Flintstones, meet the Flintstones...

A whole generation of children grew up enjoying the antics of a cartoon stone-age family and their friendly next-door neighbours. The Flintstones was created by animation legends William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, and the characters have since become some of the most well-known in popular culture.

Taking its inspiration from popular sitcoms (notably The Honeymooners, one of the biggest sitcoms on American TV at that time), The Flintstones was one of the first cartoons to be shown during primetime television; for many years it held the record for the longest-running cartoon series in American TV history, running for six years, and 166 episodes between 1960 and 1966.

The action was set in the year 1 million BC. Despite being set in the stone age, The Flintstones characters live a modern American 1950s lifestyle, doing all the things that modern Americans would find familiar, and that is the main joke of the show. In the ultra-modern town of Bedrock, Cobblestone County, two families - the Flintstones and the Rubbles - lived in neighbouring houses, which were fashioned out of rock. The husbands were best friends and keen ten-pin bowlers, and both were members of the Water Buffalo Lodge, a secret society similar to the Odd Fellows or the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes.

Each episode was broadcast in glorious colour (though many homes still had black-and-white television sets, colour TVs were becoming increasingly common in the US). With its parodies of modern life, appealing lead characters and frequent celebrity guest appearances (with the famous voices combined with the distinctive caricatured bodies in the Hanna-Barbera style), it proved to be a popular format.

The Characters

Fred Flintstone

Fred was a stone-age everyman. He was so bored with his job as a Bronto operator with a gravel company, owned by George Nate Slate, that when the bird siren sounded for the end of his shift, Fred jumped up and yelled 'Yabba Dabba Doo' at the top of his voice, before inserting his stone clock-in card into a dinosaur's mouth, to be punched.

He was always trying to skip work and avoid his mother-in-law. He loved to spend time with his best friend and next-door neighbour, Barney Rubble, whom he frequently roped in to aid and abet his scams. Fred was a keen ten-pin bowler and his distinctive bowling style earned him the nickname 'Twinkletoes Flintstone'. Fred liked to play pool; poker; read Bedrock's newspaper, the Daily Slate, and lounge about the house. He was also partial to the occasional game of golf.

Fred owned a car, a Flintmobile which ran on petrol. His bare feet could be seen running underneath, to start the car, and the scenery in the background fairly flew past. Passengers often lent their own feet to the cause in moments when the car needed a little extra speed. Fred usually wore an orange and black animal skin with a blue tie, although he did dress up on special occasions.

I love thee Wilma, with hair like silk,

Lips like cherries, skin like milk,

Your shell-like ears, your dainty hands,

And eyes so black, like frying pans,

And when you in my arms are in,

My love how can you doubt?

I quiver just like gelatin,

And sometimes even break out.

You're a perfect peach, my love,

Together we're a pear (pair),

You're sweet, you're nice, you're paradise,

And all kinda stuff like that there.

Wilma Flintstone

Wilma was houseproud, with all the latest gadgets at her disposal, like her baby Wooly mammoth vacuum cleaner and the pigasaurus garbage disposal. Her best friend was her next-door-neighbour, Betty Rubble. Wilma and Betty once disguised themselves as men in order to join their husbands' Water Buffalo lodge.

Wilma adored her errant husband, and no matter how many times Fred let her down, she always forgave him. She was affectionate and had an infectious giggle. Wilma wore her auburn hair piled high on her head, while her string of pearls set off her white fur dress splendidly. She was a fabulous cook, (her Gravelberry pies were legendary), and, though she had a slight build, she was strong enough to carry Brontosaurus fricassee (Fred's favourite meal) to the dining table.

Wilma liked to keep herself looking nice and she had a bird perfume dispenser as well as a stone-age equivalent of an Avon Lady¹, a representative of the Cave-In Cosmetics Company. She was wearing a mud face-pack when Fred brought Stony Curtis home for a meal. Wilma's mother, Pearl Slaghoople, liked to visit as often as possible; her unannounced arrival would guarantee one of Fred's famous scowls.

Pebbles Flintstone

Pebbles arrived, weighing 6 pounds 12 ounces, in the show's third series. The cute red-haired little girl could melt a heart of stone and she was the apple of her daddy's eye. Her favourite things were riding on Dino (see below) and playing with dolls. Her first words were 'Abba Gabba Goo'. Pebbles and Dino got into all sorts of trouble, as Dino was often left in charge.

