The Flintstones (TV series)


 * This article is about the TV series. For other uses, see The Flintstones (disambiguation).

The Flintstones is an American animated television sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera (H-B) for ABC. It ran from 1960 to 1966, airing 166 episodes. It was the first prime-time animated series geared towards adults, although its accessibility for the whole family allowed it to be frequently repeated on Cartoon Network and Boomerang in their heydays.

A Stone Age contemporary of The Honeymooners, The Flintstones is about the life of a working class man, Fred Flintstone, and his wife, Wilma, along with their next door neighbours and best friends, Barney & Betty Rubble. Later additions included children for both families, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm, respectively, and an alien visitor named the Great Gazoo.

Screen Gems/Columbia Pictures Television, who also co-produced, syndicated repeats of the program until 1981, when The Program Exchange picked up syndication on Columbia's behalf. In the mid-1990s, syndication moved to Turner Program Services, shortly after Turner's acquisition of H-B, and its acquisition of The Flintstones from Columbia. In 1998, it transferred to Warner Bros. Television Distribution, when Time Warner bought out Turner and its HB library.

The popularity of The Flintstones even after it ended, spawned spin-off shows, television specials and movies. It also influenced H-B to make the Space-Age counterpart, The Jetsons, as well as the Roman period The Roman Holidays, and the then 1970s contemporary Where's Huddles, while Fox Television aired contemporary counterparts such as The Simpsons and Family Guy.

Cast

 * Alan Reed as Fred Flintstone
 * Mel Blanc as Barney Rubble and Dino; Daws Butler filled in for Blanc during episodes 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 of season 2
 * Jean Vander Pyl as Wilma Flintstone and Pebbles Flintstone
 * Bea Benaderet (seasons 1-4) and Gerry Johnson (seasons 5-6) as Betty Rubble
 * Don Messick as Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy

Celebrity guests

 * Hoagy Carmichael
 * Ann-Margret
 * Stoney Curtis
 * Elizabeth Montgomery
 * Dick York

In popular culture

 * In the comic Harley Quinn's Valentine Day Special, Harley Quinn says, "Yabba dabba do me!" when seeing Bruce Wayne.

