Tom Ruegger
Encyclopedia
Tom Ruegger is an American animation writer, producer, and director.
, writing and producing various animated series, most notably The Snorks
, The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo
, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo
and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo
.
In 1989 he began working alongside Jean MacCurdy
and Steven Spielberg
at Warner Bros. Animation
to create and produce several animated series including Tiny Toon Adventures
, Animaniacs
, Pinky and the Brain
, Histeria!
, Batman: The Animated Series
, Freakazoid! and Road Rovers
.
In 2004, Ruegger started Tom Ruegger Production, a full-service animation studio. In 2006, Ruegger began developing, story-editing and serving as executive producer
on the 40-episode animated series Animalia
, based on the picture book by Graeme Base
. Along with Nicholas Hollander, he developed and story-edited another animated series entitled Sushi Pack
.
Ruegger has received fourteen Emmy Awards for his work in animation.
, Luke and Cody.
Nathan Ruegger provided the voice for the baby version of Plucky Duck
on Tiny Toon Adventures
, Skippy Squirrel on Animaniacs
and Froggo
on Histeria!
, whereas Luke provided the voice for the Flame and Bumpo Basset on Animaniacs
and Big Fat Baby on Histeria!
. Cody performed the voice of Little Blue Bird on Animaniacs
and Loud Kiddington on Histeria!
.
The Ruegger boys also are the primary inspiration behind the main characters in Animaniacs!, Yakko, Wakko and Dot. Tom Ruegger himself also made occasional cameos on his shows in caricature form, most notably as the recurring character of director Cooper DaVille in Tiny Toons.
Career
In the 1980s Ruegger worked for Hanna-BarberaHanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
, writing and producing various animated series, most notably The Snorks
The Snorks
Snorks is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera which ran on NBC from September 15, 1984 to May 13, 1989. Although not as popular as the animated series The Smurfs, the program continued to be available in syndication from 1986 to 1989, on the BBC in the late 1990s, and from...
, The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo
The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo
The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo is the seventh incarnation of the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby-Doo, and the final first-run version of the original 1969-86 broadcast run of the series. It premiered on and ran for one season on ABC as a half-hour program. Thirteen episodes of the show...
, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo
Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo
Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo can refer to several versions of Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo Saturday morning cartoon series:* Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo : half-hour episodes originally broadcast during the 1979 - 1980 television season...
and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo
A Pup Named Scooby-Doo
A Pup Named Scooby-Doo is the eighth incarnation of the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby-Doo. This spin-off of the original show was created by Tom Ruegger and premiered on September 10, 1988 and ran for three seasons on ABC as a half-hour program, until August 17, 1991...
.
In 1989 he began working alongside Jean MacCurdy
Jean MacCurdy
Jean MacCurdy is an American-born longtime animation/children's programming professional, best known for having worked at Hanna-Barbara, and for having presided over the Warner Bros...
and Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
at Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation is the animation division of Warner Bros., a subsidiary of Time Warner. The studio is closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters, among others. The studio is the successor to Warner Bros...
to create and produce several animated series including Tiny Toon Adventures
Tiny Toon Adventures
Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures, usually referred to as Tiny Toon Adventures or simply Tiny Toons, is an American animated television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. It began production as a result of Warner Bros....
, Animaniacs
Animaniacs
Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs, usually referred to as simply Animaniacs, is an American animated series, distributed by Warner Bros. Television and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The cartoon was the second animated series produced by the collaboration of Steven...
, Pinky and the Brain
Pinky and the Brain
Pinky and the Brain is an American animated television series.The characters Pinky and the Brain first appeared in 1993 as a recurring segment on the show Animaniacs...
, Histeria!
Histeria!
Histeria! is a 1998 American animated series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Unlike other animated series produced by Warner Bros. in the 1990s, Histeria! stood out as the most explicit edutainment program in order to meet FCC requirements for...
, Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated series based on the DC Comics character Batman. The series featured an ensemble cast of many voice-actors including Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Arleen Sorkin, and Loren Lester. The series won four Emmy Awards and was nominated...