Barney Rubble

Vertically-challenged Barney had several careers including quarry worker, furniture repossessor, travel agent, geological engineer, co-owner (with Fred) of 'The Drive-In' and (also with Fred) Private Investigator. In one episode he was even made Fred's boss at the quarry, which went down (with Fred) like a lead balloon.

Barney liked ten-pin bowling and loved jazz. Together with Fred, (usually his idea), Barney enjoyed an after-work cactus juice drinking session with the boys at the Water Buffalo lodge. Later in the series Barney, along with Fred, became part-time officers in Bedrock's police force.

Barney always had a smile on his face, a memorable chuckle and a cheery word for everyone, except when the court case involving the adoption of his son Bamm-Bamm (see below) wasn't going well, he became depressed and suicidal. Barney is most likely to say:

Uh, okay Fred.

Betty Rubble

Betty (née McBricker²) liked to go shopping with her best friend Wilma and enjoyed playing bridge at the Bridge Club. Betty had an infectious giggle just like Wilma's, and the girls often shared a joke, usually about their men.

Betty and Barney wished on a falling star that they would have a child, and Bamm-Bamm was left on their doorstep. The Rubble family endured an unpleasant custody battle in court before they were allowed to adopt him.

Betty Rubble is an official 'babe'. In an Internet poll for 'Sexiest Cartoon Babes', Betty finished in second place to overall winner Jessica Rabbit. Despite Betty's obvious charms, it was another castmember that the crew of Red Dwarf fantasised about:

[well] I would go with Betty...but I'd be thinkin' of Wilma.

- The Cat to Lister.

Bamm-Bamm Rubble

White-haired Bamm-Bamm amazed everyone with his super-strength abilities. He liked to bash the ground with his club, while yelling his own name, and helping his mother Betty clean the house by lifting furniture out of the way. His favourite hobby was riding his cave buggy (a prehistoric version of a dune buggy), and he also liked Dino-rides, taking turns with Pebbles.

Dino

Dino, a dogasaurus, was the Flintstone family's pet dinosaur, who acted, barked and thought like a dog, and provided 'Dino-rides' for the children. Dino liked to bowl Fred over when he returned from work, taking a good long run-up, then licking his face. Fred always protested loudly but there were times when Fred would kiss Dino in greeting or departing, instead of Wilma.

Dino's favourite foods were Dino-Gro and Shlump; he loved to sleep in Fred's favourite chair and his favourite hobby was fighting with Baby Puss. Dino and Fred swopped minds, mannerisms and voices in one episode, ('Monster Fred'), curtesy of Len Frankenstone's personality-switching machine.

Baby Puss

Baby Puss was the family's pet saber-toothed tiger. Although seen in the opening and closing credits (when Fred 'puts the cat out'), Baby Puss hardly featured in any episodes.

Hoppy

Hoppy the Hopperoo was introduced in series five as the Rubbles' pet. Barney bought the green kangaroo-like creature for Bamm-Bamm but Fred disliked him, until the families were in danger and Hoppy went for help (parodying Skippy the Bush Kangaroo). Hoppy enjoying carrying the children around in his pouch.

The Gruesomes

The Gruesome family appeared in series five, episode number 123, moving into Tombstone Manor. They were a ghoulish clan who thought they were 'normal' and the rest of the world was weird, and were based upon the monster sit-coms The Munsters and The Addams Family. The Gruesomes consisted of green-skinned, vertically-challenged father Weirdly, voiced by Howard Morris sounding like Peter Lorre; his wife the tall, slim, pink-haired Creepella (voiced by Naomi Stevens); and their son, purple-haired 'Gobby' Goblin, who rarely spoke.

Look how he ignores us.
- Mrs Gruesome's proud boast about her son.

The family vehicle was a prehistoric hearse and the family pet was an enormous blue spider.

The Great Gazoo

The Great Gazoo appeared during the last series. He was an alien³ exiled to Earth as punishment for having invented a weapon that could destroy the universe. He was green, he floated, and he appeared at the most inappropriate moments. He tried to help Fred and Barney, usually against their will, and often made the situation worse. Only Fred and Barney, the children and animals could see him, and his leader, the Great Gazam.