Family Guy

 * "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Bucks": While walking in New York set to Flintstones-esque music, Peter tries to lift Meg's spirits by telling her she'll find her hidden talent, when they suddenly walk onto Bedrock.
 * "Dammit Janet!": When Peter and Lois don't return to America after the plane they were on was hijacked in Cuba, it is reported on the news, with the artist's rending capturing a fat man inexplicably married to an attractive redhead, which is in the form of Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
 * "Wasted Talent": When the final scroll to entering the Pawtucket Brewery was found, Peter disappointedly asked aloud what he was going to do now, when the Great Gazoo popped up asking the "dum dum" what he could do for Peter, but all Peter wanted was to be left alone. Annoyed at Peter's treatment of him, Gazoo whined that it wasn't always about him, the "fatso."
 * "Ready, Willing, and Disabled": A cavegirl carhop tips Joe's wheelchair over with a plate of ribs in the same manner as what happens to Fred's car in the "[[(Meet) The Flintstones]}" theme song.
 * "From Method to Madness": Former child star Bamm-Bamm Rubble has grown up to become a taxi driver. When a bouncer tells Bamm-Bamm to take home another former child star Elroy Jetson, all Bamm-Bamm can still say is his own name.
 * "The Cleveland-Loretta Quagmire": Peter tells Cleveland that he walked in on the latter's wife having sex with another man, and when playing it out he uses the word "bam" several times as an onomatopoeia. Peter then asks Bamm-Bamm to continue for him in referencing his catchphrase, then Bamm-Bamm asks Emeril Lagasse to takeover as he uses a similar catchphrase. Bamm-Bamm is voiced by MacFarlane.
 * "Peter's Got Woods": When Brian is busy on another date with his new girlfriend, Peter tries to replace him with Barney. We then see Peter at the Rubbles', where he is waiting for Barney to finish in the toilet, so they can go play darts. Barney is using a pelican as a toilet, who makes a joke about his predicament. A sheep later made the same kind of joke after hearing Meg was on her period. MacFarlane voices Barney.
 * "Patriot Games": Brian takes the same $50 bet on a celebrity boxing match between Mike Tyson and Carol Channing as Betting Freddie does, who stutters the word "bet" like the addicted gambler he was in "The Gambler". He then gets serious and claims there's nothing funny about addiction and tells the audience to vote "No" on Indian gaming bars. Fred is voiced by Jeff Bergman.
 * "Chick Cancer": Olivia mentions that she starred with Victor in a Flintstones vitamin commercial.
 * "Road to Rupert": In a reenactment of "(Meet) The Flintstones", Meg drives Peter to the Quahog Drive-In, where he sticks his head through the car roof like and then has Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm placed on top of his head, just like what happens with Dino.
 * "Believe It or Not, Joe's Walking on Air": Fred and Barney attend the inaugural ball of the Quahog Men's Club, where Fred reveals to Barney that he accidentally caught sight of Betty undressing, who say Fred, but continued anyway, giving way to Fred's e-rock-tion. Bergman voices both Fred and Barney.
 * "Peter's Daughter": Fred takes Wilma to Mr. Stoneberg to get a legal separation for not letting him back in after Baby Puss removes him from their house and locks him outside. He had been knocking for 20 minutes and shouting "Wilma!" but she claims to not have heard because she was taking a shower, but he believes that she was simply ignoring him and goes on further about her spending all his money on expensive clothes and hairdos, and not being available for sex, the "passive aggressive bitch" she is. Bergman and Alex Bornstein voice Fred and Wilma, respectively.
 * "Stew-Roids": Gina says that Chris smells like Fred's ass. The scene then cuts to Fred, who says that no one's telling her to smell it. Fred is voiced by Bergman.
 * "Road to the Multiverse": Stewie and Brian travel to an alternate universe of Quahog, which resembles Bedrock and has a laugh track. Peter and Lois are now called Rock Peter and Rock Lois and are dressed and have the same hair styles as Fred and Wilma. The word "rock" is placed before and in place of other words as well, so they had rock sex which included Rock Peter rocking Rock Lois up the rock last rock night (which also included a "rockphylactic" in the form of a frog, "Ribbeted for your pleasure.") As you can imagine, Stewie and Brian wanted to get the "rock out of there."
 * "Quagmire's Baby": Quagmire is selling a tape of The Best of the World's Wildest Police Chases, which features the police in a high speed pursuit of Fred in the Flintmobile, also carrying Dino, Pebbles, and Bamm-Bamm. Dino pops his head through the roof, and Fred places the babies on top of Dino's head. Fred manages to avoid them until he enters a drive-in movie theater and smashes into a snack bar. Fred tries to escape over a fence, but is caught and clobbered by the police. The narrator finishes his commentary by saying "Yabba-Dabba-Don't."
 * "Tom Tucker: The Man and His Dream": The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas is Peter's favourite period film.
 * "Burning Down the Bayit": Stewie brags to Brian about how he attended a baby rave the night before, where he dropped a "purple Betty" Flintstones chewable vitamin, which he claims sent him "flying."
 * "The Simpsons Guy": Fred acts as a judge when Peter and Homer Simpson go to court over the Pawtucket Patriot Ale being a copyright infringement over Duff Beer. He claims that both brands are imitations of Budrock, but is in favor of Duff Beer. Fred is voiced by none other than Bergman.
 * "The 2000-Year-Old Virgin": Meg takes a job as a tag remover using her teeth. After she does it, she responds with, "It's a living", with accompanying "wah-wah-wah" music.
 * "Peter, Chris, & Brian": Peter puts "Wilma Flintstone pearl necklaces" on him and Chris as a key to success.