(Meet) The Flintstones

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This article is about the theme song. For the upcoming animated film, see "Meet the Flintstones".

"(Meet) The Flintstones", also worded as "Meet the Flintstones", is a song originally written Hoyt Curtin and William Hanna, who provided the lyrics and music respectively, and composed by Curtin. It is the second theme song for The Flintstones television series, replacing "Rise and Shine." It was sung by The Randy Van Singers.[1] It was reused in the 1990s TV movies I Yabba-Dabba Do! and Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby.

Over the years, the song has been remade and used in other pieces of Flintstones media.

History

"(Meet) The Flintstones" was originally created to replace the show's first theme song, "Rise and Shine", which likely sounded too close the theme song for The Bugs Bunny Show, another program that aired on ABC at the same time as The Flintstones. Starting in season 3 with the third episode, Barney the Invisible, "(Meet) the Flintstones" became the primary theme song for the show.

When the series began airing on syndicated television, Joseph Barbera had the idea of using "(Meet) the Flintstones" in all episodes, as oppossed to using the "Rise and Shine" theme for episodes from seasons 1 to 2.[2] The practice continued in recirculations of the show until the 1990s, when the original theme was restored for episodes of the first two seasons (with the exception of re-arings on MeTV).

Lyrics

Opening

Fred: Yabba-Dabba-Doo!

Flintstones, meet the Flintstones
They're the 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
Through 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!

Closing

Flintstones, meet the Flintstones
There the modern stone age family
From the town of Bedrock,
There a page right out of history

Someday, maybe Fred will win the fight,
Then the 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!

You'll have a gay old time!

Fred: WILMA!

The Flintstone Comedy Hour

In the 1972 spin-off, The Flintstone Comedy Hour, the theme song of the show ended with, "We'll have a groovy time," replacing "gay old" with "groovy."

The New Fred and Barney Show version

For the 1980 spin-off, The New Fred and Barney Show, its theme song paid tribute to the original by using Hoyt Curtin's composition with new lyrics. Like the last version of the song in The Flintstones Comedy Hour, it too replaced "We'll have a gay old time," and instead ended the song with "We'll have a great old time." An instrumental version of the theme plays in the end credits of the show, which used a synthesizer in the melody.

Lyrics

Announcer: It's The New Fred and Barney Show!

Hey, the Flintstones! Fred and Flintstones,
Ooh, there's lots of fun and mystery
Flintstones, all-new Flintstones
With a special kind of comedy!

Barney: Hey, Fred! It's the same ol' gang, you know!
Fred: Yeah, Barn! In a new type of show!

Flintstones, all-new Flintstones,

Fred: Have a Yabba-Dabba-Doo time!
Barney: A that's for you time!

You'll have a great old time!

Barney: Hey, Fred. Look! We're all-new!
Fred: Heh-heh-heh, you said, Barn! Yabba-Dabba-Doo!

The B-52's version

As The B.C.-52's, the new wave band The B-52's did a cover for the 1994 live-action theatrical film, The Flintstones, and also filmed a music video with cameos of its cast.

Ann-Margret version

In the 2000 live-action theatrical film, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, Ann-Margret's "Viva Rock Vegas" included lyrics from "(Meet) The Flintstones."

The Flintstones: On the Rocks version

In the 2001 made-for-television film, The Flintstones: On the Rocks, an instrumental version of the theme (save for the "We'll have a gay old time" verse at the end) is played during Fred and Wilma's therapy session at the beginning.

In popular culture

  • In the movie St. Elmo's Fire, "(Meet) The Flintstones" is played on the sax.
  • In the movie Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Del sings "(Meet) The Flintstones" on the bus with a crowd, even adding "Wilma!" at the end.
  • In the pilot episode of Full House, "Our Very First Show," the family sings "(Meet) The Flintstones" to baby Michelle. As an homage, the pilot episode of Fuller House, "Our Very First Show, Again," had the same members of the family sing "(Meet) The Flintstones" to baby Tommy. Stephanie ends it by shouting, "Wilma!" both times. The latter episode features a side-by-side comparison with the original.
  • In The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air episode "Did the Earth Move for You?," while stuck in traffic after an earthquake, Ashley passes the time by singing "(Meet) The Flintstones," although we only hear her sing the last line, not forgetting to conclude with yelling "Wilma!"
  • In The Simpsons episode "Marge vs. the Monorail," the episode begins with a parody of Homer singing "(Meet) The Flintstones" with his own lyrics, ending when Homer crashes his car into a chestnut tree, having only paid partial attention to the road.
  • In the Baby Looney Tunes episode "The Wheel Deal," Bugs and his friends take their bikes apart to make a new one for Tweety, with the first choice being one that resembled a tiny Flintmobile, accompanied by a "(Meet) The Flintstones" jingle, but Bugs commentated that it was "too old."
  • In the Drawn Together episode "A Tale of Two Cows," Bedrock has been destroyed by Live Action Cow and all its residents were killed. As the gang passes by it, Clara says that they deserve it for constantly having a "gay old time".
  • In The Office episode "Beach Games," the staff of Dunder Mifflin sings "(Meet) the Flintstones" while on a bus trip, while their boss Michael Scott improvised the background music and shouted "Wilma!" at the end.
  • In the fourth episode of Little Britain USA, when the churchgoers start singing a hymn, Andy starts singing "(Meet) the Flintstones," although he can't quite make it to the end.
    • Matt Lucas, who played Andy, also sang the German version in series 12, episode 1 of The Great British Bake Off.
  • In the American Dad! episode "A Boy Named Michael," Roger (disguised as Michael) sings what he believes to be the Dartmouth song set to the tune of "(Meet) The Flintstones."
  • A rendition of the theme song used in the video game The Flintstones: The Rescue of Dino & Hoppy achieved meme status after Swedish YouTuber and gaming streamer Vargskelethor Joel played a bootleg version of the game and yelled "GRAND DAD," in reference to the bootleg's name 7 Grand Dad.
  • In the Teen Titans Go! episode "Intro," Control Freak sends the Teen Titans into the intro of other shows to stop them from starting their own. To capture Control Freak, the Titans tie up Fred and steal the Flintmobile. They follow him to the outdoor movie theater, where Beast Boy transforms into a dinosaur resembling Dino and pokes his head through the roof to spot Control Freak. Things end, when the Titans follow Control Freak through the projector screen right into the intro to The Jetsons.

Family Guy

Main article: Family Guy
  • "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.
  • "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.

References

  1. ^ Rourke, Mary (October 3, 2007). "Randy Van Horne, 83; his group sang TV themes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  2. ^ "Carved in Stone" (DVD special feature, 2004). Warner Home Video. Retrieved March 1, 2023.