, Freakazoid! and Road Rovers
Road Rovers
Road Rovers is an American 2D animated television series written and produced by Warner Bros. Animation that premiered on Kids' WB on September 7, 1996. It lasted one season and ended on February 22, 1997. Reruns continued to air until September 6, 1997. It was then on Cartoon Network from February...
.
In 2004, Ruegger started Tom Ruegger Production, a full-service animation studio. In 2006, Ruegger began developing, story-editing and serving as executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
on the 40-episode animated series Animalia
Animalia (TV series)
Animalia is an Australian children's television series based on the 1986 picture book of the same name by illustrator Graeme Base.-Development:...
, based on the picture book by Graeme Base
Graeme Base
Graeme Rowland Base is an Australian author and artist of picture books. He is perhaps best known for his second book, Animalia published in 1986, and third book The Eleventh Hour which was released in 1989....
. Along with Nicholas Hollander, he developed and story-edited another animated series entitled Sushi Pack
Sushi Pack
Sushi Pack is an American animated television series produced by DIC Entertainment and American Greetings, that aired on the KEWLopolis block on CBS November 3, 2007 - September 12, 2009...
.
Ruegger has received fourteen Emmy Awards for his work in animation.
Family life
Ruegger is married, and lives near Los Angeles, California. His wife is a successful marathon runner, and he has three sons: NathanNathan Ruegger
Nathan Ruegger is a screenwriter, the son of writer/producer/director Tom Ruegger, and the voice of certain characters in his father's cartoon shows. The first was in Tiny Toon Adventures when he played the baby version of Plucky Duck, famous for his catchphrase "Water go down the hooooooooole!"...
, Luke and Cody.
Nathan Ruegger provided the voice for the baby version of Plucky Duck
Plucky Duck
Plucky Allen Duck is a cartoon character from the Warner Bros. animated television series Tiny Toon Adventures. He is also the titular character in Gary A. Lewis's Plucky Duck in the Summer Job. He is arguably the third main character on the show after Buster and Babs. Plucky is voiced by Joe...
on Tiny Toon Adventures
Tiny Toon Adventures
Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures, usually referred to as Tiny Toon Adventures or simply Tiny Toons, is an American animated television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. It began production as a result of Warner Bros....
, Skippy Squirrel on Animaniacs
Animaniacs
Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs, usually referred to as simply Animaniacs, is an American animated series, distributed by Warner Bros. Television and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The cartoon was the second animated series produced by the collaboration of Steven...
and Froggo
Froggo
Froggo Games was a video game company that produced several games for the Atari 2600 and Atari 7800 game systems, long after the release of the Nintendo NES and other systems. The games were particularly notable for their poor ratings, and is often considered the worst game company on the 2600...
on Histeria!
Histeria!
Histeria! is a 1998 American animated series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Unlike other animated series produced by Warner Bros. in the 1990s, Histeria! stood out as the most explicit edutainment program in order to meet FCC requirements for...
, whereas Luke provided the voice for the Flame and Bumpo Basset on Animaniacs
Animaniacs
Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs, usually referred to as simply Animaniacs, is an American animated series, distributed by Warner Bros. Television and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The cartoon was the second animated series produced by the collaboration of Steven...
and Big Fat Baby on Histeria!
Histeria!
Histeria! is a 1998 American animated series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Unlike other animated series produced by Warner Bros. in the 1990s, Histeria! stood out as the most explicit edutainment program in order to meet FCC requirements for...
. Cody performed the voice of Little Blue Bird on Animaniacs
Animaniacs
Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs, usually referred to as simply Animaniacs, is an American animated series, distributed by Warner Bros. Television and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The cartoon was the second animated series produced by the collaboration of Steven...
and Loud Kiddington on Histeria!
Histeria!
Histeria! is a 1998 American animated series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Unlike other animated series produced by Warner Bros. in the 1990s, Histeria! stood out as the most explicit edutainment program in order to meet FCC requirements for...
.
The Ruegger boys also are the primary inspiration behind the main characters in Animaniacs!, Yakko, Wakko and Dot. Tom Ruegger himself also made occasional cameos on his shows in caricature form, most notably as the recurring character of director Cooper DaVille in Tiny Toons.