First of all, I've been out of the loop for the past few days so I wasn't able to post about this when the news first broke, but for those who haven't yet heard, animation legend Ed Benedict passed away on August 28 at the age of 94. Casual cartoon fans may not recognize the name Ed Benedict, but they will recognize his contribution to television animation, as he was responsible for designing some of the original Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters such as Yogi Bear, The Flintstones, Quick Draw McGraw and Huckleberry Hound. It was Benedict's designs that made Hanna-Barbera's cartoons instantly recognizable. Before joining Hanna-Barbera in the latter half of the 1950s, Benedict worked at Disney before moving to TV commercials and eventually a gig at MGM with Tex Avery. Ren and Stimpy creator John K. was also an admirer of Benedict's work, and has a lovely tribute to the man over on his blog.