Helping to turn the brand of Hanna-Barbera Productions into a classic icon is the memorable cartoon animation series of The Flintstones. With its story revolving around two families in a Stone Age setting and their working class heads of family, The Flintstones really perfected the dynamics which would make The Simpsons successful later through the years.
A major distinction of the series is the putting of modern-day issues (modern, as in 1960s) in the context of the Stone Age. This same irony is also the premise of succeeding cartoon animation series such as Futurama. The Flintstones was initially created for an adult audience but eventually it found a niche with children.
The stars of the show are the families Flintstones and their neighbors Rubbles. The lead roles are of the best friend cartoon characters Fred Flintstones and Barney Rubble. They are joined by Wilma and Pebbles Flintstones and Wilma and Bamm-bamm Rubble. They also have pets to round up their roster: Dino, the Flintstones dinosaur which barks like a dog and Baby Puss, the baby sabre-tooth tiger of Wilma. The Rubbles have Hoppy, a hybrid kangaroo and dinosaur. Occasionally the families have some extended family members come over and visit.
The address of the Flintstones is put in as 323 Cobblestone Lane in Bedrock. However this changed all throughout the seasons of the Flintstones. 25 Stone Cave Road and 201 Cobblestone are examples. The Flintstones was in production from 1960 to 1966 on ABC. The Flintstones became the first series of ABC to be shown in color. Eventually, the Flintstones became a property of Warner Brothers, after WB acquired the Turner Broadcasting System, which was the umbrella where Hanna-Barbera Productions was under.
A key component of the humor of the Flintstones was the merging often of pre-historic fashion and modern gadget technology – resulting in household equipments which are nifty yet hilarious. Examples of this are foot-powered cars and a bird as a camera. Here are some of the few memorable Flinstones equipments:
- A baby woolly mammoth being used as a vacuum cleaner
- An adult woolly mammoth would act as a shower by spraying water with its trunk
- Lifts are raised and lowered by ropes around brontosaurs’ necks
- “Automatic” windows are powered by monkeys that dwell on the outside windowsill
- Birds configured as “car horns” are activated by pulling on their tails
- An electric razor is depicted as a clam shell housing a honey-bee vibrating it as the edges are rubbed against the character’s face.
Moreover, the Flintstones was able to take advantage of American popular culture by depicting the likeness of famous Hollywood celebrities:
- “Gary Granite” (Cary Grant)
- “Stony Curtis” (Tony Curtis)
- “Ed Sulleyrock/Sulleystone” (Ed Sullivan)
- “Rock Quarry/Hudstone” (Rock Hudson)
- “Ann-Margrock” (Ann-Margret)
- “Alvin Brickrock” (Alfred Hitchcock)
- “Perry Masonary/Masonite” (Perry Mason)
- “Bronto Burger” (Hamilton Burger, Mason’s courtroom adversary)
- “Mick Jadestone and The Rolling Boulders” (Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones)
- “Hollyrock Bowl” {Hollywood Bowl}
- “Jimmy Darrock” (James Darren)
- “Clark Gravel” (Clark Gable)
- “The Cartrocks” (The Cartwrights)
- Samantha and Darrin – One time neighbors of the Flintstones (Samantha and Darrin of Bewitched).
It was observed that the treatment of the Flintstones was based on the Hollywood show The Honeymooners. This was seen from the fact that the voice of Fred Flintstones (Alan Reed) was portraying the interpretation of the character of The Honeymooners’ Ralph Kramden, among others. However, in today’s context, children would see The Flintstones as the precedent of the Simpsons. This is a testament to the influence of the Flintstones throughout the years – especially the phrase Fred popularized: Yabba Dabba Doo!
Here is a video snippet of the Flintstones to refresh our memories:
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