Guest Stars

As already mentioned, the series often featured guest appearances by celebrities of the day (or at least sound-alikes), transported back in time to play Stone-age equivalents. Such guests included:

• 'Ann-Margrock' - Ann-Margret.

• 'Stony Curtis' - Tony Curtis.

• 'Lou Granite' (the editor of the Daily Slate) - Lou Grant. Lou was a character from another popular sitcom of the time, The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

• 'Cary Granite' - Cary Grant.

• 'Perry Masonry' - Perry Mason aka Raymond Burr.

• Samantha and Darrin Stephens appeared as 'themselves' - they were the witch and her human husband from the popular sit-com Bewitched.

• Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo steal a picnic basket in one episode.

Flintstones Animal Appliances

The families owned modern home appliances which were represented as talking animals. When Wilma stepped on the foot of the pelican he opened the top of his beak to accept the rubbish. It would then complain to the viewing audience about what a hard life it led.

Many animals were utilised in the course of the series, some more than once or twice. For example, Wilma found a few uses for a turtle: Rubbing the heated shell on cloth made a great iron, and a basket attached to the back of a turtle made a superb shopping trolley. The tip of the pointed beak of a bending bird played a record which spun on the back of a turtle (resembling an old turntable). Fred and Barney used the turtle's back as a draughts board; and when cranked, the turtle's tail raised its head, which lifted the car, making it a perfect jack.

Who wouldn't love an octopus dishwasher? The octopus used his many legs to wash, rinse and dry the dishes. Then there was the triceratops juicer, its nose horn squeezed the juice out of oranges and grapefruits; and the stegosaurus food processor, which chewed vegetables and fruits to mush. A penguin in the freezer which passed a character an icecube; and a dragon coffee-maker.

Then there's the bathroom facilities: A mastodon sucked up a lot of water from a bucket and then stuck its trunk through a hole in the bathroom wall and blew, enabling the character to have a shower. Fred once caught a bee, put it inside a clam shell then buzzed off his stubble.

There were modern conveniences at work too, like Mr Slate's talking bird intercom. As it relayed messages, it would also voice its own sarcastic comments to the audience.

Fancy a trip to Rockapulco? Book a ticket with 'Pteradactyl Airways' and travel in style, strapped to the back of a flying dinosaur, although approach from the rear or the 'plane' will think the passengers are food.

Bug Music

One episode, The Hatrocks and The Gruesomes starred a group similar to The Beatles - well they had very shaggy hair, which was about where the similarity ended. The Hatrocks (a parody of The Beverly Hillbillies) were scared by 'Bug Music' on the television; they ended up blasting the TV to smithereens with their shotguns. The Gruesomes piped 'Bug Music' into the Hatrocks' fridge and telephone, and Fred had an idea to get rid of the Hatrocks by dressing up as a member of the band and singing:

He said Yeah, yeah, yeah; She said Yeah, yeah, yeah; I said yeah, yeah, yeah; We said yeah, yeah, yeah; They said yeah, yeah, yeah... (Repeat.)

As the Hatrocks fled Bedrock to go to the World's Fair, they passed a billboard showing the same four Beatles-like band members advertising 'Bug Music' at the World's Fair.

Don Byron, an eclectic New York jazz clarinet player, has an album, entitled Bug Music. The album, released in 1996, has the following quotes in the sleeve notes:

The Beatles' music, though now thought of as mainstream and accessible, was portrayed (in the guise of 'Bug Music') as horrible. [...] 'Bug Music' has lived on for me as a fable of the public's subjectivity.

Flintstones Cast (Voices)

• Alan Reed (1907 - 77) as Fred Flintstone. Alan created the catchphrase Yabba dabba doo! for his most famous incarnation Fred Flintstone; and also supplied the voice of 'Boris' in Disney's Lady and the Tramp. His distinctive voice is still being used as archive sound for video long after his passing.

• Jean Vander Pyl (1919 - 99) as Wilma Flintstone and Pebbles Flintstone. Jean also voiced 'Goldie' in Top Cat and the 'Winsome Witch' in The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show; and was a regular guest star in Petticoat Junction and Leave It To Beaver in the 1960s.

• Mel Blanc⁴ (1908 - 89) as Barney Rubble and Dino. Mel was a multi-talented voice artist who gave life to popular cartoon characters 'Woody Woodpecker', 'Bugs Bunny', 'Daffy Duck', 'Porky Pig', 'Elmer Fudd', 'Tweety Pie', 'Sylvester', 'Yosemite Sam', 'Foghorn Leghorn', and 'Pepe Le Pew'.

