(Meet) The Flintstones
- This article is about the theme song. For the upcoming animated film, see Meet the Flintstones (film).
"(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.
In 2024, the song was alluded to in the Jellystone! episode title "Meet the Jetsons," and also appeared the same year in the Velma episode "Private Velmjamin," being used as Fred Jones's ringtone for the mystery older woman he flirted with.
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 opposed to using the "Rise and Shine" theme for episodes from seasons 1 to 2.[2] The practice continued in recirculation 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 (banging on locked door): 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
| WARNING: The following section contains content that may be seen as mature or offensive to some readers. Reader discretion is advised. |
- Main article: List of pop culture references to Flintstones
- The movie Rage! begins with Cal being woken up by his daughter leaving the TV on The Flintstones episode "The House Guest," with the theme song and the opening scene of Fred telling Barney he is driving them to the Quicky Car Wash.
- In the Open All Night episode "Buckaroo Buddies," Bud sings along with a truncated version of "(Meet) the Flintstones," with only the first two verses and the last. It also includes a redubbed voice of a man saying, "Yabba-dabba-doo!"
- In the movie St. Elmo's Fire, "(Meet) The Flintstones" is played on the sax.
- In the TV special The Joe Piscopo New Jersey Special, in a nightclub that is supposed to be in Hollyrock, California, Joe Piscopo plays Fred presenting The Flintstones: The Lost Episodes, with Danny DeVito as his co-host, Barney. They show a clip from one of their favorite never-before-seen episodes, which involves Fred and Barney discussing Fred's anger over 18-year-old Pebbles dating a neanderthal. Back in the present, Fred and Barney say, "Yabba-dabba-doo," and get the audience to sing along with them a very truncated version of the theme song, which includes "Let's have a gay old time," and Fred shouting, "Wilma!" Unfortunately, it also incorrectly changes the lyrics from "Meet the Flintstones" to "We're the Flintstones."
- 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 Married... with Children episode "A Dump of My Own:" When Al cuts off the electricity for the second time to work on his second bathroom, Peggy, Bud, and Kelly drolly sing, "Flintstones, we're the Flintstones. We're the modern stone-age family."
- 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!"
- The B-52's (as the BC-52's) "(Meet) the Flintstones" exclusively debuted on the BBC One music video chart show Top of the Pops on June 23, 1994. As Simon Mayo presented, an audience member stood next to him wearing a poorly made costume loosely based on Fred's outfit, while other audience members held clubs with The Flintstones movie logo stuck on. The music video then went into the charts for six weeks between July 7-August 18:
- #5 on July 7 (full video). This was introduced by flamboyant entertainer Julian Clary, dressed in a woman's loincloth, who says he grew up watching the cartoon, and "even now, it only needs the whip of an old loincloth to get me shouting, 'Yabba-dabba-do!' You have a gay old time while I nip off and slip into something more comfortable," and turns the scene over to the "lovely" Susan Rock as if she's a real person. When the song finishes, Clary comments on the BC-52's being very campy, so he introduces Skin as an "antidote" with "some real men."
- #4 on July 14 (snippet).
- #3 on July 21 (full video).
- #3 on July 28 (snippet).
- #3 on August 4 (snippet).
- #5 on August 10
- #9 on August 18.
- In the Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain episode "Patty Ann," after Brain says to Pinky he should be on his side instead of the oaf Elmyra, he asks Pinky if he has any questions. Pinky proves his own worth by only asking Brain why Fred would knowingly order a giant stack of ribs that would knock over the side of his car every week, referencing the opening sequence for "(Meet) The Flintstones."
- In the Malcolm in the Middle episode "Grandma Sues," the boys and Piama listen to "(Meet) The Flintstones" play on TV.
- In the Time Squad episode "Ex Marks the Spot:" At the start of the episode, Larry sings the tune to "(Meet) The Flintstones," but with his own lyrics, "Time Squad, meet the Time Squad, they're a futuristic family! From the year one hundred million, it's their job to fix up history!"
- 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, killing all its residents. 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 improvises the background music and shouts "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 film Land of the Lost, when Rick is standing on Grumpy the T-rex's tail, Tom hopes that he will slide down the same way Fred Flintstone would do.
- In the Parks and Recreation episode "Animal Control," some of the Park Department staff is being shown behind the scenes at Animal Control, where Brett shows off a stuffed bird on the wall they tried to get working like a work whistle at the beginning of The Flintstones, which occurred in the "(Meet) The Flintstones" opening sequence.
- 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."
- In The Middle episode "The Table," the episode begins with a narration by Frankie about how families take more than one job, with a clip of a dinosaur clocking out Fred from the third season opening sequence 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 This Is Us episode "Number Two," Kate tells her unborn child as she is taking prenatal vitamins that its father tried buying prenatal Flintstone vitamins, because she thinks he identifies with Fred's "Yabba-dabba-doo" philosophy, which is to work hard and play hard. She then hums "(Meet) The Flintstones," but with her own lyrics, "Need my vitamins cause your mommy's trying to keep you strong. Baby in the oven. Mummy's sorry for this stupid song."
- 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.
Full House
- "Our Very First Show:" In the unaired and aired pilot, the family sings "(Meet) The Flintstones" to baby Michelle.
- As an homage, the same family members sing the song again to baby Tommy in "Our Very First Show, Again," the pilot episode of Fuller House. Stephanie ends it by shouting, "Wilma!" both times. The latter episode features a side-by-side comparison with the original.
- "Happy Birthday, Babies, Part 2:" Late for Michelle's Flintstones-themed party, Jesse knocks on the bathroom door for Becky, but shouts, "Wilma," while dressed as Fred.
The Simpsons
- Main article: The Simpsons
- "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.
- "Bart's New Friend:" During Don's retirement party, Homer begs him to stay and continue to look out for him, but Don is ready to leave, saying, "If I was Fred Flintstone, I'd be at the end of the dinosaur's tail," referencing what Fred does when he finishes work in the opening sequence of "(Meet) The Flintstones."
