Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated American television animation for nearly three decades in the mid-to-late 20th century. It was formed in 1957 by former Metro Goldwyn Mayer animation directors William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and live-action director George Sidney in partnership with Columbia Pictures' Screen Gems television division. The company was sold to Taft Broadcasting in late 1966, and spent the next two decades as a subsidiary of the parent and its successors. For thirty years, Hanna-Barbera produced many successful animated shows, including The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, and The Smurfs, earning eight Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, among other merits. The company's fortunes declined in the mid-eighties after the profitability of Saturday morning cartoons was eclipsed by weekday afternoon syndication. Hanna-Barbera was purchased from Taft in late 1991 by Turner Broadcasting System, who used much of its back catalog to program its new channel, Cartoon Network.