• Bea Benaderet (1906 - 68) as Betty Rubble (1960 - 1964). Bea was a regular guest on The Jack Benny Programme from 1952 - 55; and provided the voice for the old woman in the Sylvester and Tweety Pie cartoons.

• Gerry Johnson as Betty Rubble (1964 - 1966). Gerry is a Special Effects Co-ordinator (Zardoz; My Left Foot) and also played Mrs Johnson in the TV series Bewitched.

• Don Messick (1926 - 97) as Bamm-Bamm Rubble, Arnold the Newsboy and Hoppy the Hopperoo (1963 - 1966). Don's contribution to the world of animation is legendary, providing the voices for: 'Scooby Doo'; 'Boo-Boo' and 'Ranger Smith' from the TV series The Yogi Bear Show; 'Muttley', 'Professor Pat Pending', 'Sawtooth', 'Ring-A-Ding', 'Little Gruesome' and 'Gravel Slag' from the TV series Wacky Races; 'Pixie' in The Pixie and Dixie Show; 'Astro' (the dog in The Jetsons); 'Touché Turtle'; 'Sebastian the Cat' from the TV series Josie and the Pussycats; and he also voiced the Narrator in the animated cartoon The House of Tomorrow (1949).

• John Stephenson as George Nate Slate (AKA Mr Slate, Fred's boss) (1963 - 1966). John also voiced Mr Slate in the subsequent made-for-TV movies (see below); and in the TV series Wacky Races he provided the voices for 'Luke' and 'Blubber Bear'.

• Verna Felton (1890 - 1966) as Pearl Slaghoople (Wilma's mother) (1963 - 1966). Verna also provided the voices for 'Flora' in Sleeping Beauty; 'Winifred' in The Jungle Book; the 'Queen of Hearts' in Alice in Wonderland; and 'Aunt Sarah' in Lady and the Tramp.

The Theme Tune(s)

The first two series' music was an instrumental tune called 'Rise and Shine'. The opening credits showed Fred driving home from work, eventually passing a sign saying 'Welcome To Bedrock: POP 2500'. A policeman blew his whistle and signalled for Fred to stop. A red stegosaurus, covered in firemen, ran through the intersection. Fred then parked at a Tailor's shop, walked up the back of a blue dinosaur which was acting as stairs, and collected his dry cleaning. He continued his journey and pulled up beside a street vendor, buying a Daily Slate from him. He parked his car in the garage, entered the house, took a tray of sandwiches out of Wilma's hands before returning to kiss Wilma.

Dino, sat in Fred's chair, leapt out and lay down beside it. Fred sat in the pre-warmed seat and turned on the television. What's on the box? Fred - advertising the products of the programme's sponsors. Fred and Barney both advertised things like cigarettes; in those days, cigarettes were cool. The first closing sequence showed Fred turning off the TV set, then he covers the bird cage, enclosing it with a zipper. Fred puts out two empty milk bottles, turns out the light, turns the light back on, picks up the cat to put it out for the night, but gets locked out of the house by the cat, causing him to bang on the door.

Wilma! Come on, Wilma, open this door! Willllll-ma!

The Better-Known Theme

Flintstones...meet the Flintstones,
they're a modern stone-age family,

From the town of Bedrock,
they're a page right out of history.


Let's ride with the family down the street, thru' the courtesy of Fred's two feet.

When you're with the Flintstones, have a yabba dabba doo time,
a dabba doo time,

You'll have a gay old time.

The most familiar opening sequence, with the 'Meet the Flintstones' theme song, was introduced in the third series. It opened with Fred sliding down the tail of his dino-crane as soon as the whistle signalling the end of the shift sounded; inserting his dinosaur clock-in card; collecting Wilma and the pets, and taking them to the drive-in, where the film 'The Monster' is showing. In the closing sequence they order giant ribs which the waitress props on the side of the car, tipping it over. Then, at home, Fred picks up the cat to put it out for the night, but gets locked out of the house by the cat instead.

'WILLLLLL-MA!'

Fred bashes on the locked door and wakes up the entire neighbourhood, as depicted by all the windows lighting up.
Later credits included Barney and Betty Rubble and the children.

