003 I was asked by Warner Bros (who owns Hanna Barbera) to come up with my take on those great characters. I could choose from Atom Ant, Dastardly and Muttley, The Flintstones, The Herculoids, Hong Kong Phooey, Huckleberry Hound, Jabberjaw, The Jetsons, Josie and the Pussycats, Magilla Gorilla, Penelope Pitstop, Peter Potamus, Scooby-Doo, Secret Squirrel, Top Cat, Wacky Racers, Yogi Bear and a million more for my sketches. Out of all of those, they would pick the ones to turn into full color paintings. The plan was to use the images for merchandising, but sadly (for me at least) nothing ever came of it. I wish it had caught on, 'cause I could've keep drawing these guys all day long (and the paychecks weren't bad either)!

Gallery: The Greatest Hanna Barbera Art You NEVER Saw!

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

MORE: art • cartoons

More at Boing Boing

Ants and Stars: Bruce Sterling and Jasmina Tesanovic visit the Sardinia Radio Telescope in Italy

The Snowden Principle

allium

Jet-SOOOOON!
Editz

Wally Gator as a pimp is priceless.
http://profile.yahoo.com/M6366IDSJSRW7NL3Q52BYKCPNU William

Love the art, and I would have loved to have seen them cleaned up and colored, but…

I can’t say I’m surprised that AOL-Time-Warner-Globochem didn’t go for these.
- Jeremy Wilson
  
  You should be surprised – look up Frank Kozik’s work from the early 90′s. He made similar “interpretations” of Hanna Barberra work and did so with their full knowledge and permission.
  - WhyBother
    
    This was also with their full permission. At the same time, I think William is just expressing complete lack of surprise that they chose not to go with Yogi and Boo-Boo eating Ranger Smith, Betty Rubble in pasties, or the rest of the cheesecake for their promotional material. “Nice art, not the direction we want to go in for our advertizing, thanks and we’ll keep you in mind.” That sort of thing.
Jack Daniel

Wow, these are great.
benher

Mitch!! Don’t try and tell me I blew my chance to ask you for a Judy Jetson?!
http://www.facebook.com/mitch.oconnell Mitch O’Connell

William- I posted the ones that were picked to be made into finished paintings on my blog too. Feel free to take a peek-
http://mitchoconnell.blogspot.com/2012/06/greatest-hanna-barbera-paintings-you.html
http://www.facebook.com/mitch.oconnell Mitch O’Connell

PS For a 2012 M.O’C take on Popeye,,,
http://mitchoconnell.blogspot.com/2012/07/popeye-sailor-man.html