In the fall of 1966, Sy Fischer, a television agent who at the time worked at the powerful Ashley Famous Agency where his job was to sell shows on behalf of his clients, one day noticed his son Stuart reading a Fantastic Four comic book. Fischer saw potential in the Fantastic Four when he asked his son if this comic book could be a good cartoon who enthusiastically said, "Yes!" The very next day, Fischer got on the phone with Joseph Barbera, the co-founder and head of Hanna-Barbera and told him of this wonderful comic by Marvel Comics and recommended that Hanna-Barbera get the rights to develop it for Saturday morning. After taking a look at the FF, Barbera agreed. Both Joe Barbera and Sy Fischer then contacted Stan Lee and asked if the rights were available and luckily enough they were. A deal was quickly made between the two companies and Hanna-Barbera put the show into development and pitched it to ABC, and quickly it was on the ABC Saturday morning schedule for the Fall of 1967.