Flintstones...meet the Flintstones,
they're a modern stone-age family,

From the town of Bedrock,
they're a page right out of history.


Some day, maybe Fred will win the fight, and that, cat will stay out for the night.

When you're with the Flintstones,
have a yabba dabba doo time,
a dabba doo time,

You'll have a gay old time.

In 1994, the B52's re-recorded the Flintstones theme tune for the feature film. Changing their name to 'The BC-52's', the band's version, '(Meet) the Flintstones' reached number 3 in the UK singles charts.

Flintstones vs Simpsons

The Simpsons finally beat The Flintstones' record for longest-running animated series with an episode first broadcast on 9 February, 1997. The introductory montage of its 167th episode ended with the Simpsons running towards their couch only to find Fred, Wilma and Pebbles Flintstone sitting there.

Four years earlier, in the episode 'Marge vs. the Monorail', Homer Simpson paid his own tribute to The Flintstones by shouting 'Yabba Dabba Doo' before leaping into his car and singing a reworking of that famous theme tune:

Simpson... Homer Simpson... he's the greatest guy in history... from the town of Springfield... he's about to hit a chestnut tree.

Spin-offs

The Flintstones had a life beyond the original series in spin-off shows, nine made-for-TV movies (which in reality were just extended episodes), and two live-action films.

After the end of the TV series The Flintstones, the characters were kept alive in a series of specials and spin-off shows, including 'The Man Called Flintstone' (1966) and 'The New Fred and Barney Show' (1979). 'The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show' (1971 - 76) focused on the Flintstone and Rubble kids as teenagers, which of course added a lot to what we already knew about the characters.

In the 1980s sequels, Captain Caveman and his son made guest appearances. Another animated sitcom that went in the opposite direction, into the future, was The Jetsons. 'The Flintstones meet the Jetsons' was a story about the Jetson family who use a time machine to travel back to the stone age, meeting the Flintstones. This time Henry Corden voiced Fred Flintstone, he also voiced both Ed and Edna Flintstone, Fred's parents, in The Flintstones Kids.

In the subsequent made-for-TV movies: Pebbles attended Bedrock High School and was an excellent baseball player. She eventually married the boy-next-door, Bamm-Bamm Rubble, who had become a car mechanic. After their wedding, the couple moved to Hollyrock⁵, so Bamm-Bamm could realise his dream of becoming a scriptwriter. The couple had twins, a blonde-haired daughter named Roxy, who was as strong as her daddy, and an auburn-haired son named Chip. After Bamm-Bamm left home, Betty started a successful catering business with, you've guessed it, Wilma Flintstone.

Inevitably, the characters found their way into live action with two movies. 'The Flintstones' (1994) starred John Goodman as Fred, Rick Moranis as Barney, Elizabeth Perkins as Wilma and Rosie O'Donnell as Betty. The casting of the legendary British actress Elizabeth Taylor as Wilma's mother Pearl, was inspired as she was game for a laugh and played the role of harridan to perfection. Also starring was Halle Berry as the sexpot Sharon Stone⁶. Harvey Korman who played the Dictabird also voiced The Great Gazoo in the original TV series, and Colonel Slaghoople in the prequel. Director Brian Levant is a genuine fan of the cartoon series, and allegedly owns a large collection of Flintstones memorabilia. The film won a Blimp Award (in the Kids' Choice Awards, USA), a BMI Film Music Award and a Golden Screen Award in Germany.

The prequel, 'The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas' (2000), starred British actor Mark Addy as a younger Fred and Stephen Baldwin as Barney enjoying their last experiences of single life before marrying Wilma, played by Kristen Johnston and Betty, played by Jane Krakowski, respectively. Fred and Barney had to compete with the amorous attentions of Chip Rockefeller (for Wilma) and Mick Jagged (for Betty).

You're awfully pretty when you smile, Miss Betty O'Shale.

- Mick Jagged

British-born actress Joan Collins played Wilma's mother Pearl Slaghoople, unfortunately earning her a Razzie⁷ nomination for Worst Supporting Actress.

And Finally

Andrew Flintoff, the Lancashire and England cricketer, is nicknamed 'Freddie' after Fred Flintstone, due to the similarity between their surnames and alleged physical comparisons. (Flintoff is 6'4" (1.93m) tall).